June 2011 ITU
- Table of Contents
- Full Issue in PDF
- United States, Asia-Pacific Partners Look at Ways of Fostering Trade and Economic Growth
- Exporting with a Warm Touch
- Online Tool Makes Search for Tariff Information Simpler
- ITA Win: Export Success-Lighting the Way to More Exports
- Short Takes
- Trade Calendar
- Featured Trade Event: Executive-Led Water and Wastewater Industry Trade Mission to Australia
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Short Takes: News from the International Trade Administration
U.S. Exporters Honored at E Awards Ceremony
On May 16, 2011, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke honored 27 companies and organizations for their support of exporting at the annual E Awards ceremony held in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Department of Commerce photo)
Twenty-seven U.S. companies and organizations were recognized for their export achievements at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2011. The companies were recipients of the annual presidential E Awards, an honor given by the federal government to U.S. entities for their support of the expansion of exports.
President John F. Kennedy created the E Award in December 1961 to recognize people, firms, or organizations that contribute significantly to increasing U.S. exports. The International Trade Administration manages the award program. Since the program’s inception, more than 2,500 firms have received awards.
In remarks to the awardees, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke noted, “Today, we honor organizations helping to expand exports and companies that are selling high-quality products and services in every corner of the world and, most importantly, helping to create good jobs for American workers. This administration is focused on helping American businesses, like the ones honored today, reach the 95 percent of consumers who live outside our borders. I am proud to recognize their significant export achievements.”
U.S. exports are an important part of the U.S. economy. Under the National Export Initiative, announced by President Barack Obama in January 2010, the administration is working to meet the president’s goal of doubling U.S. exports of goods and services by 2015 to support continued economic recovery and job creation in the United States.
For more information about the E Awards, including a complete list of the recipients, see the May 16 press release at www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases.
U.S.–Iraqi Commercial Ties Promoted at Events in Texas and California
Interest in expanding commercial and trade ties between the United States and Iraq continues to grow, according to the Department of Commerce’s Iraq and Afghanistan Investment and Reconstruction Task Force. On May 4, 2011, the task force and the U.S. Export Assistance Centers (USEACs) in Houston, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana, facilitated a panel discussion and networking event for U.S. companies attending the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston. The event attracted representatives from more than 150 U.S. companies and included representatives from 15 Iraqi companies that were attending OTC as part of a delegation organized by the International Trade Administration’s International Buyer Program.
“Compared to similar oil and gas events for other countries at OTC, this event had the largest turnout,” noted Noor Alam, international trade specialist with the task force. “It is clear evidence of the strong interest among both U.S. and Iraqi firms in expanding commercial ties.”
On May 9, 2011, a related event in Los Angeles, California, “Iraq: Opportunities for U.S. Businesses,” attracted more than 80 participants. The task force and several southern California USEACs organized the event.
In 2010, U.S. goods exports to Iraq were estimated to be $1.6 billion, with imports at $12.1 billion. Although the United States had a negative trade balance with Iraq, the country holds opportunities for U.S. businesses in a variety of sectors. In its 2010–14 national development plan, Iraq budgeted more than $186 billion for 2,700 infrastructure projects, including large projects related to construction, highways, railways, telecommunications, and security and defense.
The task force was established in 2003 within the Department of Commerce. Its mission is to work with Iraq to enhance U.S.–Iraqi commercial ties and to help develop a market conducive to trade, investment, and private-sector development. It works closely with other U.S. government agencies, international organizations, and Iraq’s government.
For more information about the task force, including a list of upcoming events and links to business opportunities, visit its Web site at www.trade.gov/iraq.
Manufacturing Sector in Focus during June
At the direction of President Barack Obama, the month of June brings a focus on the manufacturing sector by a number of federal agencies, including the International Trade Administration (ITA). This comes in the face of a recovering auto sector, expanding sales in the aerospace industry, and a renewed emphasis on training workers for tomorrow’s manufacturing industries.
“A vigorous manufacturing sector isn't just critical for the millions who are directly employed by it,” noted Francisco Sánchez, under secretary of commerce for international trade, “but it also fuels the growth of other manufacturers—such as subcontractors and suppliers—who in turn create jobs and investment throughout the economy. The net effect is to provide the economic security that all Americans need and deserve.”
ITA has a number of initiatives and services geared toward manufacturers. Its Manufacturing and Services unit, for example, focuses on 13 manufacturing subsectors, from aerospace products to machinery, while the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service staffs more than 100 Export Assistance Centers across the country that can help manufacturers reach new overseas markets. ITA also leads the Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative (see story in October 2010 issue of International Trade Update) and makes available both Manufacturing.gov, a Web site devoted to the interests of U.S. manufacturers, and Manufacturing Biweekly Update (www.trade.gov/mas/ian/MBU/index.html), an online compilation of research and statistics on the manufacturing sector.
For more information on these and other services, visit www.trade.gov. A full list of U.S. Export Assistance Centers can be found on page 11 of this issue or online at www.export.gov.
Contributors to this section include Noor Alam of the International Trade Administration’s Market Access and Compliance unit and Laura Barmby of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service.
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.