New International Trade Alliance

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City and County Announce New International Trade Alliance

Albuquerque, NM— Today Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry and Bernalillo County Commissioner Wayne Johnson announced the creation of the “Albuquerque – Bernalillo County International Trade Alliance,” a partnership to collaboratively expand the region’s efforts to bolster international business. New Mexico’s most populated city and county have entered into a formal agreement to pool resources and implement an international trade promotion program that will be accessible to all businesses within the city of Albuquerque and unincorporated Bernalillo County.

To inaugurate the new City/County partnership, Mayor Berry also announced that registration is now open for the first official international trade mission to be organized by the Trade Alliance. The Mayor will lead the trade mission of participating local companies to the Republic of Mexico making stops in Mexico City and Guadalajara from October 28th through November 2nd, 2012.

"I'm very excited about this announcement for two reasons,” said Mayor Berry. “First, a strong international trade program will create opportunities for local businesses to grow, creating new jobs and bringing new money into the local economy. Second, this is a concrete example of how the City and County can pool resources and work together, saving taxpayer’s dollars and avoiding the duplication of efforts.”

Commissioner Johnson commented, “In addition to helping local companies find opportunities outside of the United States, the Trade Alliance will be tasked with identifying investment leads by promoting the city/county region as a strategic location for foreign direct investment when representing us abroad.”

“International trade is an essential component to a successful economic development program,” said John Garcia, the City’s Economic Development Director. “Many large metropolitan areas around the country have benefited tremendously from creating similar trade partnerships and today, Albuquerque stands among them.”

Bernalillo County Economic Development and Cultural Services Director, Mayling Armijo added, “We’re excited about this partnership between the City and County, but it’s important to note that this partnership is actually much larger. The Trade Alliance will be working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, the State of New Mexico’s Office of International Trade, the Small Business Administration and a multitude of private sector business organizations. This truly is a collaborative effort on a very large scale.”

The City of Albuquerque’s current trade consultant, Randy Trask of encuentro-solutions, will be spearheading the initiative. Trade Alliance services will include; trade missions to foreign markets, “how-to” international business seminars, and clearinghouse services to connect local companies with service providers that specialize in international transactions (attorneys, customs brokers, etc.). To learn more about the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Trade Alliance, to add a company or organization to the Trade Alliance’s list of international business service providers, or to express interest in participating on the upcoming trade mission to Mexico, please contact Randy Trask: randy.trask@encuentro-solutions.com