Alabama at a Glance Alabamas Advantage Alabama Exporters Trade Articles Trade Events Trade Information Trade Leads Trade Links Trade Missions Trade Opportunities Trade Program Trade Statistics
Overview of Trade Program
In only thirteent years, Mobile, Alabama, is accomplishing what many cities – and states – across the country dream of… building an excellent international trade program that crosses county and state barriers. This trade program, through its many partners, is a beacon in the southeastern United States.
As a Port City, Mobile area business and community leaders understand the importance of globalization, and for more than 300 years, have used the Gulf of Mexico to its advantage. After many years of focusing business growth efforts elsewhere, a group of business owners, the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and city government worked to create the Chamber’s Trade division in 1997, which directs the area’s trade program.
Since its inception in 1997, some of the globalization program’s successes have been:
As a Port City, Mobile area business and community leaders understand the importance of globalization, and for more than 300 years, have used the Gulf of Mexico to its advantage. After many years of focusing business growth efforts elsewhere, a group of business owners, the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and city government worked to create the Chamber’s Trade division in 1997, which directs the area’s trade program.
Since its inception in 1997, some of the globalization program’s successes have been:
- Coordinating and hosting 42 trade missions and trade shows to 60 countries (some countries visited multiple times) including Hong Kong and China, Costa Rica, Chile, Brazil and Argentina, Venezuela and Honduras, Thailand and Vietnam, Mexico – Mexico City, Monterrey, and Veracruz, Canada- Toronto and Montreal, Spain, Australia, Russia, the United Kingdom and Netherlands, Guatemala and El Salvador, New Zealand, Italy, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Germany and the Czech Republic, India, Colombia, Cuba, France, South Africa, Turkey, CeBit Hanover, CeBit Asia, SITEF Toulouse, EXPO Veracruz, RepCan Toronto, and Expo USA Dominican Republic.
- Receiving the President’s “E” Award for Excellence in Export Service, the highest honor given to organizations that facilitate the expansion of exports.
- Receiving the Governor’s Trade Excellence Award, the highest export award given to a state organization or company.
- Strengthening resources by partnering with groups such as the Alabama Development Office, the Northwest Florida Small Business Development Center, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Birmingham Export Assistance Center, the Tallahassee Export Assistance Center, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Alabama World Trade Association and the Alabama International Trade Center on grassroots legislative efforts, special events, trade missions and educational programs.
- Collaborating in programs such as TradeRoots, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce grassroots initiative to organize key community leaders to visit with exporters and their employees to discuss the importance of their role in international trade efforts. Both Mobile and Huntsville have hosted TradeRoots tours, and many educational events including DR-CAFTA trade passage, China business forums and Turkish reverse missions.
- Working in tandem with the Alabama State Port Authority and the Mobile Airport Authority to develop an international strategic plan to promote and enhance products, services and infrastructure already in place; recruit new prospects and carriers to these facilities; and promote the Port of Mobile, Mobile Container Terminal and Brookley Complex worldwide.
- Assisting the Alabama State Port Authority in attracting new shippers and carriers by providing statistical data and analyses on cargo shipments, carriers and trade lanes.
- Hosting dozens of international contingencies in Mobile. Some Dignitaries meeting with area business and community leaders include: Ambassador Jim Rosapepe, U.S. Ambassador for Romania; Consul General Wu of China; Ambassador Donna J. Hrinak, U.S. Ambassador to Brazil; George Munoz, President of Overseas Private Investment Corporation, eight African Oil Ministers, Ambassador William Cabaniss, U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic; Ambassador Yang Jiechi, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S; José Guillermo Castillo, Guatemalan Ambassador the U.S; Chinese Minister Zheng Zeguang; Consul General Hans Brunner of Germany; Ambassador of Kazakhstan Erlan A. Idrissov; Consul General of Indonesia Kria Fahmi Pasaribu; Consul General of Argentina Carlos Layús, Ambassador Carolina Barco, Colombian Ambassador to the US; Executive Director of the Port of Coatzacoalcos; German Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Klaus Scharioth, Panamanian Ambassador Jaime Aleman, and U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia, Obsitnik.
- Expanding Mobile's single site general purpose Foreign Trade Zone to 13 sites in a two-county region, further enhancing the opportunity for growth in southwest Alabama.
- Coordinating and sponsoring an annual regional World Trade Conference. The conference is rotated among Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Northwest Florida each year and attended by participants from throughout the region. The goal of the conference is to provide insights to exporters on the opportunities of international trade. Past conferences have covered topics including the European Union, NAFTA and the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the Resources, Research, and Reality of International Trade, China, the passage of the Dominican-Republic Central America Free Trade Agreement, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, and the Panama Canal Expansion.
- Hosting 60 business leaders from Alabama to discuss the Impact of China’s accession to the WTO on Alabama. In partnership with the Alabama World Trade Association, then-Congressman Sonny Callahan presented a study, which demonstrates the multiple ways that Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China are beneficial to the entire state of Alabama.
- Lobbying Congress on the issue of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), the passage of DR-CAFTA and other free trade agreements. As the Mobile area economy is impacted by the success of the Port of Mobile and regional exports, it is important that Senate and House Representatives understand that granting the U.S. President Trade Promotion Authority and passing free-trade agreements can only benefit our city and region.
- Participating actively and holding board positions on several international trade organizations including the Alabama World Trade Association, Alabama District Export Council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce International Advisory Board, Southern Global Strategies Council, a subsidiary of the Southern Growth Policies Board; U.S. Council for International Business, the Alabama Alliance for U.S.-China Trade, Southeast U. S. Japan Society, the Japan-America Society of Alabama, the Southeast U.S. Canada Society and the Alabama Germany Partnership.
- Developing and maintaining sister-city relationships with Katowice, Poland; Kosice, Slovakia; Worms, Germany; Constanta, Romania; King Shaka Municipality, South Africa; Havana, Cuba; Veracruz City, Veracruz, Mexico; Ichihara City, Japan; Heping District, Tianjin, China; and Pyongtaek City, Korea.
- Creating the Gulf Coast Regional Chamber Coalition. Members of the GCRCC are from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. International trade is one of the focus areas of the CGRCC and together the region is analyzing, discussing and developing solutions to challenges they share. In addition to trade, the group’s efforts are focused on jobs, education, transportation, infrastructure and aviation.
- Providing leadership to the Maritime Affairs Committee to increase the profitability and effectiveness of Mobile’s waterfront assets.
- Aggressively marketing the Mobile region for business locations and expansions of the aviation and aerospace industries. Marketing the Brookley Complex’s aerospace facility’s benefits to high-potential partners, particularly tier one suppliers to the Northrop Grumman/EADS.
