Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to Address Ex-Im Bank's 2012 Annual Conference April 12th - 13th 2012

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will address the Ex-Im Bank 2012 Annual Conference on April 13th, Fred P. Hochberg, chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States' (Ex-Im Bank), announced today.   

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Emanuel was elected the 55th mayor of Chicago in February, 2011 and was sworn in on May 18th.

Prior to his election as mayor, Emanuel served as White House chief of staff in President Barack Obama's administration.  During his tenure, he helped orchestrate the passage of key milestones such as the Economic Recovery Act,  and Wall Street and health care reform. 

Long a strong supporter of more open trade, as a member of Congress Emanuel helped guide NAFTA through the legislative branch during the Clinton administration.   Emanuel has said, "when people talk about trade, they are never talking about trade.  They are talking about their health care, their incomes, and their retirement security.  You go to a John Deere plant, here in Illinois, every one of these workers know that one out of three of their tractors are destined for an overseas market, so their job is tied to trade." 

"Mayor Emanuel knows how important U.S. exports are to improving the nation's economic well-being," said Hochberg.  "Chicago, and other major regional economic hubs, plays a critical role in contributing to the continued growth in U.S. exports that at the current pace will see us meeting President Obama's goal of doubling exports in the five years ending in late 2014."

Emanuel will speak on the second day of the Conference, held on April 12-13 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.  The theme of the Conference is "Made in the USA: Your Competitive Edge."   

Also speaking at the Conference are President Bill Clinton, founder of the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative; Samuel Allen, Chairman and CEO, Deere & Company; Scott Davis, Chairman and CEO, UPS;  Ellen Kullman, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Dupont;  Andrew Liveris, President, CEO and Chairman, Dow Chemical Company; David Rhodes, President, CBS News; David Rubenstein, Co-founder and Managing Director, The Carlyle Group;  Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University; Richard J. Tobin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Case New Holland; and Robert Wolf, Chairman, UBS Americas.

The 2012 Annual Conference presents a unique opportunity for companies around the world to meet U.S. exporters of all sizes. This year's conference will feature a special "Business Speed Networking" session that will bring together foreign buyers and American sellers in one-on-one introductory meetings aimed to facilitate deal making.

Attendees include more than 1,200 exporters, representatives of financial institutions, foreign trade partners, and government officials. At the event, participants will have an opportunity to meet Ex-Im Bank staff and other U.S. government representatives and obtain detailed information about export finance and trade products and programs.

For the first time this early, the Annual Conference is nearly sold out.  Interested participants should register today to ensure their slot to attend. The conference sold out in 2010 and 2011. Online registration and more information about the Conference, including the preliminary agenda and other conference updates is available at http://www.exim.gov/news/annualconf/2012/index.cfm.

"Business Speed Networking" for non-U.S. buyers and U.S. exporters:

- Exclusive, ground-breaking technology connects non-U.S. buyers to U.S. exporters

- One-on-one meetings are scheduled with representatives from companies of your choice within target industries 

- Participants self-select their meeting partners

Space is limited and online registration for speed networking is also available.

About Ex-Im Bank

Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. In the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has earned for U.S. taxpayers $1.9 billion above the cost of operations. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services.

Ex-Im Bank approved $32.7 billion in total authorizations in FY 2011 -- an all-time Ex-Im record. This total includes more than $6 billion directly supporting small-business export sales -- also an Ex-Im record. Ex-Im Bank's total authorizations are supporting an estimated $41 billion in U.S. export sales and approximately 290,000 American jobs in communities across the country. For more information, visit www.exim.gov.

SOURCE Export-Import Bank of the United States