Jobs on Main Street, Customers Around the World: A Positive Trade Agenda for US Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Date

January 21, 2010, 3:00 AM EST
Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington, DC
C. Fred Bergsten (PIIE), Ron Kirk (United States Trade Representative), Karen G. Mills (US Small Business Administration), Dennis Hightower (Deputy Secretary of Commerce) and Miriam Sapiro (Deputy US Trade Representative)

Event Summary

United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk held a conference aimed at helping small- and medium-sized businesses create jobs through exports. The event took place at the Peterson Institute for International Economics on Thursday, January 21, 2010. Featured participants at the conference were Administrator Karen G. Mills of the US Small Business Administration, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Dennis Hightower, and Deputy US Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro. Small- and medium-sized business panelists shared their export successes and discussed major policy barriers as well as key issues in export promotion.

Event Materials

Prepared Remarks: Jobs on Main Street, Customers Around the World
A Positive Trade Agenda for US Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Ron Kirk
January 21, 2010

Agenda

Welcome and Introductions C. Fred Bergsten, Director, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Administrator Karen G. Mills, US Small Business Administration

 

 
Keynote Address Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative

 

 
Roundtable 1: Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise Export Successes and Major Policy Barriers

 

Moderator Ron Kirk , United States Trade Representative
Panelists Charles Anderson, President, Data Distributed Services, Inc.

Peter Cairns, Acting CEO, Traffax, Inc.

Todd DeGarmo, CEO, Studios Architecture

Tim Herbert, Vice-President for Research, CompTIA

Chuck Wetherington, President, BTE Technologies

 

 
Roundtable II: Key Issues in Export Promotion

 

Moderator Rochelle Lipsitz, Deputy Director General of the US and Foreign Commerical Service
Panelists Drew Greenblatt, President, Marlin Steel Wire Products

Lester Keizer, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales, XiloCore

Peter Mulroy, Senior Vice President, CIT

Roy Paulson, CEO, Paulson Manufacturing

 

 
Roundtable III: Developing Effective Trade Policy and Promotion for US Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

 

Moderators Miriam Sapiro, Deputy US Trade Representative

Dennis Hightower, Deputy Secretary of Commerce

C. Fred Bergsten, Director, Peterson Institute for International Economics
 

Video