Photo courtesy of mickklassphoto.com
Because it matters to the state’s economy and citizens. It means jobs, both directly in trade and indirectly in agriculture, manufacturing, logistics and services. Eventually all that income goes to retail, leisure and personal service businesses. It affects everyone.Chambers of commerce perform a varied role in international trade, typically as advocates for free and fair trade, supporters of infrastructure development and - their sole authority - authorization of Certificates of Origin (COO). COOs are a vital link in the chain of export document affecting the transfer of goods between consumers along the logistics train.
Your chamber - the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber - has joined the technological evolution by providing its customers (exporters - manufacturers, agents, customs house brokers, etc.) access to electronic processing. The program, called e-Certify, provides customers expeditious response and savings in transactions costs. For more information to streamline your COO process, click here.
The Ports of Seattle and Tacoma together comprise one of the largest nodes of transshipment in the nation. Trade goes both ways. We transship products from America’s heartland to foreign markets and we transship products from around the world to our major metropolises. We are ideally placed to connect other markets in the U.S. and the Pacific. As populous as we think we are, we are still a smallish metropolitan area. All that trade cannot be consumed here and will not come unless we are proficient in moving products to the markets where it is consumed. Such efficiencies benefit consumers and producers everywhere.
Our nation recognizes the value of trade. President Barack Obama has proclaimed May 25, 2013, as World Trade Week.
For more information about the value of international trade, please access the resources aggregated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
