World Trade Center El Paso/Juarez—US Department of Commerce Enter New Partnership to Serve El Paso Businesses

A new partnership between the World Trade Center El Paso/Juarez and the US Commercial Service of the US Department of Commerce assures that companies in El Paso will continue to have local access to international business services offered by the US government. According to the July 2004 agreement, the World Trade Center will provide the export promotion agency with an “El Paso base of operations” including general office support and access to office space and meeting rooms. In turn, the US Commercial Service will increase export assistance activities in the El Paso area through more frequent visits of a Santa Fe-based International Trade Specialist to the community. The partnership also includes an agreement to coordinate trade education and outreach events to the El Paso business community.

The US Commercial Service (USCS) maintains some 165 offices in US embassies and consulates abroad to serve the needs of US business in foreign markets. To support the overseas effort, the agency also maintains domestic offices in 107 Export Assistance Centers (EAC) throughout the United States—including Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Santa Fe field office is responsible for extreme Southern Colorado, New Mexico, and the El Paso metropolitan area. Last year alone the USCS assisted New Mexico and El Paso companies in 51 export successes representing almost $1.5 million.

The mission of the US Commercial Service is simple: to assist the exporting of US goods and services by helping business to identify, enter, and sustain sales in viable foreign markets. To support this mission, the USCS offers free, online access to a vast market research library. It also helps identify and qualify representatives and distributors in foreign markets, supports numerous domestic and international trade events, and assists in solving non-payment or market access problems in foreign markets.

The World Trade Center and the Santa Fe Export Assistance Center will undertake joint events and programs. For details, log onto the Santa Fe USEAC website at https://www.buyusa.gov/newmexico or the World Trade Center’s web site and event calendar at http://www.wtcinternational.org.

For more information please contact Matthew Hilgendorf at the Santa Fe USEAC (505) 670 7809
Or the World Trade Center El Paso/Juarez at (915) 544 0022.