YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The Obama Administration's top two trade officials will be keynote speakers at the first TechBelt Export Summit, which will take place from noon to 4 p.m. June 18 at the D.D. and Velma Davis Education and Visitor Center in Mill Creek MetroParks.
U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce Francisco J. Sánchez and Fred Hochberg, chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, will speak at the summit, which is being hosted by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber. The event was scheduled in recognition of the Mahoning Valley’s recent designation as having the highest export growth in the United States in 2010,chamber officials said.
“In putting this forum together, we really wanted to showcase how important exporting is to the Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh super-regional economy,” said Eric Planey, chamber vice president for international business attraction.
Sánchez leads the International Trade Administration, which assists in the development of U.S. trade policy in the global economy.
Hochberg will speak on the Ex-Im Bank’s capabilities to assist companies with financing their exports in many different industries. In 2011, Ex-Im’s overall financing exceeded $32 billion and supported $40.6 billion in exports and 290,000 export-related American jobs at more than 3,600 U.S. companies.
Introductory remarks will be given by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who will highlight the growing importance of exporting as an integral part of Ohio and the American economy. Brown sits on President Obama’s advisory council on exporting.
The event will have two panel discussions. The first panel will include company executives from the Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh region on how exporting has contributed to their bottom line and the growth of their sales. Confirmed participants are Sandy Winans of Altronic, Girard, and Mike Russell of Haltec, Salem. The moderator will be Mark Klein, Ex-Im export manager.
The second panel will be comprised of experts from regional trade assistance agencies. Confirmed from the U.S. Commercial Service is Linda Caruso, commercial officer; Mousa Kassis, international trade advisor for the Youngstown State International Trade Assistance Center; and invited Ohio and Pennsylvania officials. The moderator will be John Senese of Kent-based NEOTEC.
“Instead of having individual sessions on their agencies’ capabilities, all of the region’s export experts have agreed to collaborate in the same fashion that has been generating the economic revitalization of the whole Cleveland-Pittsburgh TechBelt region,” Planey said
“In this half-day session, companies will walk away fully armed for growing their business globally, which will further engrain the region as leaders in the American economic recovery,” he said.
The cost of the event is $35 and includes lunch. For more information and to register, call Jennifer Mascardine at 330 744 2131 ext. 12, email her at [email protected] or visit to the Regional Chamber’s website and click on the events calendar.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.