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For Immediate Release:August 12, 2008
Contact: Michael Brown  (202) 482-3809

Commerce Department Announces New Export Office in El Paso


WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that it will open an Export Assistance Office in El Paso, Texas in early 2009.  The new office is centrally located and will also serve towns in West Texas and Southern New Mexico, including Presidio, Las Cruces and Columbus. The office will offer trade and export resources to U.S. companies in these border cities. 

“This new export office will provide U.S. companies with customized export counseling, market research and other services to help expand sales and make American business more competitive globally,” said Israel Hernandez, assistant secretary for Trade Promotion and director general of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service. “Companies in El Paso and in the surrounding areas want to expand revenues and increase sales by taking advantage of free trade agreements and improved technological resources.” 

In 2006, El Paso metropolitan area export sales totaled more than $10 billion with Canada and Mexico being the leading export destinations.  As a gateway to the NAFTA and CAFTA-DR markets, El Paso exports plastics, rubber, primary metals, computers and electronics and transportation equipment to our free trade partners.

More than 95 percent of the global market is outside of U.S. borders providing a vast untapped export potential for both small and medium-sized American businesses.  Of those American companies that are selling internationally, nearly 60 percent sell to only one market, a clear indication that plenty of opportunities exist for export growth.

The Commercial Service has a network of export and industry specialists located in 108 cities in the United States, as well as in nearly 80 countries worldwide.  These trade professionals provide counseling to assist small and medium-sized businesses export products and services.  In 2007, the Commercial Service helped generate nearly 12,000 export successes worth billions of dollars in U.S. export sales.

The date of opening and location of the El Paso U.S. Export Assistance Office will be announced early next year.   El Paso is currently serviced by the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Santa Fe, N.M.  For more information, visit the U.S. Commercial Service at www.export.gov/cs.

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