Klobuchar and Hoeven held a roundtable discussion with the Director General of U.S. Commercial Service and local business owners to discuss opportunities and challenges facing rural manufacturers; U.S. Commercial Service is a resource to companies looking to reach and increase sales to new global markets
In 2013, goods sold overseas totaled $2.3 trillion in sales supporting more than 11 million jobs
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Hoeven (R-ND) joined the Director General of the U.S. Commercial Service and Assistant Secretary for Global Markets Arun Kumar to discuss efforts to boost manufacturing in rural America. Klobuchar and Hoeven held a roundtable discussion with the Director General and local business owners to discuss opportunities and challenges facing rural manufacturers. The U.S. Commercial Service is a resource to companies looking to reach and increase sales to new global markets.
“Companies large and small are expanding their reach and selling products to customers around the world,” said Klobuchar. “Expanding these opportunities for growth will help power our economy, especially in rural America where many businesses face additional challenges. This meeting today with Assistant Secretary Kumar was an important step in ensuring our businesses can compete in the global economy.”
“I had an opportunity in Ukraine this spring to see firsthand the importance of foreign markets and global trade to Titan Machinery and other companies like it,” Hoeven said, following a tour of the company’s facilities in Moorhead. “Midwestern companies can and are thriving overseas, and we need to make sure we create an environment for trade that enables us to maintain that momentum.”
The U.S. Commercial Service Office is a resource for businesses looking to enter into international markets or expand their current reach. The U.S. Commercial Service has field offices in 107 U.S. cities and over 126 overseas offices in 76 countries that provide commercial diplomacy and trade promotion support to U.S. companies. This includes field offices in Minneapolis and Fargo.
Nationally, sales in global markets in 2013 hit record levels for the fourth year in a row at $2.3 trillion. This supported more than 11 million jobs. In the coming decade, exports are projected to account for nearly 40 percent of real U.S. GDP growth. There are an estimated 10,000 companies in Minnesota and North Dakota that sell products overseas, roughly 85 percent of which are small businesses with fewer than 500 employees.
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