Heads of USTR, Commerce, SBA to Participate in Ex-Im Bank 2010 Annual Conference March 11-12 in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Small Business Administrator Karen Mills are slated to speak at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) 2010 Annual Conference on March 11-12 in Washington, D.C. The theme of the event is Powering Jobs, Sales and Profits through Exports.
Kirk, Locke and Mills will participate in a plenary session entitled Working Together to Support U.S. Exports on the first day of the conference.
The conference will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel and will be attended by more than 1,000 U.S. exporters, domestic and international lenders, brokers and foreign buyers and government representatives.
We are fortunate to be joined by Secretary Locke, Ambassador Kirk and Administrator Mills, said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. We are all part of President Obama's National Export Initiative leadership team, and I am pleased that our conference attendees will hear their perspectives on how we are working together to help grow U.S. exports.
Ambassador Kirk is President Obama's principal trade advisor, negotiator and spokesperson on trade issues. His more-than 25 years of legislative and economic experience includes terms as Texas secretary of state, Dallas mayor, and attorney at Vinson & Elkins LLP. Secretary Locke, as two-term governor of Washington State, led 10 trade missions to Asia, Mexico and Europe and expanded Washington exports and jobs. Washington currently is this country's biggest exporting state. Administrator Mills has owned small businesses and is a passionate advocate for small business policy that encourages innovation, economic development and job creation.
Ex-Im Bank is the official export-credit agency of the United States. For over 76 years, the independent, self-sustaining federal agency has helped create and maintain U.S. jobs by financing the sales of U.S. exports, primarily to emerging markets throughout the world, by providing loan guarantees, export-credit insurance and direct loans. In fiscal year 2009, Ex-Im Bank set a record, authorizing more than $21 billion in support of U.S. exports to help ease tightened liquidity during the economic crisis. The Bank authorized a record $9.9 billion in loans, guarantees and insurance during the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 (Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2009) - more than three times the $3.28 billion authorized in the same period of fiscal 2009.
For more information on Ex-Im Bank and the annual conference, including the current agenda, and to register online to attend, visit www.exim.gov.