January 2022
From the Board
From the Chair of the National Committee
Shawn Levsen

A Healthy and Happy 2022 to you and your members!


Welcome to 2022!  I hope you had a safe and restful break; Now it’s time to dig in and make 2022 the best year possible. We just went through the open season for new DEC membership and this month we’re welcoming 423 new DEC members--which means almost a third of our organization is new this year.

For both new and seasoned members, please keep in mind that the NADEC is always available and eager to assist in any way we can. We have a number of projects we’re working on to help DECs, but please don’t hesitate to reach out if we can support you by promoting your events, providing expertise and advice, or whatever else you might need.  Some of these projects we’re currently working on include:

In the last couple of months, you should have received the New DEC Member Orientation Guide.  Produced by Brenda Stelly (Louisiana DEC) and Sandy Renner (Minnesota DEC), it’s a great tool to provide DEC background and mission. Please make sure you take a look at it.  If you haven’t seen it, please harass your DEC Chair.

Jason Risner (Arkansas DEC) and Ursula Wojciechowska (Massachusetts DEC), co-Chairs of the Communications Committee are improving not only the NADEC newsletter and website but other forms of social media communication. That process was started under former chair Anne Burkett (Arkansas DEC), who is now serving as the NADEC Secretary.  She is currently working on improving accessibility to NADEC data through the website Member Portal.

Sheriah Johnson (Georgia DEC) and Tom Dustman (Missouri DEC), co-Chairs of the Education Committee, will soon have a 2022 schedule of monthly webinars on trade topics as well as how to master DEC functions. Please attend if you’re moving into a new DEC position.  New board members Fred Latuperissa (CA Inland Empire DEC) and WE DaCruz (E Michigan DEC) are working on a program to familiarize students in underserved areas with future global careers.

Our Policy Committee is led by co-chair David Day (Hawaii DEC) and Ernesto Pinal (Idaho DEC). In the last year, committee member Scott Blacklin (VA/DC DEC) has fostered relationships with several regional trade-promotion organizations. Through our Advisory Board and policy committees, we developed a few policy-promotion papers – one on USCS staffing and another on STEP grants. We’ll be even more active this year.

Jonathan Szucs (North Carolina DEC) and the Events Committee are bringing together our annual event for May 19-20th in Washington, DC.  The annual conference promises to be one of the best tools for getting ideas for your DEC and sharing your ideas.  Registration is already open here, with an early bird rate of $249 until April 1.   Register with confidence that the registration can be refunded in case of pandemic flare-ups.

I’ve just tossed out a few activities the NADEC is up to.  I hope maybe some of those jostle your thought process.  If your DEC has ideas for new activities or needs national support, the NADEC is here to help.  Just as you continue to help small and medium companies understand how to get the assistance they need, we want to make sure YOU get the assistance you need.

Let’s work through some of today’s difficulties and make 2022 an even better year for export trade.  I look forward to seeing you in May.

NADEC Chair
To assist you:

The National Committee has prepared:
In Focus
Mark your calendars!
2022 NADEC Annual Export Conference

19 - 20 May, 2022

We are offering two tracks:

  • Trade Policy & Global Market Updates and
  • Export Opportunities & Challenges,

each with multiple breakout sessions presented by expert speakers. 

You can also look forward to hearing Keynote Speakers from USCS and meeting up with colleagues at networking events. View the agenda here.
Early Bird conference registration is $249 until April 1. From April 1, until May 21, registration will cost $299. 

Reserve your hotel room early! A block of hotel rooms is set aside for conference attendees at the Washington Marriott Metro Center.
An important note about health and safety: 

In the conduct of the Export Conference, to be held on May 19-20, 2022, NADEC will comply with state, federal, and hotel guidelines regarding COVID, such as masking and social distancing. 
Company to keep!

Sponsorships and advertising opportunities are available. Contact Jonathan Szucs, Conference Chair, for further details. Consider highlighting your products or services, sales or promotions, and more.
Please share this information with your local
DEC members and exporters!

Local DEC Events
Please share your local DEC events with the NADEC Network!
Send event details to Heidi Whitman, Admin Coordinator
Export Finance: A Series of 4 Webinars

January 11 and 13, 2022

Congratulations, you have a new customer in a foreign country! How can you make sure you collect payment and mitigate your risks before you ship your products or provide services? Join us for a series of 4 webinars covering the topics of EXIM Bank and SBA Programs, International Trade Banking Products, Currency Payment Risk Management, and Export Credit Insurance with expert speakers.

Indiana & US Export Assistance Grants
and Program Guidelines for 2022

Thursday, January 20, 1-2PM EST

What are the new grant guidelines and policy updates for 2022, from the Indiana State Trade Expansion Program (INSTEP)? What areas of export assistance are funded through IN-STEP for programs including SBA’s Export Working Capital, US Department of Commerce’s Gold Key & Website Globalization, EXIM Bank’s Export Receivables Program, Indiana SBDC’s Export Indiana Accelerator Program, and IU-CIBER’s export research and intern salary assistance?

Trade Policy Update
NADEC Trade Outlook for 2022
David Day, Co-Chair, Trade Policy Committee
 
             As we move into the 1st and 2nd Quarters of 2022, many of our members are seeing the decentralizing of supply chains from China (to diminish unhealthy dependencies), especially regarding the manufacturing sector, and we fully expect that will continue to be a priority for our DEC members and other SMEs and MMEs, as well as a central point in the redefinition of the geopolitical alliances.
 
During the 1st half of 2022 expect to see a more concerted approach with other western economies to address the disruptive trade practices engaged by China. These disruptive trade practices are exacerbated now by the supply chain crisis generated out of China by the covid situation (and associated lockdowns), energy shortfalls impacting manufacturing, and general economic downturn which Beijing is struggling with.
 
While most the current Administration’s trade initiatives are still in a holding pattern, as a consequence of other priorities, the pending negotiations for a US/UK and US/EU Free Trade Agreements have now been put on ice.
There are a number of key developments in our trade outlook that we want you to be aware of:

Hot Topic
Let's Increase DEC Member Engagement!

*Attention DEC Chairs! NADEC wants to partner with local DECs to help promote your DEC events to the broader DEC community!

Please send NADEC@usaexporter.org information on your webinars and other training events at least one month in advance so we can include your event on the NADEC website, in the NADEC newsletter, and on the NADEC social media.

If you need any assistance in putting together a DEC webinar, NADEC would be pleased to assist you with our NADEC Zoom platform and other technical assistance as needed.

NADEC WEBSITE INITIATIVE: NADEC would like every local DEC to have its own presence on the worldwide web! NADEC is providing 2 options to local DECs to develop a cost-effective website. Funding assistance is available. If your local DEC does not have a website and would like further information on this initiative, please contact Shawn Levsen, NADEC Chair or Urszula Wojciechowska, co-Chair, Communications Committee.

NADEC is offering local DECs several benefits to facilitate DEC Member Engagement:

  • Local DECs can take advantage of a 40% discount using Constant Contact to communicate with their members. Local DECs can sign-up here. Please contact Anne Burkett for further information.

  • In order to get the broadest exposure for NADEC's communications on social media, we encourage NADEC members and members of the local District Export Councils to include your membership on your LinkedIn profile to heighten the visibility of the faces of trade!

In case you missed it
Midwest Agricultural Export Summit.
Hosted by the South Dakota District Export Council

Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, multiple members of Congress and numerous regional and national leaders in agriculture came together today as Sioux Falls hosted the Midwest Agricultural Export Summit.

Hosted by the South Dakota District Export Council, the goal was to bring together regional policymakers and business leaders from various agricultural states and sectors to discuss ways to promote and increase exports.

“Farm and ranch politics are often regional rather than partisan, so an event like this enables dialogue about infrastructure investments, transportation issues and trade promotion activities,” said Luke Lindberg, former chief of staff and chief strategy officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States, who now serves as Sanford Health’s executive director of global strategy, innovation, and world clinic.

“The South Dakota District Export Council is charged with increasing exports from South Dakota, and our organization knows that we must involve our neighbors to achieve success.”
Spotlight


The Arkansas DEC Governor’s Award


The Arkansas District Export Council has announced six winners of the 2021 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Global Trade, ranging from a leather dog collar manufacturer in Conway to a global provider of high-quality vehicle accessories located in Springdale. 

The 2021 winning companies were selected on a more challenging basis than in years past. This year, we recognized exporters who through the innovative and thoughtful development of the export market were able to successfully overcome the economic impacts of the 2020 pandemic and retain at least 95% of their workforce. 
The awards were presented at a gala banquet on Wednesday, October 13, at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock, with Governor Asa Hutchinson and First Lady in attendance. Over 120 business leaders and government dignitaries celebrated at this exciting event to recognize the exporting excellence and successes among Arkansas’ small, medium, and large enterprises. The Governor presented each company with a trophy and certificate during the awards ceremony. 

Also speaking was Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston, who praised the tenacity of the state’s economy, saying, “If people didn’t understand the importance of trade before this pandemic, hopefully, it has opened their eyes to just how important it is and really what it means to our state.”


Useful Links
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