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Environmental Technologies Industries
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Newsletter |
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Advocacy Center Helps Environmental Firms Win Contracts Abroad By David Earle Office of Environmental Technologies Industries Government-to-government advocacy in the past year benefited the U.S. environmental sector, accounting for five contract awards, totaling an export content of $184.5 million and supporting 1,765 jobs. Notable among the joint efforts by environmental technologies firms and U.S. government advocacies were wastewater project wins in Bulgaria and China, an air monitoring network in China, and a desalination plant in Namibia. The Department of Commerce’s Advocacy Center provides a single point of contact for reaching the resources of 19 U.S. government agencies in the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC). The center coordinates the collective efforts of these agencies in the fight to level the playing field for U.S. firms abroad. This free service assists small and medium-size U.S. firms as well as large multi-national corporations. The Advocacy Center helps U.S. businesses with a variety of issues. Typical of the foreign market obstacles which companies might need help resolving are: contracts pursued by foreign competitors that receive assistance from their governments to assist a customer with a buying decision; unfair treatment by government decision-makers that prevents competition; or tenders tied up in bureaucratic red tape, resulting in lost opportunities and an unfair advantage to a competitor. Whatever the problem, there are several options. After filling out a form from the Advocacy Center, an investigator is assigned to uncover the facts and inform you of your options within days. These options may include a visit to a key foreign official by a U.S. government official, direct support by U.S. officials stationed at U.S. embassies, or a letter of support from an appropriate high-ranking U.S. government official in Washington, D.C. For more information about the Advocacy Center, call David Earle of the Office of Environmental Technologies Industries at (202) 482-5225, or go directly to the Center’s Web site at www.ita.doc.gov/advocacy. Donald Evans: Commerce’s New Secretary Donald L. Evans was sworn in as Secretary of Commerce on Feb. 5, 2001, by his best friend, President George W. Bush. Since 1985, Evans was the chairman and CEO of Tom Brown, Inc., a major oil and gas exploration company. He also served as chairman of the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System since 1997 and was chairman of the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign. California Export Finance Seminars a Resounding Success By David O’Connell Office of Environmental Technologies Industries The U.S. Department of Commerce’s (DOC) Environmental Technologies Team continued its export finance seminar road show in San Francisco (March 6) and Los Angeles/Long Beach (March 8). Approximately 50 companies attended each of the California events, which provided the international business executive with a hands-on presentation of the various grants and export finance programs available to U.S. environmental exporters. Last year the finance road show traveled to five U.S. cities (Fairfax, Va.; Houston, Texas; Seattle, Wash.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Virginia Beach, Va.) where companies learned about grant programs provided by the National Association of State Development Agencies (NASDA) and Ecolinks - the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Eastern Europe program; special finance programs of the U.S. Export-Import Bank designed for the new-to-export and small to medium-size environmental companies; feasibility studies, grants, and other forms of technical assistance provided by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA); and infrastructure and industrial projects in emerging Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, and North American Development Bank’s combined annual $45 billion portfolio. The finance seminars were sponsored by DOC’s Office of Environmental Technologies Industries, the Commercial Service’s offices in San Francisco, Newport Beach, and Ontario, Calif.; and the California Technology Trade and Commerce Agency/Export Finance Office. SUCCESS STORIES By David O’Connell Office of Environmental Technologies Industries CH2M Hill of Greenwood Village, Colo., was recently awarded a contract to provide design services for eight water supply and sanitation system projects in Honduras. The $1.1 million contract was awarded through an international public bid conducted by the Infrastructure Division of the Honduran Social Investment Fund (FHIS), with financial assistance from the USAID mission in Honduras. On June 10–16, 2000 the U.S. Commercial Service in Tegucigalpa and the Office of Environmental Technologies Industries co-hosted a delegation of Honduran water sector authorities at the American Water Works Association Conference and Exhibition (AWWA) in Denver, Colo., where they met with dozens of potential suppliers, including CH2M Hill. LightStream Technologies of Reston, Va, participated in the Department of Commerce’s Environmental Technologies Matchmaker Mission to Brazil and Argentina, Sept. 11–15, 2000. On Sept. 13, LightStream Technologies’ Vice Chairman Josh Lanier signed a memorandum of understanding with the Brazilian company, Construtora Passareli, for export sales of $10 million over the next five years. LightStream’s success is based on its development of advanced proprietary technology for treating water and wastewater, using high-power pulsed ultraviolet (UV) light. LightStream’s overseas marketing plan is based on its Authorized Solution Provider Network, which is comprised of leading water equipment and total solution companies that provide a unique channel of stocking distributors to bring LightStream sales and service closest to market. New graphics. New features. And a new URL. Check out the new and improved ETI home page at www.environment.ita.doc.gov. We have added several items, such as trade leads and tariff information and have expanded the finance section. In addition, a non-tariff barrier form was added that allows direct input to the U.S. government for future trade negotiations. Environmental Export News is published quarterly by the Office of Environmental Technologies Industries in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. For more information, or to subscribe, contact: Office of Environmental Technologies Industries, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20230; Tel. (202) 482-3509. Current and back issues of this publication are available on the Internet at www.environment.ita.doc.gov. REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Asia TDA Operational Again in China. On Jan. 13, 2001, President Clinton lifted the suspension on the Trade Development Agency (TDA) to operate in China. With funding specifically targeted at capital investment projects, TDA will help U.S. companies compete against firms from countries that aggressively support their export interests. China’s market is expected to open wider following its accession to the WTO. TDA’s feasibility study grants to U.S. firms will increase high-paying, export-oriented jobs in America and help reduce the trade deficit with China. Environment is one of three sectors that TDA’s comprehensive program will address, along with energy and aviation. (Contact Susan Simon at 202-482-0713.) China Reports Available. Three new reports - Partnering in China’s Environmental Sector, Facing the Environmental Crisis, and Projects Approval and Finance - plus a collection of water sector reports on China are available on ETI’s Web site (www.environment.ita.doc.gov). Look for timely reports from the China Commercial Service on “Waste Water Treatment Monitoring Technologies” and “Air Pollution Control Equipment.” (Contact Susan Simon at 202-482-0713.) Mayors’ Asian Pacific Environmental Summit (MAPES) was held from May 4 to 6, followed by the Global Pavilion Exhibit May 7–9 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Asian Development Bank hosted Chinese mayors from up to 10 Chinese cities, and the U.S.-Asia Environmental Partnership sponsored the attendance of mayors from several other Asian countries. ETI’s Susan Simon, working in conjunction with other DOC offices and U.S. government agencies, is coordinating matchmaking sessions and technical seminars for U.S. environmental and investment firms. (Contact Susan Simon at 202-482-0713.) The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) and the U.S.-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP) will host an air pollution conference in Hong Kong in mid-May. (Contact Susan Simon at 202-482-0713.) The U.S.-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP) is sponsoring a delegation of Asian environmental buyers to the annual Air and Waste 2001 Exhibition and Conference in Orlando, Fla., from June 24 to 28. (Contact Marc Lemmond at 202-482-3889.) Environmex/Watermex, South China. A new environmental protection and water technology show for South China offers excellent opportunities for international suppliers to display their products and services in the wealthy southeast city of Guangzhou, Sept. 26–28, 2001. To acquire a booth at this event, contact Ellis Hutchins, International Marketing Manager with IMEX Management, Inc. at (704) 365-0041 or via e-mail at ellish@imexmgt.com. (Contact Susan Simon at 202-482-0713.) Europe Over 200 representatives from companies, organizations, and government agencies attended the U.S./European Partnering Event for Environmental Technologies conference in the Netherlands on Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, 2000. The conference was successful in identifying and developing cooperative environmental technology projects and aiding in the development of international partnerships. As of February 2001, the event has produced approximately 30 separate international business deals that include written and verbal agreements to work together in various forms of partnerships. Further, a number of additional project deals are pending, ranging in value from about $450,000 to more than $10 million. In addition to the attendees, more than 325 companies and organizations utilized the free Web site to post standardized profiles about their own enterprises and to express their explicit partnering interests. The “Partnering Event” was organized by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the White House Interagency Environmental Technology Office (IETO). Sponsors of the event included the United States’ Department of Commerce, the Agency for International Development/EcoLinks, Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of State. (Contact Anne Novak at 202-482-8178.) The U.S. Department of Commerce hosted a U.S. Pavilion booth for participating U.S. firms at Milan’s TAU Expo, one of Europe’s premier environmental technologies shows, March 14–17. U.S. companies at the U.S. Pavilion benefited from a customized “matchmaking” service, which included a personalized schedule of one-on-one appointments with potential Italian and European distributors, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), joint venture partners, and large end-users. (Contact Anne Novak at 202-482-8178.) To gain more European exposure for your company, consider exhibiting at Envitec, Germany’s International Trade Show for Supply and Waste Management, Energy Conversion and Water Treatment, May 14–17, 2001, in Düsseldorf, Germany, held every three years. In 1998, Envitec hosted 1,158 exhibitors and 31,000 visitors from 91 countries. For more information on the show, visit the Web site at www.envitec.de, or call Envitec’s North American sales representative, Sven Heeren, at (312) 781-5188. Latin America Enviro-Pro Expo 2001, Mexico City, Sept. 25–28, 2001. The Office of Environmental Technologies Industries (ETI), in conjunction with the U.S. embassies in Mexico and Central America and E.J. Krause & Associates, will host a special program entitled “Environmental Opportunities in Mexico and Central America” at the Enviro-Pro Expo 2001 trade show. The Enviro-Pro show is the largest envirotech trade event in Mexico and will feature over 200 exhibitors, approximately one-third of which are U.S. companies. Last year, over 6,000 visitors attended the show. ETI and the U.S. embassies in Mexico and Central America will host key environmental decision-makers from the region to participate in the special half-day seminar for U.S. companies. The seminar will be followed by matchmaking opportunities for U.S. companies in order to meet individually with these high-level environmental decision-makers. Translation and other assistance will be available for U.S. Pavilion exhibitors. For seminar information, contact ETI’s Ellen Zeytoun at (202) 482-0359. For exhibit information, contact E.J. Krause & Associates at (301) 493-5500. The Office of Environmental Technologies Industries (ETI), in conjunction with the U.S. Commercial Service in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, sponsored a half-day seminar, entitled U.S. Technologies for Solutions to Environmental Problems in the Mining Sector in Belo Horizonte on Sept. 14, 2000. The technical seminar was held at the Brazilian Mining Institute’s (IBRAM-the leading association of Brazilian mining companies) Trade Fair, the goal of which was to educate Brazilian mining professionals on alternative mining wastewater treatment technologies. Three Colorado environmental firms (Behre Dolbear, Walsh Environmental Scientists and Engineers, and The Seacrest Group) delivered their mining cleanup technology presentations to an audience of approximately 200 Brazilian business people from the mining industry. ETI plans to replicate this successful formula in Santiago, Chile, later this summer in conjunction with the AguaExpo 2001 trade show. Solid waste executives interested in delivering presentations at this seminar can contact ETI’s David O’Connell for more information at (202) 482-3509. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge led the largest-ever Pennsylvania trade mission in early December to Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The environment was a key sector of the mission, where 6 of the 40 companies represented were environmental firms. Deputy Secretary Robert Barkanic of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) assisted the envirotech firms by leading discussions on pollution prevention, air and water quality protection, and energy issues with government and business leaders in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. These efforts led to an agreement in principle with the province of Buenos Aires to identify Pennsylvania environmental technologies that would be useful to clean up water and industrial sites in Buenos Aires. In Chile, Barkanic shared information on pollution prevention and energy efficiency with these government agencies and began work on a cooperation agreement with the Chilean Environment Association. Pennsylvania’s next trade mission is to the Czech Republic in May 2001, and will focus on water and wastewater technologies. For more information, contact Steve Taglang of the Pennsylvania DEP at (717) 783-8727 or visit www.state.pa.us. Middle East/North Africa On Nov. 15–16, 2000, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency held its Maghreb Investment and Development Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference featured project presentations, panel discussions, and technology forums in economic sectors, including telecommunications, information technology, infrastructure, construction, and environmental management. There were also networking sessions, featuring discussions with government officials and other potential end-users from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. (Contact Marc Lemmond at 202-482-3889.) The Global Technology Network (GTN) assists the U.S. business community in gaining access to global environmental and energy markets by providing trade leads and market information from the developing world, free of charge. The GTN currently has data base access to U.S. environmental firms, covering more than 600 different sub-sectors within the environmental industry. Since 1994, GTN reports 90 environmental deals worth $67.2 million for U.S. firms. A small travel grants program is also available to support U.S. firms pursuing these GTN trade leads. (Contact Kara Wyrsch at (202) 466-4227, or visit www.usgtn.org.) OTHER NEWS The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Trade Development division recently implemented its Clean Energy Trade Initiative, which resulted in four Clean Energy trade missions over the period September-December, 2000. Twenty-three companies participated in one or more of the trade missions, which visited Brazil (Nov. 5–9), China (Dec. 4–8), Mexico (Sept. 10–14), and India (Nov. 26–Dec. 5). Feedback from the over 50 participants was overwhelmingly positive. This initiative was inspired by President Clinton’s call in last year’s State of the Union Address for the United States to double clean energy exports by the year 2005. For more information, contact Sam Beatty of Trade Development’s Basic Industries’ Energy Division at (202) 482-4179. WEFTEC 2000. On Oct. 14–18, 2000, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Carlos Montoulieu and his ETI staff conducted a number of trade development activities at the WEFTEC 2000 trade show in Anaheim, Calif., which included co-organizing the seminar, “Business Opportunities in Mexico.” The seminar featured speakers from the public and private sectors of the United States and Mexico and focused on opportunities in the water and wastewater sectors in Mexico under the new Mexican administration. Other ETI activities at WEFTEC included hosting a DOC information and export counseling booth on the show floor; organizing a series of matchmaking events at which U.S. companies hold one-on-one meetings with visiting delegations from Mexico, China, Israel, and Asia; and co-hosting the ET Team annual meeting. WEF and ETI are working to co-organize a similar international business seminar at WEFTEC 2001 in Atlanta, Ga., this October. On Dec. 3–7, 2000, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency held the “Disaster Preparedness in the Americas” conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over 100 attendees enjoyed project presentations, technology workshops, and networking sessions. Key sessions for environmental technologies firms included a presentation on how to participate in multilateral development bank projects, a panel discussion on the “Economic Aspects of Natural Disasters,” and sessions highlighting productivity-enhancing technology for environmental information gathering and sharing. (Contact Marc Lemmond at 202-482-3889.) DOC Awards $270,000 to La Jolla Group to Promote Water System Exports to Latin America. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently awarded $270,000 to the Institute of the Americas in La Jolla, Calif. The institute will help American companies export water and wastewater treatment goods to Latin America. The funds are made available through the DOC’s Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP), a public-private partnership developed to help small and medium-sized U.S. firms expand exports. ETI will work with the Institute of the Americas to organize several events in Latin America to promote U.S. water and wastewater technology exports. For further information on these activities, contact ETI’s Ellen Zeytoun at (202) 482-0359. Register your company for inclusion in the 2002 U.S. Exporters Yellow Pages. The familiar Export Yellow Pages, which had been published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, will now be published by MyExports.com, a partnership between the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Trade Development unit and Milwaukee, Wis. - based Global Publishers, LLC. Register your business today to be included in both the on-line directory (effective immediately) and the 2002 edition of U.S. Exporters Yellow Pages. The on-line directory is searchable by key word Major industry categories are also marketed internationally to foreign buyers. As a registered member of MyExports.com, you will also have access to foreign buyer trade leads. The basic reach plan is free. The “competitive edge” plan is available for an annual fee of $100. The competitive edge plan guarantees priority search results and offers a more complete business listing with company description, Web site, and e-mail contact links. To register, go to www.myexports.com. Use registration code TD-ENV. (Contact Chris Larson at 877-390-2629.) U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL INDUSTRY RANKED BY EXPORTS, 1999
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