Tuesday, September 11th. Featuring Sam Kaplan, Trade Development Alliance and Eric Schinfeld, Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT)
Everett Roundtable
Washington State International Competitiveness Strategy
Featuring
Sam Kaplan
President
Trade Development Alliance
Eric Schinfeld
President
Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT)
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
8:00 am – 9:30 am
Everett Community College
Jackson Center
2000 Tower Street
Everett, WA 98201
Complimentary
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Washington state is tied to the international economy perhaps more than any other state. Thanks to our significant number of globally focused companies, highly competitive goods and services offerings and natural advantages, Washington state has become internationally recognized as a leader in import and export businesses, and an attractive market for foreign direct investment. Its diverse residents, innovative workforce and strong international relationships also contribute to making Washington highly competitive in the global economy.
Yet, despite the significant revenues and jobs generated by its import and export activity, the state has the potential to do even more internationally. The lack of a comprehensive strategy prevents Washington from fully leveraging its assets and resources toward maximizing the international competitiveness of its globally focused businesses and organizations, and from engaging additional companies and organizations in global opportunities. While we have had great international success, we have in many ways only begun to realize our state’s potential for economic growth based on global engagement.
For example, how can we harness the growing population of foreign-born residents in our state to develop new business relationships in countries across the world? Or how do our for-profit companies build on the work of our global health and development organizations to increase market share in developing economies? Most importantly, what are the investments that we – both public sector and private sector – need to make to better attract international investment, visitors and customers? The International Competitiveness Strategy for Washington State was created to answer those questions and provide a tactical plan for implementing those answers.
Sam Kaplan is president for the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle. He guides strategic planning and manages staff for an organization that promotes and connects the Greater Seattle region internationally for trade and business. Sam previously was vice president of the Trade Alliance.
Prior to the Trade Alliance, Sam worked as a legislative assistant handling foreign affairs and trade issues for now retired U.S. Representative John Miller. Representative Miller served on the Foreign Affairs Committee and its Subcommittee on International Trade. Sam writes a column for the Redmond Chamber newsletter and has also been published in the World Bank’s Urban Age magazine, as well as in many other publications. He is a member of the Board for the Ethnic Heritage Council and the Confucius Institute of Washington State. His most recent screenplay, Please Hold, won Best Comedy Script in the Indie Short Film Competition.
Eric Schinfeld is the President of the Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT), which is dedicated to growing Washington’s economy through public policy favorable to expanded opportunities in the global marketplace. Schinfeld also serves as the Federal Policy Director for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
Presented By:
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Registration: Admission to the program is complimentary. Please RSVP in advance to secure you spot at the program. For general program questions contact Tamara Thorhallsson at [email protected] or (206) 389-7301.
