Strategic Objective 1.1Enhance economic growth for all Americans by developing partnerships with private sector and nongovernmental organizations
This objective is important to the nation as it focuses on increasing private enterprise and job creation in economically distressed communities and regions, improving community capacity to achieve and sustain economic growth, increasing trade opportunities for U.S. firms to advance U.S. international commercial and strategic interests, expanding U.S. exporter base, improving customer and stakeholder satisfaction, improving the U.S. competitive advantage through global e-commerce, and increasing opportunities and access for minority-owned businesses to the marketplace and financing. EDA provided a $1 million investment to the Precision Manu-facturing Institute in Meadville, PA to support renovations of space for the Edinboro-PMI Technology and Education Center. The Center’s programs focus on high-end technical training for the robotics and nanotechnology businesses, which benefit from the positive impacts on efficiency and productivity that result from their employees’ increased knowledge and ability to apply these new technologies. The region’s underemployed and unemployed are provided training opportunities making them eligible for the high skill, high wage jobs that are being created. Participants will be offered training on critical skill sets needed within the industry and region. The Center allows manufacturers and workers to adopt new technologies and production techniques required to compete in a global economy. The Center staff estimates that approximately 400 jobs will be created or retained, and $20 million in private investment will be leveraged as a result of the EDA investment. An EDA investment in the city of Tupelo, MS assisted in the construction of a multi-story, 31,609 square foot, small business incubator was completed in November 2006. The Tupelo/Lee County Regional Business Incubator project will provide area entrepreneurs and existing businesses with an opportunity to obtain the working space, specialized technical assistance, and peer support their business endeavors need to succeed during the difficult early stages of development. EDA’s investment of $1.625 million is anticipated to leverage $9.2 million in private investment and is projected to create 281 new jobs and 36 new businesses by the end of the start-up cycle. Another EDA investment in Worcester, MA will aid the city’s declining Piedmont-Main neighborhood, a minority area in need of development. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Business Empowerment Center (MLKJ-BEC) project involves the rehabilitation of a 42,224 square foot facility, which will complete the transformation of the building from a vacant former envelope warehouse into a modern, clean incubator for small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. It is estimated that at least 25 new small businesses and 60 new jobs will be created as a result of the MLKJ-BEC and at least $5 million in private investment will be leveraged. EDA’s capacity-building programs include Partnership Planning, in which EDA designates and funds Economic Development Districts (EDD). EDD funding supports local officials to develop or revise and implement their Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). The CEDS is a long-term strategic plan for the economic growth of the region, and communities therein, that identifies projects that will attract private investment, and create and retain higher-skill, higher-wage jobs, particularly for the unemployed and underemployed in the nation’s most economically distressed regions. For example, the Southern Five Regional Planning District and Development Commission in Illinois used the CEDS to identify and subsequently fund 131 new initiatives, of which 15 were related to infrastructure, 14 to building construction and rehabilitation, and 60 to technical assistance efforts.
Performance Goal: Increase private enterprise and job creation in economically distressed communities (EDA)
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| Rating | Results |
|---|---|
| Exceeded Target | 4 |
| On Target | 2 |
| Slightly Below Target | 0 |
| Below Target | 0 |
| See Appendix A: Performance and Resource Tables for individual reported results. | |
Preliminary data collected through the Government Perfor-mance and Results Act (GPRA) process for investments made in FY 1997, FY 2000, and FY 2003 indicate that these EDA investments have helped generate more than $4.94 billion in private sector investment and create and retain 105,206 jobs.
The private investment targets for FY 1997 were $1,162 million after nine years, $102 million after six years for FY 2000, and $320 million after three years for FY 2003. Data reported in FY 2006 show that EDA was 201 percent , 104 percent, and 522 percent of the respective targets. In addition, jobs created or retained in distressed communities as a result of EDA investments in the same years was 100 percent, 152 percent, and 128 percent and totaled 50,546, 42,958, and 11,833, respectively.
In FY 2006, EDA responded to the highly distressed Gulf Coast region following the devastating effects of Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and Rita. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, EDA worked in cooperation with the Arkansas State University’s Delta Center for Economic Development and other EDA grantees, to secure the deployment of four EDA-funded “Netmobiles,” minivans equipped with high-technology computer equipment and satellite Internet access, to Katrina-affected areas. Business counselors used the Netmobiles to assist business owners in finding and acquiring the resources necessary to resume operations.
EDA has awarded 33 investments totaling $19.3 million from its FY 2005 and FY 2006 budgets in the devastated areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to assist in funding Business Counseling Centers, business advertising, technical assistance to economic development corporations, and bridge loans to small businesses. It is estimated that these EDA investments will leverage more than $170.5 million in private investment and create 1,557 jobs in this region of “greatest need.”
All EDA investments are compliant with EDA’s Investment Policy Guidelines to ensure that an investment will be part of an overarching, long term strategy that enhances a region’s success in achieving a rising standard of living, and will demonstrate a high degree of commitment by exhibiting strong cooperation between the business sector; relevant regional partners; and local, state, and federal governments. Peer reviews are conducted every three years for each EDD Partnership Planning investment recipient, and the EDA regional offices continue to monitor the performance of all investment recipients.
| Rating | Results |
|---|---|
| Exceeded Target | 0 |
| On Target | 6 |
| Slightly Below Target | 0 |
| Below Target | 0 |
| See Appendix A: Performance and Resource Tables for individual reported results. | |
EDA continues to build upon partnerships with local develop-ment officials: EDDs; University Centers (UC); faith-based and community-based organizations; and local, state, and federal agencies. Through these partnerships, EDA supports local planning and long-term partnerships with state and regional organizations that can assist distressed communities with strategic planning and investment activities. This process helps communities set priorities, determine the viability of projects, and leverage outside resources to improve the local economy, to sustain long-term economic growth.
EDA’s 11 Trade Adjustment Assistance Centers (TAAC) provide technical assistance to manufacturers and producers that have lost employment, sales, or production due to increased imports of competitive goods. The goal of the technical assistance is to assist these U.S. companies to become more competitive in the global economy. Businesses that receive TAAC aid commonly request assistance to undertake market research; develop new marketing materials, initiate e-commerce, identify technology, computer systems, and software to meet specific needs of the firm; and complete a quality assurance program. In FY 2006, the TAACs assisted 439 clients with 386 of those clients taking action as a result of TAAC assistance; 383 of those who took action achieved their expected results. Overall, clients reported $1.8 Billion in increased sales or revenue and estimated 23,692 jobs were created or retained due to TAAC assistance in FY 2006. In FY 2004, Mid-Atlantic TAAC absorbed the New Jersey TAAC. In order to synchronize future reporting dates with the other 10 TAACs, Mid-Atlantic TAAC has an 18 month reporting period in FY 2006.
The University Center Economic Development program is a partnership between the federal government and academia that helps to make the varied and vast resources of universities available to economic development communities. In FY 2006, EDA completed the first three-year competition cycle for UC funding. In FY 2004, EDA’s Denver and Austin regional offices conducted open competitions for UC funding. During FY 2005, EDA held similar competitions in its Chicago and Philadelphia regions, and in FY 2006, competitions were held in EDA’s Seattle and Atlanta regions. In FY 2007, the cycle will be restarted with competitions in Denver and Austin.
In FY 2005, the Denver region awarded a $1.75 million UC investment to establish a partnership between the University of North Dakota Center for Innovation in Grand Forks, ND and North Dakota State University (NDSU) Research and Technology Park in Fargo, ND. This investment aided in the construction of a business and technology incubator in the NDSU Research Park creating new opportunities for the launch of technology enterprises in that state. The program cultivates new private/public relationships between entrepreneur ventures and corporations with the two research universities to develop and commercialize technologies. The initiative is called the Red River Valley Research Corridor University Center program. In concert with EDA’s emphasis on regionalism and cluster-based economic development, the Red River Valley encourages and supports regional clusters that extend as for north as Winnipeg and east to Minneapolis and credits the regional approach for much of their success.
Research endeavors, funded by EDA, significantly contribute to the economic development literature. The Research and National Technical Assistance (RNTA) program supports research of leading, world class economic development practices, and funds information dissemination efforts. This research is shared with stakeholders via publications and Web accessible documents on the EDA Web site.
Work was completed on several EDA projects including an award to the National Association of Regional Councils for the dissemination of information to economic development practitioners nationwide. Two projects completed under the Research and Evaluation program in FY 2006 were the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Carnegie Mellon University study, Measuring Broadband’s Economic Impact, and an award in support of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The MIT study represented a first attempt to measure the impact of already-deployed broadband technologies by applying controlled econometric techniques to data on broadband availability and economic performance for the entire United States. The results of the study support the view that broadband access does enhance economic growth and performance, and that the assumed economic impacts of broadband are real and measurable.
In FY 2006, EDA funded the Addressing Competitiveness and Innovation in Rural U.S. Regions Initiative for the development and analysis of rural clusters of innovation and linking rural and metropolitan regions. This study is a follow-up to a 2001 project funded by EDA and led by Harvard Professor Michael E. Porter entitled the Clusters of Innovation Initiative, which analyzed and identified the drivers of economic competitiveness in urban areas, and a 2002-2003 study supported by EDA which provided an overview of the research on economic development in rural regions. The Monitor study is expected to provide recommendations for a framework and process guidelines for other rural regions to draw on to do their own cluster studies and initiatives. Another investment made in FY 2006 is a RNTA program award for $85,000 to the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) to assist presidentially-declared disaster areas in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita by allowing volunteer members of IEDC to deploy to various economic development organizations.
The above mentioned RNTA research studies and others can be found on EDA’s Web site at:
| Rating | Results |
|---|---|
| Exceeded Target | 2 |
| On Target | 1 |
| Slightly Below Target | 1 |
| Below Target | 1 |
| See Appendix A: Performance and Resource Tables for individual reported results. | |
ITA’s Manufacturing and Services (MAS) program advances and strengthens the competitiveness of U.S. industry by researching and analyzing competitive factors that impact U.S. business sectors in domestic and international business environments. Specifically, MAS serves as the liaison with U.S. industry and trade associations to address U.S. industry’s concerns (trade and otherwise) and to support U.S. industry’s competitiveness. The program collects, compiles, and disseminates data on U.S. industry and trade, and provides critical advice (through the International Trade Advisory Committees) on domestic and international trade and investment policies affecting the competitiveness of U.S. industry. MAS undertakes a program of research and analysis of the manufacturing and services industries. Based on these analyses and interactions with U.S. industry, MAS develops strategies, policies, and programs to strengthen the competitive position of U.S. industries in the United States and world markets. MAS maintains a focus that ensures inclusion of U.S. SMEs since these firms are critical to the U.S. economy.
MAS industry analysts provide in-depth industry information and advice to the Secretary on trends in the manufacturing and services industries, and support the Secretary in his role as the federal government’s chief advocate for the manufacturing and services sectors. These analysts evaluate the effects of domestic and international economic and regulatory policies on the ability of U.S. industry to compete in world markets. The program’s industry experts analyze regulations and other proposed policies to determine their impact on cost competitiveness of U.S. firms and work with other U.S. agencies to reduce the impact of proposed and existing policies and regulations on U.S. industries.
MAS industry experts are an essential government link with U.S. industry and trade associations and work with them to identify key issues affecting competitiveness and industry specific barriers to exporting.
Additionally, MAS adjusts its resources as required to meet challenges in support of the needs of the U.S. business community and to ensure that resources continue to be focused on high-priority areas. Examples in FY 2006 include MAS’s recent heightened focus on trade issues with China and MAS’s analytic work assessing the industry-specific impacts of Hurricane Katrina.
Enhancing U.S. Competitiveness — The importance of understanding and addressing U.S. competitiveness is a key challenge for ITA. The reality of today’s global economy requires that any analysis of U.S. business competitiveness be holistic in its view, accounting for both domestic and international factors. ITA consults with U.S. industry to assess the impact of proposed domestic and international regulatory policies that affect U.S. industry’s competitiveness. The report, Manufacturing in America, detailed the intense global competition U.S. manufacturers face. Service industries, which represent approximately 70 percent of private sector output, confront an identical level of competitive intensity.
Manufacturers’ concerns are one of the important foundations for generating policy recommendations to help ensure that government is creating conditions where U.S. manufacturers can compete in intensely competitive global markets. In FY 2006, ITA led U.S. government efforts to advance U.S. industry competitiveness through regulatory advocacy and analysis like the recent evaluation of the exposure levels from hexavalent chromium. ITA will continue to assess the impact of domestic and international economic policies on U.S. competitiveness by completion of reports and analysis such as the FY 2006 “Sugar Study” and serve as U.S. industry’s voice on regulatory impact through working groups and advisory committees. By the end of FY 2007, ITA remains committed to complete the implementation of the remaining difficult recommendations in the Manufacturing Report, those largely involving changes in Agency practices or shifts in current laws and regulations.
| Rating | Results |
|---|---|
| Exceeded Target | 1 |
| On Target | 3 |
| Slightly Below Target | 0 |
| Below Target | 3 |
| See Appendix A: Performance and Resource Tables for individual reported results. | |
The health of the U.S. economy depends on U.S. SMEs. ITA continues to focus on this base because 97 percent of all U.S. exporters are SMEs. Many of these firms have also been successful in doing business in countries with which the U.S. has recently negotiated free trade agreements (FTA). For example, SMEs benefit directly from new trade agreements that slash foreign tariffs and remove the barriers that disadvantage U.S. workers and exporters. Recently signed trade agreements with Singapore, Chile, Morocco, and Australia, and a Central America FTA have yielded benefits to these SMEs:
The Commercial Service program’s mandate is to create an environment in which all U.S. firms, including SMEs, can flourish. In order to achieve this, the Commercial Service seeks to increase export opportunity awareness among U.S. companies by identifying potential exporters who need assistance; leveraging electronic and traditional media; enhancing relationships with customers; and developing alliances and partnerships with state, local, and private partners to deliver export assistance. The Commercial Service operates a Trade Information Center that provides a single point of customer contact for all government export promotion programs, runs the Advocacy Center that supports U.S. companies bidding on major foreign contracts, and coordinates U.S. government export promotion and assistance programs through the TPCC. ITA’s unique global network of trade professionals located in over 250 offices, domestically and internationally, capitalizes on high export areas identified by trade patterns and facilitates aggressive outreach to traditionally under-served rural and minority communities.
The Commercial Service helps U.S. companies take advantage of world market conditions to find new buyers around the world. A growing list of FTAs provides price and market access benefits. ITA offers four ways to help U.S. firms grow their international sales by (1) providing world-class market research, (2) organizing trade events that promote products or services to qualified overseas buyers, (3) arranging introduction to qualified buyers and distributors, and (4) offering counseling through every step of the export process.
In addition to the areas described above, two critical program priorities for ITA during FY 2006 included its efforts to strengthen public-private promotion through leveraging public and private partnerships and to promote U.S. exports in strategic and emerging markets. These priorities reinforced ITA’s goal to broaden and deepen the export base.
| Rating | Results |
|---|---|
| Exceeded Target | 3 |
| On Target | 1 |
| Slightly Below Target | 0 |
| Below Target | 1 |
| See Appendix A: Performance and Resource Tables for individual reported results. | |
MBDA’s mission is to effectively and efficiently serve U.S. minority entrepreneurs. The accomplishment of this mission involves the realization of MBDA’s vision of entrepreneurial parity and equality for MBEs. For the past 38 years, MBDA has forged new ground in the growth and development of MBEs. During FY 2006, the Agency established several new Department initiatives and was highly productive in delivering program services for the Gulf Coast recovery effort.
In FY 2006, MBDA published a report entitled The State of Minority Businesses: An Overview of the 2002 Survey of Business Owners. This report analyzed the recent U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners, a component of the 2002 economic census. The findings indicate that between the periods 1997 to 2002, the total number of MBEs increased by 35 percent, outpacing all U.S. firms which grew by only 10 percent. Likewise, annual gross receipts for MBEs increased by 13 percent, while non-minority firms showed a three percent growth rate. In addition, the number of paid employees grew by five percent for MBEs compared to a decline of seven percent for non-minority businesses. This data supports MBDA’s vision of reaching parity between the percentage minority population over age 18 and the parity percentage for minority firms, the amount of gross receipts, and the total paid employees within minority firms.
MBDA accomplishes its performance goal through the implementation of several business development programs. The success of these programs is measured by the dollar value of contract awards obtained by MBEs and facilitated by MBDA’s grantees and staff. The certainty that MBEs will realize the proceeds associated with these awards varies from contract to contract. Multiple-year contracts with option years are less certain as the options may or may not be exercised. In the FY 2007 PAR, MBDA will include the full potential value of multiple-year contract awards obtained and disclose the dollar value of option years in a footnote. For indefinite-delivery contracts, only the actual dollar values realized or guaranteed will be included. This revised methodology for reporting contract awards obtained is consistent with recommendations from the Department’s Inspector General (IG) and was agreed to by MBDA during FY 2006.
MBDA also focuses national performance results on the number of new jobs created, the increase in annual gross receipts for firms assisted, and support from strategic partnerships, as well as the dollars obtained in contract awards and financial transactions for minority business.
The MBDA Strategic Growth Initiative (SGI) focuses service on mid to large size firms with receipts of $500,000 or greater. These firms have a better opportunity to compete and grow in an environment of re-engineered business practices, bundled contracts, and global competition. Furthermore, MBEs face an intense push for efficiencies of scale at every level of the supply chain. To meet this challenge, MBDA has developed a new demonstration program that will encourage business-to-business (B2B) partnership linkages, joint ventures, and mentor protégé agreements. B2B forums were held in New Orleans, Biloxi, and in Washington, D.C. during the National Med Week Conference. Over 500 firms have participated in efforts to formalize partnerships to compete for large contract awards that have been identified and brought to the table for competition.
Other areas of service included the continuing efforts of the White House Initiative for Asian and Pacific Islanders and the Office of Native American Entrepreneurship and Trade. Both units within MBDA are working to forge new opportunities and business alliances with corporations and federal program services to assist these two minority groups.
In FY 2006, MBDA conducted a competitive solicitation to fund a new Minority Business Opportunity Center (MBOC) program that is client focused and will broker procurement opportunities. The new MBOC program fully responds to issues addressed by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in a recent audit of the previous MBOC program.
The Office of Performance and Program Evaluation (OPPE) oversees the verification and validation of performance measures, especially contract and financial transactions. OPPE initiated a review of the MBDA’s Regional Enterprise Centers (formerly District/Area Offices). This review focused on the contributions made by each district office to the Agency mission and included a cost benefit analysis and review of customer satisfaction interviews with strategic partners.
MBDA is faced with several management challenges, including maintaining a high Agency Return on Investment (AROI), identifying limited resources to support the rebuilding of the Gulf region, continuous improvements to the MBDA Portal Business tools to reach more minority firms, increasing the MBDA American Customer Satisfaction Index, and supporting and expanding the Knowledge Management program. Through its knowledge management efforts, MBDA will ensure that data concerning minority business development trends is shared and thoroughly analyzed.
MBDA continued its successful partnership with the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College to train business development specialists and project consultants to improve operations and consulting services for SGI firms.
MBDA updated its strategic plan for FY 2007 through FY 2010. This plan identifies national priorities and the strategies to achieve results. It also addresses future challenges and on-going activities to be accomplished.
EDA’s “Results-Driven Performance” initiative has reached many communities and regions across the United States through satellite telecasts, forums, e-newsletters, magazines, and other means. Communities target their economic development strategies to attract private sector investments and higher-skill, higher-wage jobs using their EDA-funded CEDS process, Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (TAAC) activities, and UC assistance. EDA brings all these capacity-building resources together to provide communities with innovative and entrepreneurial talent that will achieve and sustain economic growth where it is most needed.
Support for U.S. Government Foreign Policy Initiatives — ITA has a strategy to address the challenges posed by changing economic, technological, and global business conditions to help U.S. firms expand and conduct business abroad. ITA has made much progress in expanding U.S. exports while supporting U.S. government foreign policy initiatives; both the Iraq and Afghanistan task forces have helped generate export sales in those countries while supporting the U.S. foreign policy goal of regional stability. By generating U.S. exports, ITA simultaneously supports the development of a stronger market-oriented economic system in areas of the world (Africa, Middle East), contributing both to U.S. economic goals and global stability.
Continued Focus on SMEs — Large portions of ITA’s resources are directed toward ensuring that U.S. SMEs, service industries, and manufacturers can compete and win in the global economy. ITA supports the President’s economic program of export expansion by reasserting leadership in international trade through negotiations, through compliance, and by seeking the removal of non-tariff trade barriers. ITA assists in the development of commercial infrastructure in target markets such as China, Turkey, and India.
The health of the U.S. economy depends on U.S. SMEs. The U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (US&FCS) program’s mandate is to create an environment in which all U.S. exporters and export-ready companies, including SMEs, can flourish. In order to achieve this, the US&FCS program seeks to increase export opportunity awareness among U.S. companies by identifying potential exporters who need assistance, leveraging electronic and traditional media, centralizing relationships with customers, and developing alliances and partnerships to deliver export assistance. A unique global network of trade professionals located in over 250 offices covering 80 countries and 47 states, plus Puerto Rico, capitalizes on high export areas identified by trade patterns and as stated in the TPCC’s National Export Strategy.
The Commercial Service offers a large array of specialized products and services to assist U.S. companies, especially SMEs. ITA’s US&FCS has also initiated a rollout of revised product prices that enable ITA to recover costs for specialized products and services in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requirements.
Leading the National Export Strategy — While contributing to the success of U.S. workers and firms, ITA has also served as a leader in the federal government’s export assistance programs and in the federal government at large. ITA has led the implementation of the National Export Strategy and has increased and recast its Web presence. Through the creation of export.gov, a comprehensive federal government-wide portal for export information, ITA has been able to streamline the customer’s interaction with the U.S. government by delivering market research, trade leads, and trade events by industry sector. Export.gov’s customer utilization rate has grown exponentially, and in FY 2005 export.gov had 1.79 million unique visitors. Moreover, monthly visits increased by 223 percent from November 2003 to March 2006, and export.gov’s U.S. company registry has grown from 1,200 companies at the end of FY 2003 to over 25,000 in March 2006. Additionally, ITA has recently redesigned its organization Web site, trade.gov, which highlights more information about ITA’s product and service offerings.
External Factors that Impact the Performance Goal — ITA’s success in achieving the goal to Broaden and Deepen the U.S. Exporter Base is impacted by domestic and international economic conditions. Economic shocks in foreign markets and exchange rate fluctuations can affect U.S. exports and demand for U.S. products. The cooperation of other TPCC member agencies affects the level of services provided to SMEs.
Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Reviews — In FY 2006, both the IG and auditors reviewed and found discrepancies in collected and reported Commercial Service performance data. This issue has become increasingly critical because of the heightened emphasis that is being placed on performance results. ITA’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), in conjunction with ITA Program Measure Owners, conducted IV&V reviews of selected performance measures to strengthen program management and performance. This included reviews in ITA’s US&FCS program, including several US&FCS U.S. Export Assistance Centers in the domestic field, a detailed review of the US&FCS Export Transaction Measure (completed in conjunction with Department staff), and a review of export successes at US&FCS overseas posts in London, in conjunction with the independent audit. In the spirit of the President’s Management Agenda (PMA), these reviews have enabled ITA to verify source measure data that express progress toward achieving ITA strategic goals.
The IV&V reviews have addressed data collection and reporting issues; inconsistencies and accountability weaknesses identified in IG inspection reports completed for Chicago, Philadelphia, Turkey, India, China, and the Pacific Northwest; and, follow through on ITA’s resulting action plans. These IV&V reviews reinforce ITA’s and the Department’s credibility on planning and performance management and provide an opportunity for ITA to strengthen internal controls and to clarify and harmonize performance data reporting standards worldwide.
ITA-Wide Customer Satisfaction Survey — ITA conducted its second tri-annual ITA-wide customer satisfaction survey in the spring of 2006. The survey evaluated the overall program success and the portfolio of ITA’s services by:
ITA hired an external contractor, the CFI Group, to use their patented methodology to conduct the survey to ensure the integrity of the analysis and the anonymity of the customer responses.
The 2006 survey showed satisfaction equal to that measured in the 2003 survey. The survey showed that ITA’s customers are primarily SMEs, the largest portion (40 percent) of whom are manufacturers. Its customers represent a broad range of industries and are often experienced exporters, with over a quarter of customers getting a majority of their revenue from exports. ITA’s customers are most satisfied with the assistance received to resolve transaction specific problems in a foreign country and with the special/niche import programs that ITA administers. Customers value their interactions with ITA staff and find them knowledgeable about foreign markets, though they would like to see ITA have more specific industry knowledge across the organization. It will be important for ITA to understand that its customers exist at the organizational level and work to improve coordination across the program units to increase customer satisfaction over time.
Expanded Web Presence — ITA has developed and is utilizing Internet Web services to assist exporters. For example, Export.gov and Trade.gov are sites that enable SMEs to have low-cost access to online information on overseas markets. Web-based export services available through the U.S. government serve as one approach to minimize external factors. ITA’s commercial officers stationed in over 250 offices throughout the United Stated and overseas provide key information to the U.S. business community on best prospects for U.S. exporters in various countries. Through domestic offices, ITA trade specialists work directly with U.S. businesses to tailor innovative solutions to their market and exporting needs. ITA partners with state commerce departments and economic development agencies to ensure that U.S. exporters receive the best services and support that both federal agencies and states have to offer.
The Census Bureau is currently releasing the Survey of Business Owners - 2002, formerly titled the Survey of Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (SMOBE) - 1997. MBDA will conduct longitudinal research and data analysis of this survey to address the growth and changes in minority business, specifically, the number of firms by ethnic category, gross receipts changes, the increase in jobs, the business participation rates of each minority group, and geographical movements in minority business. This data will provide special profiles and support future decisions by MBDA.
The opportunities of the worldwide economy will be available to those communities that focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and cooperative regional approaches to economic development. Communities and regions need to adapt to this reality. Many will require outside assistance to do so.
The Base Realignment and Closure Plan announced in 2005 and the severe hurricanes of 2005 further add to the demand for tools such as the Economic Adjustment Program.
Changing economic, technological, and social conditions in the last decade have altered how international trade is conducted. This changing international trading environment presents U.S. exporters with numerous challenges and opportunities, such as domestic and international competitiveness; compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) accession requirements for nations like China; standards, currency, and intellectual property (IP) issues; as well as transparency and rule-of-law requirements.
MBDA will continue to meet its challenges by sustaining the overall return on program investment, provide staff and project training in collaboration with the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, implement phase two of the Customer Relationship Management initiative, and re-engineer the business development center (BDC) technical assistance program to better serve high growth minority firms.
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