For Immediate Release: March 22, 2012
Contact: Mara Lee (202) 482-3809
Obama Trade Official Signs Cooperative Agreement with World Trade Center New Orleans
Collaboration Will Boost Exports and Create Jobs
NEW ORLEANS – Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez celebrated a new strategic partnership with the World Trade Center of New Orleans (WTCNO) at a signing ceremony held today. This new partnership will help more New Orleans businesses export their products and services to global markets.
Specifically, the International Trade Administration (ITA), led by Sánchez, and WTCNO will engage in joint marketing and education activities to increase New Orleans businesses’ awareness about export opportunities; cross-train their respective local staffs; and effectively and efficiently refer customers to the appropriate federal resource through a dedicated, cobranded www.export.gov webpage.
“This MOU will take our partnership with the World Trade Center of New Orleans to the next level,” said Sánchez. “This represents a significant step toward meeting our shared goals of creating new opportunities for American businesses and a stronger economy.”
WTCNO President-Elect David Kearney noted that, “This agreement provides for particular focus on small- and medium-sized enterprises, which make up the majority of our membership. It's a great chance for us to reach out to them and help them expand their exporting capability.”
Just prior to the signing of the agreement, Sánchez met with members of the New Orleans District Export Council and the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau to discuss the state of tourism to the region post Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
The Under Secretary began his day in New Orleans with a keynote address at the International Sourcing, Customs, and Logistics Conference for the American Apparel and Footwear Association.
In 2011, shipments of merchandise totaled more than $55 billion, 13 percent of which went to China, the state’s largest export market. China was followed by Mexico ($5.7 billion), Japan ($3.9 billion), the Netherlands ($3.3 billion), and Canada ($2.3 billion). In 2010, New Orleans led the state’s metropolitan areas in merchandise exports, with $14 billion, accounting for 60 percent of the state’s overall exports.###
International Trade Administration
The International Trade Administration (ITA) is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. ITA has 2,100 employees assisting U.S. exporters in more than 100 U.S. cities and 77 countries worldwide. For more information on ITA visit www.trade.gov.
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.