Ambassador Kirk and Representative Dina Titus (D-NV) today toured the MAGIC Marketplace textile and apparel show in Las Vegas, Nevada today, stopping at booths highlighting products that enter the United States duty-free under preference programs such as the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity for Partnership and Engagement (HOPE II) Act and the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Ambassador Kirk also met today with more than two dozen Nevada business leaders, including small business owners and green technology innovators. In a roundtable discussion organized by the office of Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV.), Ambassador Kirk talked about President Obama's new National Export Initiative - a commitment to grow two million jobs here in the United States by doubling American exports over the next five years.
Nevada has a positive story to tell on trade and jobs. From 2004 to 2008, Nevada more than doubled its exports, making it one of the ten fastest growing state exporters over that time. Nevada businesses export gold and copper ore, electronic processors, circuits, and aircraft parts. 2,300 Nevada firms export goods, and 2000 are small- or medium-sized firms. One in seven Nevada manufacturing workers depend on exports for their jobs, and export-supported employment accounts for one in every 100 private-sector jobs in Nevada.
