For Immediate Release: October 16, 2009
Contact: Tim Truman  (202) 482-3809

Commercce Offical Highlights Textile and Apparel
Export Promotion Efforts

WASHINGTON –In her first address to industry, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Textiles and Apparel Kim Glas highlighted trade issues affecting the imagewear sector and explained how the Department’s export expansion program provides trade assistance to the U.S. textile and apparel industries.

Glas, speaking at today’s North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors 2009 Imagewear Conference in Toronto, Canada, discussed the International Trade Administration’s Office of Textiles and Apparel’s (OTEXA) multi-pronged approach to improving the global business environment and helping U.S. firms to compete and win both at home and abroad.

“OTEXA pursues an active export expansion program for the U.S. textile and apparel industries,” Glas said. “This program includes export-counseling, seminars, sponsorship of trade missions, U.S.A. pavilions in major international trade events, and market research to identify key export opportunities in selected markets.”

OTEXA’s export program successes span 30 years. Since 2000, OTEXA has organized 87 USA pavilions at various international trade shows. More than 850 U.S. firms participated in these events, leading to immediate sales totaling more than $73 million and generating more than 27,500 sales leads for future export sales.

The 2009-2010 trade events schedule features four trade events directly related to the uniforms industry, including Milipol, The Hotel Show, Eurosatory, and Construct Libya.

For more information about OTEXA, please visit http://www.otexa.ita.doc.gov/.

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