In order to support U.S. businesses going global, the International Trade Administration itself needs to be global.

That’s why we maintain staff throughout the United States and in more than 70 markets around the world, connecting companies of all sizes to opportunities in the international marketplace.

Technology has helped us execute our mission across borders, between time zones, and through language barriers. But just like we tell our clients seeking overseas partners, sometimes there’s no substitute for an old-fashioned face-to-face meeting.

That’s why I am excited about our Global Markets Global Meeting this week, bringing together ITA’s senior Commercial Service staff from the United States and around the world to share best practices, learn about new opportunities, and connect with the people who are making commerce happen – people we sometimes only know by email.

It’s been more than 10 years since our last meeting of this magnitude, and this week’s event will enable us to better execute our mission and understand new methods to better support our clients.

Certainly, doing business in global markets will always require different strategies – exporting auto parts to Kuwait is totally different from providing legal services in India, where I was stationed as a commercial diplomat. But sharing innovative practices for our team to better support global companies doing business in Kuwait, India, Germany, or any other market in the world will ultimately enable us to provide more assistance to U.S. exporters.

Our mission is also expanding, as we see a greater emphasis on encouraging inward investment to the United States through the SelectUSA program. Our commercial diplomats will work closely with foreign companies and business leaders not only to support U.S. exports, but to facilitate business investment in the United States.

Our team is doing important work. It is work that supports U.S. job growth, enables economic advancement, and supports development around the world.

I want to thank everyone on the Global Markets team for the work they do. I look forward to participating in this week’s event, and to seeing our team continue to support business investment and connect U.S. companies to new opportunities throughout the global marketplace.