Expanding trade opportunities for Appalachian businesses is an important strategy for increasing job opportunities and per capita income in the Region. In 1995, ARC formed an Export Trade Advisory Council (ETAC) to advise the Commission on trade policy issues, promote advocacy in national and regional venues, and recommend specific programs for promoting rural export trade in Appalachia. ETAC members include trade directors and other officials from the 13 Appalachian states, representatives from the Development District Association of Appalachia, and members of the ARC federal staff. ETAC has helped build strategic partnerships and information-sharing opportunities, and initiated a number of projects designed to help small and medium-sized Appalachian businesses increase their export sales.

ETAC activities encompass education and training, market entry for small and medium-sized firms, advocacy, and research. Examples of ETAC efforts include promoting Appalachian firms' participation in European trade events, co-sponsoring conferences on trade economics and best practices, and assisting in the development of a research report on the global competitiveness of Appalachian industries. Current projects include planning the participation of small and medium-sized Appalachian firms in a major annual international trade event, Furniture China 2005, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre this fall.

Appalachian Australian Trade Mission

Export Trade Advisory Council Members and Contacts

Examples of Export Trade Advisory Council Activities

Promoting Appalachian Trade in the Pacific Rim