Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee

Nearly 800 business leaders – including those from NUSACC member companies – attended the program, which underscored the importance of international trade for a robust domestic economy.  Among the speakers at the event were:  the Honorable Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles; Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee; and Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn.  Also attending the event were representatives from more than 35 countries, including dignitaries from the Arab world:  H.E. Yasser M. Moustafa,  the Commercial Consul of Egypt in Los Angeles; and H.E.Abdulla Ali Al-Saboosi, Consul General of the United Arab Emirates.

NUSACC President & CEO, David Hamod, commented “The Chamber is pleased to support the 90th Annual World Trade Week, and we look forward to supporting the next ninety.  NUSACC is proud of our longstanding office in Los Angeles, which supports our Chamber’s outreach efforts on the West Coast of the United States, an important region for U.S. trade and investment.”

Hamod pointed to the Chamber’s support for several recent NUSACC events on the West Coast.  One such event was the visit to Southern California by a high-level delegation from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the premier utility in the United Arab Emirates.  (Please click HERE to read more about that visit.)  NUSACC also hosted a recent visit to California by the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA).  To learn more about the visit, which focused on building direct connections between DSOA and top U.S. technology companies, please click HERE.

Hamod went on to say that California’s exports to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) topped $5 billion in 2015, third highest in the United States.

The Honorable Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles

“Los Angeles draws its greatest strength from the economic diversity we’ve forged through innovation. That’s why we’re one of the world’s largest trade hubs,” said Eric Garcetti, the Mayor of Los Angeles. “Now we must build our future by broadening industry bases like aerospace and manufacturing, and investing in world-class infrastructure to keep us ahead in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.”

Ed Royce, U.S. Representative and the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the audience that “California runs on trade. Our state’s prosperity is tied to companies importing and exporting anything from airplanes to computers to diamonds to almonds.” He added “The longer we delay on developing strong trade deals, the more our competitors are doing to undermine the global system of trade the United States has worked so hard to build. I commend the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and its members for leading on this important issue.”

The Kickoff Breakfast included an awards ceremony that recognized members of the business community for their contributions to international trade in the Los Angeles area.  This year Fred Latuperissa, Director of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Southern California Inland Empire office, and Ilse Metchek, President of the California Fashion Association, received the Stanley T. Olafson Bronze Plaque Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to southern California’s international business community.

 

Other awards included:

Education is the cornerstone of World Trade Week’s mission to increase awareness of world trade’s benefits to the region, and the organizing committee awarded scholarships to twelve students (graduating high school seniors and college students), all of whom are seeking careers in  international trade.

Carlos Valderrama, Senior Vice President of Global Initiatives at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, concluded, “The Los Angeles Office of NUSACC has been a great promoter and partner of the LA Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 World Trade Week activities.”