Greensboro, N.C. – U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (NC) and Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg today hosted an exporter forum to help North Carolina small businesses spread the “Made in North Carolina” label across the globe. The “Ex-Im Bank Global Access Forum for Small Business” featured industry, academic and government experts providing North Carolina businesses with practical advice on how to gain a competitive edge in today’s global marketplace when selling their goods and services overseas. More than 200 representatives from North Carolina businesses participated in the event, which was held at the Gateway University Research Park.
The forum was the seventh stop on Hagan’s North Carolina Back to Work Jobs Tour, which is taking the Senator across the state to focus on action and ideas that will get unemployed North Carolinians back on the job as quickly as possible.
“Small businesses are the backbone of the North Carolina economy, and our companies produce some of the best products and services in the world. My goal is to help ensure the “Made in North Carolina” label is reaching every corner of the globe,” said Hagan, a member of the Senate Small Business and Banking Committees. “Today’s forum provided our small business owners with practical advice to reach out to global customers and sell their products worldwide. Through expanded exports and increased sales, our North Carolinas small businesses can create jobs and help get North Carolina Back to Work.”
Chairman Hochberg gave an overview of Export-Import Bank’s Global Access for Small Business initiative, aimed at increasing the number of small businesses across the United States that export goods and services produced by U.S. workers. This is an integral part of the President’s National Export Initiative (NEI), led by the Commerce Department, to double U.S. exports by 2015.
“In order to compete in the global marketplace, American companies need to expand their customer base,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “With billions of consumers living outside our borders, the opportunities are limitless. Ex-Im Bank will continue to host Global Access forums so we can provide businesses with the resources they need to expand globally and reach the President’s goal of doubling U.S. exports by 2015.”
Panel discussions at today’s event featured success stories by North Carolina small business owners and presentations by regional representatives of federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce and the N.C. Department of Agriculture. North Carolina small businesses also received one-on-one trade counseling with Export-Import Bank experts.
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance, and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services. In the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has earned $1.9 billion for U.S. taxpayers above the cost of its operations. Ex-Im Bank’s total authorizations are supporting an estimated $41 billion in U.S. export sales and approximately 290,000 American jobs in communities across the country. For more information, visit Export-Import Bank’s Web site at www.exim.gov.