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For Immediate Release: August 23, 2011
Contact: Tim Truman (202) 482-3809
Under Secretary SÁnchez, Rep. Jared Polis Highlight Benefits of Trade at Boulder Roundtable
Exports Help Colorado Businesses Strengthen Economic Recovery, Create Jobs
BOULDER, Colo. – Today, Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez traveled to Boulder, Colo., for the fourth stop on his Rural Business Exporting tour. Sánchez joined Representative Jared Polis (CO-2) for a discussion with local business leaders and presented the Department of Commerce’s Export Achievement Certificate to LEC Global, Inc., (Lightning Eliminators & Consultants, Inc.).
Throughout his Rural Business Exporting Tour, Sánchez has met with leaders from more than 150 businesses to discuss President Obama’s National Export Initiative and how important it is for small and medium-sized businesses to expand their markets through exporting. He also reinforced the importance of leveraging the public-private partnerships that will foster investment, support communities, and assist rural businesses succeed, expand, and create jobs.
“Lightning Eliminators sets a model for other companies to follow in expanding their sales into new markets,” said Sánchez. “Entering new markets and expanding exports helps companies like LEC Global, Inc. weather the ups and downs of the domestic market.”
LEC Global designs, manufactures, and installs lightning protection, grounding, and surge protection equipment for industrial applications. LEC received an Export Development Grant through the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to expand sales into Latin America. The firm worked with the International Trade Administration’s (ITA) U.S. Commercial Service in Denver and Rio de Janeiro to identify and sign a new agent in Brazil. LEC received its first order from Petrobras, Brazil’s national oil company, in July 2011.
The Department of Commerce presents its Export Achievement Certificate to U.S. companies that have benefited from ITA’s U.S. Commercial Service to make their first export sale or open new foreign markets thus supporting American jobs.
Sánchez also participated in a White House Business Roundtable hosted by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. The event brought 30 local business leaders together to discuss their ideas of how to grow the economy, put Americans back to work, and win the future. To date, senior Obama administration officials have visited more than 215 communities in all 50 states. The Administration will translate lessons learned during the roundtables into concrete action to grow jobs and increase economic competitiveness.
Colorado’s manufacturers who export support nearly 4 percent of Colorado’s total private-sector employment. Nearly one-quarter (23.1 percent) of all manufacturing workers in Colorado depend on exports for their jobs in 2009. Colorado exported $2.6 billion in merchandise to the 17 Free Trade Agreement partners.###
International Trade Administration
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