Ex-Im Bank Chairman Joins President Obama in Raleigh for Jobs Council Meeting

RALEIGH, N.C., June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), Fred P. Hochberg, joined President Obama and other senior government and corporate officials in Raleigh, North Carolina to meet with members of the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness (Jobs Council). Hochberg participated in the Council's Manufacturing, Listening, and Action session.  

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"I was honored to be with the President in Raleigh today to talk about the important economic issues facing our country," said Chairman Hochberg. "Exports create and sustain American jobs, and are a vital component of our economic recovery. President Obama has made the National Export Initiative a top priority, and because of that emphasis we are on track to double U.S. exports by 2015."

Administration officials who attended the Jobs Council forum included Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, White House Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes, and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors Austan Goolsbee. Participants in the Manufacturing, Listening, and Action session were Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg, Small Business Administrator Karen Mills, DuPont Chair and CEO Ellen Kullman, Intel Corporation President Paul Otellini, and BNSF Chairman and CEO Matt Rose.

The President's Jobs Council was created to provide non-partisan advice to the President on how best to strengthen the nation's economy and look for additional ways to create jobs, opportunity, and prosperity for the American people.

Chairman Hochberg was in Raleigh earlier this month, where he hosted a Global Access for Small Business forum with Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC). At the event, North Carolina small business owners learned how to gain a competitive edge in today's global marketplace when selling their goods and services overseas. Ex-Im Bank has hosted more than a dozen Global Access events across the country this year.    

Small business owners who are interested in learning more about how they can successfully export their products can call 1-800-565-EXIM (3946). Ex-Im Bank also offers information specifically designed to assist small business exporters on its website at http://www.exim.gov/smallbusiness/.

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. 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.

In the first seven months of fiscal year 2011, Ex-Im Bank approved $14.8 billion in total financing authorizations, supporting $17.8 billion in U.S. export sales. These sales will support more than 129,000 American jobs in communities across the country. This seven-month authorizations figure is the highest in the Bank's history.

For more information, visit Ex-Im Bank's Web site at www.exim.gov.

SOURCE Export-Import Bank of the United States