Commerce hears Long Beach export worries

Commerce hears Long Beach export worries    The Port of Long Beach on Thursday hosted an export round table to allow local businesses to share views with senior U.S. trade officials about how to accomplish the goals of President Obama's National Export Initiative (NEI), which aims to double the country's exports over the next five years.
   The meeting included Assistant Secretary of Commerce Michael Camunez and NEI Director Courtney Gregoire, who listened to local businesses list the hurdles they face in exporting American products to overseas markets.
   'This is really the beginning of the conversation,' Gregoire said.
   Camunez and Gregoire urged businesses to seek federal resources already available to them and vowed to take their messages back to Washington. They were accompanied in the meeting by Gene Hale, co-chair of the President's Export Council; Richard D. Steinke, Port of Long Beach executive director; and Robert Swayze, senior vice president of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.
   The port said Steinke, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster and Harbor Commissioners Susan Anderson Wise, Mario Cordero and Mike Walter also met separately with Commerce Department officials to underscore the need for federal investment in trade related infrastructure. The Port of Long Beach has close to $3 billion in infrastructure upgrades planned for the next decade to modernize its facilities, increase exports, and create jobs.