La Jolla Group Awarded to Promote Water System Exports to Latin America
Washington, DC - Commerce Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced today the Commerce Department will provide $270,000 to the Institute of the Americas in La Jolla. The intitute will use the award to help American companies export water goods and wastewater goods to Latin America. The funds are made available through the Commerce Department's Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP), a public-private partnership developed to help small- and medium-sized U.S. firms expand exports.
"Cooperator projects have been responsible for over $2 billion in exports since the program began in 1993," Secretary Mineta said. "This is just one more example of how public-private sector partnerships are working to increase U.S. exports from small- and medium-sized businesses and provide economic opportunity for Americans."
Forty-five organizations competed for this year's MDCP awards. The seven award recipients are listed below:
Automation Alley, Troy, MI
Chrysler Corporation Small Business Development Center at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
Construction Industry Manufacturing Association, Milwaukee, WI
Garment Industry Development Corporation, New York, NY
Institute of the Americas, La Jolla, CA
Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission, Waverly, OH
Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute, Arlington, VA
The seven award-winning organizations will put up $5 million dollars to match $2.3 million in awards by the Commerce Department. MDCP awards help to underwrite the start-up costs of innovative export marketing ventures that these groups are often reluctant to undertake without Federal support.
Since 1993, the Commerce Department has made fifty-four (54) MDCP awards. When all projects funded to date have been completed, the private sector will have spend over $43 million to develop foreign markets compared to a Federal investment of $17 million.
Now in its eighth year, the MDCP is increasing U.S. exports and creating jobs for Americans by:
challenging the private sector to think strategically about foreign markets;
encouraging private sector innovation and investment in export marketing;
increasing the number of American companies active in exporting.
The MDCP is a competitive matching grants program that builds public/private partnerships by providing Federal assistance to non-profit export multipliers such as states, trade associations, chambers of commerce, world trade centers, and other non-profit industry groups that are particularly effective in reaching small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Organizations interested in the MDCP can obtain additional information by calling Brad Hess at the Commerce Department 202-482-2969, or by visiting the MDCP web site at www.ita.doc.gov/mdcp
