International business employs hundreds of thousands of people in Northern California. Your neighbor who drives a truck, your friend who works for a tech company, your cousin who teaches engineering to a class with students from around the world, the local pilot who flies international routes for a shipping company.
I think of all the people I know who live within 150 miles. Some work at a small business such as Otis McAllister, some at larger corporations such as Visa and Levi Strauss, at government entities such as the Port of Oakland, at non-profit or educational organizations such as the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Most get their paycheck because someone from another country paid for a product or service they helped produce, or they worked on issues or services related to international business.
International business helped build this country and its global influence.
The District Export Council is a group of volunteers appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce by virtue of our knowledge of international business. We give input on federal trade priorities, we speak up about services to help U.S. companies benefit from international business, and we are available to assist with international education and mentoring.
The DEC is particularly important today with the decline and near elimination of State of California international business support services.
As NorCalDEC chairman, my goals are to launch a series of trade education events, to help educate our elected leaders about how international business is important and what they can do about it, and to ensure our council reflects the diverse types of companies of this region.
My company, Oliva Global Communications, works on international policy and economic development issues. Previously I worked on global corporate relations for Visa, helped found and ran a non-profit international business development organization, and served as a senior policy official in California state government.
I'm proud to be serving my country in this way, and to do so with such a smart, energetic, and entrepreneurial council of business leaders of our incredible region.
If you engage in international business, let us know what the U.S. government might do to eliminate barriers or open doors. If you think there are opportunities to sell your products or services in foreign countries, contact us, make use of your nearest U.S. Export Assistance Center, and check out the resources as www.trade.gov.
- Paul Oliva
Chairman, Northern California District Export Council
