It’s not just in neighborhoods where business and economic initiatives take place that Detroiters need seats at the table. On the national stage, input reflecting the city’s needs can contribute to policies that directly impact its future.

Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) Global Commerce and Foreign Direct Investment Manager Sandra Choi has been named to represent the City of Detroit on the U.S. Department of Commerce Trade and Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) State and Federal Export Promotion Coordination Working Group.

Congress mandated the first TPCC Working Group to identify issues around and develop a strategy to improve the coordination of federal and state export promotion and financing resources.

“This appointment advances DEGC’s work to implement an international economic development vision and agenda for the City of Detroit in concert with our local partners,” says Choi. “Our program provides international growth (export) opportunities for local manufacturers and promotes the City’s story of resurgence to foreign corporate prospects as well as to a broader stakeholder community.”

DEGC’s trade and foreign direct investment program supports the global growth of local manufacturers and has started activities in four key areas: strengthening the regional trade/export ecosystem, developing a set of international growth tools for Detroit companies, advocating exports and trade growth as a critical cornerstone of the regional economy, helping local firms leverage the Detroit brand in the global marketplace.

DEGC’s Executive Vice President for Business Development Peter H. Chapman says, “Encouraging foreign firms to invest in Detroit and helping companies sell abroad are two sides of the same coin. Each generates jobs for Detroiters and this is an excellent time for us to ramp up our efforts to support both.”

  Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, Peter H. Chapman, Sandra Choi, U.S. Department of Commerce Trade and Promotion