Lead U.S. trade official and Santa Rosa Mayor John Sawyer visit Amy’s Kitchen – a local company that is creating jobs by exporting – to demonstrate how President Obama’s trade agenda will unlock economic opportunity for Northern California
Santa Rosa, CA – U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, the chief United States official on international trade and a member of the President’s cabinet, came to Northern California Wednesday to highlight the state as a national example for why President Obama’s historic trade agenda is core to his State of the Union theme of Middle Class Economics: because exports and trade unlock economic opportunity for Americans.
This morning, Ambassador Froman and Santa Rosa Mayor John Sawyer toured family-owned Amy’s Kitchen, a local business that is creating jobs by manufacturing convenience foods made with healthy and organic ingredients. Started on a “shoestring” budget in 1987, Amy’s now makes over 250 different foods and is a major employer in the region. They have grown into the leading United States brand of natural convenience food, and they are exporting their frozen and canned products all over the world.
“Companies like Amy’s Kitchen, who are creating well-paying American jobs in their community thanks to exporting, are the reason that President Obama has made his trade agenda a centerpiece of Middle Class Economics,” said Ambassador Froman. “California broke its record for exports last year, and those exports support nearly one million American jobs. Now, to unlock economic opportunity for California and the United States as a whole, the Obama Administration is working to finalize the most significant trade agreements in U.S. history. These agreements will help grow our economy on Main Street, support job creation, and strengthen the Middle Class.”
In 2014, California exported a record-breaking $174.1 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world – supporting almost a million jobs. $25.3 billion of those exports came from the greater San Francisco area.
The Obama Administration has undertaken the most ambitious trade agenda in American history to expand opportunity across the United States, which will build on California’s strong record and enhance economic growth through unprecedented trade deals that are currently being negotiated with countries in the Asia-Pacific region and the European Union.
These agreements will break down barriers to three of California’s top five export markets, spurring economic growth, supporting good-paying export-related jobs, and strengthening the Middle Class.
To view a fact sheet about how trade is benefiting California’s economy and how President Obama’s trade agenda is designed to grow those benefits, please click here.
