Posts Tagged ‘President’s Export Council’

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President’s Export Council to Participate in Administration’s First Ever Fact-Finding Mission

September 11, 2014

Stefan M. Selig is the Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade.

Stefan M. Selig

Stefan M. Selig

Yesterday, Secretary Pritzker and I announced that we will lead a high-level delegation on an economic fact-finding trip to Poland and Turkey later this month. I am excited to participate in the first PEC fact-finding mission for the Obama administration.

That delegation — members of the President’s Export Council (PEC) — is the principal advisory committee on international trade to the president. It includes both public officials and private sector leaders.

The private sector leadership that will participate during the trip represent many of the most successful and important companies doing business globally today. That includes the PEC vice chair, Ursula Burns, Chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation.

CEOs and senior executives from Lockheed Martin, Marriott International, Archer Daniels Midland, Boeing, Dow Chemical, eBay, IBM, and Pfizer, among others, will also participate in the fact-finding mission.

With Poland as the sixth largest economy in the EU, and Turkey tripling its GDP per capita since 2002, the trade and investment opportunities are plenty and promising, particularly as they relate to economic growth for American businesses.

After exploring potential opportunities in these countries, the PEC will report its findings to President Obama later this year. This trip is also an occasion for both the administration and American businesses to expand its presence in the field of commercial diplomacy. Working together as partners, we are deepening U.S. economic ties and continue to strengthen our presence on the global stage.

In fact, one of the reasons I am excited to lead ITA at this moment in time, is because I believe we have a significant role in shaping international economic priorities.

We can drive commercial diplomacy to new heights.

From our Doing Business in Africa campaign, which helps facilitate business deals that result in trade-based development for the continent and jobs for the United States, to our Look South Initiative, which is designed to increase trade and investment with our neighbors to the south, or trade missions that promote clean, renewable energy throughout the world, the linkages between our trade and our diplomatic priorities is clearer than ever.

For more information about the PEC, its members, or history, visit http://trade.gov/pec. Stay tuned for our report to the president.

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Small Business Makes a Big Impact on Exports and Trade

May 11, 2012

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Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale is the Assistant Secretary for the Manufacturing and Services division within the International Trade Administration.

I was in recently in Chicago to participate in a small business roundtable with members of the President’s Export Council (PEC). We had some great views – from the offices of our host, PEC member Glenn Tilton, and from the nineteen small and medium-sized businesses that shared their exporting experiences and challenges with the panel. Exporting is an essential business tool, and we’ve seen that businesses that export generally have weathered the economic recession better than those that do not.  Ninety-five percent of the world’s potential consumers are outside the United States, so making the business decision to export can have a transformational effect on sales and growth. But exporting can seem complicated, especially for smaller firms. We heard about a lot of challenges, ranging from difficulty accessing financing; trouble finding skilled workers; and lack of information about foreign markets; to the high cost of establishing a physical presence in foreign countries.

This was important for the President’s Export Council members to hear, because they are in a position to help. The Council makes recommendations to the President for programs and policies that make it easier to export. More exports means more production, and more production means more jobs.

Greater cooperation and coordination with state and local governments is also making it easier for small businesses to learn the nuts and bolts of exporting. We were joined by Governor Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who are both doing great things to get Chicago businesses into the international marketplace. The State of Illinois has used State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) grants from the U.S. Small Business Administration to undertake trade missions and help small businesses participate in foreign trade shows. One of the roundtable participants, Marty Wiegel of Wiegel Tool Works, Inc. had just returned from participating in Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial trade show, with STEP grant support.

As we move into the third year of the National Export Initiative, I am encouraged by the progress U.S. businesses have made to keep us on track to double exports in five years. But I am also eager to hear more from small businesses about what we can do across government to ensure everyone reaches their exporting potential.

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The President’s Export Council Visits Capitol Hill

July 20, 2011

Dominique Griffith is an intern for the International Trade Administrations’ Office of Advisory Committees. He is a rising senior at American University, studying International Relations.

Last week, staff representatives of the President’s Export Council (PEC) along with administrative officials held staff briefings on Captiol Hill on the role of the PEC and its recent work. The PEC is the principal advisory committee on international trade to the executive branch. These briefings, which were done separately for the House of Representatives and the Senate, addressed the PEC’s background (the administration, the private sector, and the congressional role), trade policy, export assistance, small business and workforce assistance, and success measuring for U.S. businesses.

Our staff representative for Xerox pointed out that when, the CEO of Xerox, Ursula Burns, was asked to be the Vice Chair of the PEC she wanted make sure this particular PEC focuses on “measurement and accountability.” In other words, she did not want the PEC to only discuss ideas on how to help U.S. exporters, she wanted to see action. She also wanted to have this action recorded and measured. The PEC has requested this measuring trend so that the Administration can truly see action and progress on policies for which businesses have been advocating.

As an intern for ITA’s Office of Advisory Committees, I assist staff members with tasks such as writing briefing papers and industry research. That being said, one of the most rewarding projects I’ve had a chance to work on has been the “balanced score card” for the PEC’s recommendations. The score card included the PEC’s recommendations, polices that have been implemented thus far, and what actions the Administration will be taking to be responsive to the recommendations. Some of the recommendations included advocating for the passage of the pending Free Trade Agreements, visa reform, enhancement of our transportation infrastructure, and better coordinated export assistances for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The PEC’s recommendation on transportation infrastructure was particularly interesting to me because it outlined how reliable transportation and infrastructure can help the flow of exports which are essential to our economy. For example, the Department of Transportation’s second round of TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grants focused on financing infrastructure projects that would enhance exports. Another recommendation that is being implemented is on Export Control Reform. Just yesterday, White House Chief of Staff Daley discussed how critical these reforms are so I’m looking forward to see how the PECSEA (the PEC subcommittee that focuses on export controls) moves forward on it’s ideas to strengthen national security through reforming the U.S export control system.

After reading through the recommendations and seeing how the Administration has responded, I soon began to realize how implementing the PEC recommendations will lead to an increase in exports and get our economy back to where it needs to be. Last week’s Hill briefings were a success and although I am only an intern, I know that the work we do with the PEC is vital to the Administration and especially to businesses across the country.

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