EXIM Chairman Reed Highlights Trade Finance Tools in Remarks to Alaska Business Organizations

Addresses Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership Solutions, Alaska Small Business Development Center, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, and the Export Council of Alaska
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 16, 2020
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WASHINGTON - Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) President and Chairman Kimberly A. Reed yesterday delivered prerecorded remarks to more than 160 registrants of a webinar hosted in partnership with the Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership Solutions (MEP), Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, and the Export Council of Alaska, outlining trade finance solutions for U.S. exporters.

During the virtual event, Chairman Reed underscored how Alaska businesses, particularly small businesses, can utilize EXIM's financing tools and resources to expand their international sales, showcase their "Made in the USA" products, and sustain American jobs.

"We at EXIM want Alaska companies of all sizes to attain their full potential and reach new levels of success through exporting. As the economy recovers and reopens after COVID-19, EXIM can help American companies achieve their greatest successes in the months and years ahead," said Chairman Reed. "I join with Alaskans in saying 'North to the Future!' The 'Last Frontier' is a land of promise thanks to the ingenuity and dedication of Alaska's entrepreneurs, businesses of all sizes, and the American jobs they support."

Others participating in the event were:

  • Debbie Franklin, Director, Alaska U.S. Export Assistance Center.
  • Jon Bittner, Executive Director, Alaska SBDC.
  • Alyssa Rodrigues, Director, Alaska MEP Center.
  • Aerek Stephens, EXIM Business Development Officer.

"Now more than ever it is important for Alaskan businesses to take advantage of every available market and opportunity," said Jon Bittner of the Alaska SBDC. "Resources and organizations like the ones showcased in this webinar are crucial to helping entrepreneurs launch or grow their international presence successfully."

"As Alaska continues to struggle with the impacts of COVID, reaching out to new markets to sustain our businesses is more important now than ever," said Alyssa Rodrigues of the Alaska MEP Center.

The speakers outlined opportunities to support small businesses with EXIM's export financing that can enable them to increase current sales or expand into new markets. By partnering with EXIM, exporters can mitigate the risk of nonpayment on international sales and offer credit terms to foreign buyers, and access working capital loan guarantees. They also underscored EXIM's COVID-19 (coronavirus) relief measures for U.S. exporters and financial institutions to enhance the agency's existing programs.

ABOUT EXIM:

EXIM is an independent federal agency that promotes and supports American jobs by providing competitive and necessary export credit to support sales of U.S. goods and services to international buyers. A robust EXIM can level the global playing field for U.S. exporters when they compete against foreign companies that receive support from their governments. EXIM also contributes to U.S. economic growth by helping to create and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. In recent years, approximately 90 percent of the total number of the agency's authorizations has directly supported small businesses. Since 1992, EXIM has generated more than $9 billion for the U.S. Treasury for repayment of U.S. debt. 

For more information about EXIM, please visit www.exim.gov.