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OMAHA, Nebraska -Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) President and Chairman Kimberly A. Reed on Thursday met with executives from Gavilon, Lindsay Corporation, Behlen Manufacturing Co., and Burlington Capital in Omaha, Nebraska, to discuss how EXIM can support Nebraska and U.S. exporters and workers in the agriculture, agribusiness supply chain, and manufacturing sectors, as well as in rural America.

During a discussion at Gavilon's headquarters with Gavilon's Chief Risk Officer Tony Vojslavek, Vice President and General Manager for North American Grain Matt Gibson, Vice President of Treasury and Risk Brian Ternus, and Vice President of Economic Market Research Ankush Bhandari, Chairman Reed underscored EXIM as an important tool to help U.S. agriculture and agribusiness supply chain exporters compete and win in the global marketplace.

Chairman Reed also participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by Lindsay Corporation with Lindsay Corporation President and CEO Randy Wood, , Behlen Manufacturing Co. Chairman and CEO Phil Raimondo, Gavilon Chief Risk Officer Tony Vojslavek and DCLRS, Inc. President David Crow where the group focused on how EXIM can help Nebraska companies, along with the larger U.S. agriculture and manufacturing sectors and companies across rural America, attain their full potential when it comes to exporting globally.

"As I close out my tenure as the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EXIM, I want to be sure that EXIM's focus on U.S. agriculture and rural America continues to be front and center, and I thank the Nebraska executives for coming together for our important discussion on feeding the world," said EXIM Chairman Kimberly Reed. "Noble Peace Prize Laureate and founder of the World Food Prize Dr. Norman Bourlag so wisely said, 'Food is the moral right of all who are born into this world,' and U.S. agriculture exports-including those supported by EXIM-are key to making a large quantity, quality, availability of, and access to food for a large number of people around the world possible."

"We appreciate Chairman Reed's interest in Nebraska and the importance of agricultural-related exports. The EXIM Bank can play a key role in helping companies like Lindsay grow our export business, and that creates jobs and supports further investments in the state," said Lindsay Corporation President and CEO Randy Wood.

"We would like to thank Chairman Reed for her time today and for her work at EXIM. The work done by Chairman Reed and the bank are critical in facilitating the sale of US Agriculture products around the world," said Gavilon President and CEO Steven Zehr.

L-R: Lindsay Corporation President and CEO Randy Wood, EXIM Chairman Kimberly Reed, and Roundtable Participants

During the meeting, Chairman Reed also discussed EXIM's historic seven-year reauthorization, which established EXIM's Program on China and Transformational Exports and directs EXIM to provide financial products to directly neutralize export subsidies offered by the People's Republic of China, helping to ensure a level playing field for U.S. businesses and workers as they compete globally. The program has the aim of advancing the comparative leadership of the United States and supporting U.S. innovation, employment, and technological standards globally in ten transformational export industries important to agriculture and the agribusiness supply chain, including biotechnology, wireless communications (5G), water treatment and sanitation (including technologies and infrastructure to reduce contaminants and improve water quality), biomedical sciences (including those focused on animal health), and emerging financial technologies, and related services. The law charges EXIM with a goal of reserving not less than 20 percent of the agency's totaling financing authority (i.e., $27 billion out of a total $135 billion) for support made pursuant to the program.

Chairman Reed at Gavilon Headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska.

Chairman Reed has made supporting U.S. agriculture and rural America key priorities at EXIM. In June 2020, EXIM and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted a "Trade Finance Tools for U.S. Exporters" virtual event for 250 registrants where she underscored how USDA and EXIM's complementary trade finance solutions can help mitigate exporter's risk in today's business climate and facilitate agricultural sales in new and existing markets.

Last year, Chairman Reed and USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney signed a memorandum of understanding for a three-year collaborative effort to promote the export of U.S. agricultural commodities. The initiative will facilitate engagement between EXIM and USDA to identify opportunities to increase the export of U.S. agricultural commodities, as well as the development of an educational program to increase awareness of export opportunities among small agribusinesses and cooperatives.

Former Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives Linda Upmeyer represents the agriculture sector on the EXIM Advisory Committee. Click here to access more information on EXIM's agriculture-related resources.

ABOUT EXIM:

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the nation's official export credit agency with the mission of supporting American jobs by facilitating U.S. exports. To advance American competitiveness and assist U.S. businesses as they compete for global sales, EXIM offers financing including export credit insurance, working capital guarantees, loan guarantees, and direct loans. As an independent federal agency, EXIM contributes to U.S. economic growth and keeps America strong by supporting tens of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. Since 1992, EXIM has generated more than $9 billion for the U.S. Treasury for repayment of U.S. debt. Learn more at www.exim.gov.