Commerce Deputy Secretary Says Increased Exports are Key to Growing Jobs and Strengthening the Economy

Remarks

Commerce Deputy Secretary Dennis F. Hightower today emphasized that small- and medium-sized businesses can play a vital role in creating jobs and growing the economy through exports. Hightower participated in a roundtable discussion with more than 200 small and medium-sized business leaders and stakeholders hosted by the Office of the United States Trade Representative at the Peterson Institute for International Economics

With more than 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside U.S. borders, it is almost essential for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to consider exporting as an opportunity for growth. Firms looking to take advantage of potential foreign markets for their products and services can look to Commerce’s International Trade Administration for assistance.

The International Trade Administration’s U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (CS) is Commerce’s frontline trade promotion and export counseling organization. With trade experts located in 109 domestic and 126 international offices in 77 countries, CS is a critical asset for any businesses seeking export assistance.

“Many businesses are not aware that our Commercial Service offers this type of assistance,” Hightower said. “Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is committed to making these services more accessible to the innovators and entrepreneurs who need our help.”

Commerce introduced a new approach to making its trade promotion experts more accessible when it launched the CommerceConnect pilot program outside Detroit, Michigan, in June 2009. It is a one-stop shop that provides a single point of contact for the full spectrum of Commerce programs available to business owners. The Commerce Department is considering introducing the pilot program to additional metropolitan areas in the coming months.

For more information about Commerce’s export promotion resources, please visit www.trade.gov/cs.