Discover Global Markets: The Americas (Portland, Oregon)

10/17/2024
8:30 AM to 6:00 PM
(GMT-07:00) Pacific Time (US and Canada)
World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon St.

About

Discover Global Markets business development forum is the U.S. Department of Commerce's annual flagship event series for U.S. exporters! Join us for the day at the Portland World Trade Center, where you will have the opportunity to: 
- Gain market insights from U.S. commercial diplomats and industry experts based at U.S. Embassies in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and the Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay).
- Participate in one-on-one meetings with U.S. government trade experts. 
- Hear from private sector thought leaders about emerging sectors, and regional strategies.  
- Learn about updates to polices and regulations in the region relevant to your market growth.
- Network, network, network!


Compelling Reasons to do Business in the Region

  • Close Proximity - The Western Hemisphere region is a natural commercial partner of the United States, tied closely together by geography, history, and culture.
  • Largest Regional Market for U.S. Exports – The United States trades more with the Americas than any other region of the world. In 2023, over $867 billion of U.S. merchandise exports went to the Western Hemisphere and trade with the region supports more than 3.2 million U.S. jobs (2021). Forty three percent of all U.S. merchandise exports flow to the Western Hemisphere.
  • Free Trade Agreements - Twelve of our twenty free trade agreement partners are in the Western Hemisphere. In addition to tariff reduction, free trade agreements also liberalize the services sectors and strengthen protections for U.S. investments, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets.
  • Affinity for U.S. Goods and Services – Countries in the region generally demonstrate a preference for U.S. goods and services so long as they are cost-competitive.
  • Nearshoring Trends Open New Opportunities – Recent nearshoring trends to the region are driving new opportunities for U.S. firms to sell into regional supply chains in key best prosect sectors including: aerospace & defense, energy, mining equipment, environmental/clean technologies, design & construction, information & communication technologies, healthcare and safety & security. 

Registration Fee: $65

* This event is intended for exporters of U.S. goods and services. Priority for one-on-one meetings will be given to U.S. companies who are export-ready and follow the 51% U.S. content policy.   

Learn About Our Events

We invite you to explore the wide variety of events that we offer to help U.S. companies expand their global sales.


Agenda

17
Pre-Scheduled Meetings with Visiting U.S. Commercial Diplomats and Specialists
Pre-Scheduled Meetings with Visiting U.S. Commercial Diplomats and Specialists
Paulo Camposeco
Eric Olson
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Lisa White
Start
8:30 AM
End
9:30 AM
Speakers
Paulo Camposeco
Paulo Camposeco
Eric Olson
Eric Olson
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Lisa White
Lisa White
Registration and Networking
Registration and Networking
Start
9:30 AM
End
10:00 AM
Welcome Remarks
Welcome Remarks
Kellie Holloway
Start
10:00 AM
End
10:15 AM
Speakers
Kellie Holloway
Kellie Holloway
Market Insights and Business Opportunities, Panel Discussion: Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico
Market Insights and Business Opportunities, Panel Discussion: Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico
Paulo Camposeco
Eric Olson
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Lisa White
Start
10:15 AM
End
11:30 AM
Speakers
Paulo Camposeco
Paulo Camposeco
Eric Olson
Eric Olson
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Lisa White
Lisa White
Company Panel: Working with CS and Attending Trade Winds – Exporters Perspective
Company Panel: Working with CS and Attending Trade Winds – Exporters Perspective
David Fiscus
Young Kim
Paul King
Start
11:30 AM
End
12:00 PM
Speakers
David Fiscus
David Fiscus
Young Kim
Young Kim
Paul King
Paul King
Networking Lunch
Networking Lunch
Start
12:00 PM
End
1:00 PM
Keynote Address and Export Achievement Presentation
Keynote Address and Export Achievement Presentation
James Golsen
Start
12:35 PM
End
1:00 PM
Speakers
James Golsen
James Golsen
Navigating Customs (Brazil & Mexico)
Navigating Customs (Brazil & Mexico)
Paulo Camposeco
Christophe Esayian
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Start
1:00 PM
End
1:30 PM
Speakers
Paulo Camposeco
Paulo Camposeco
Christophe Esayian
Christophe Esayian
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Pre-Scheduled Meetings with Visiting U.S. Commercial Diplomats and Specialists
Pre-Scheduled Meetings with Visiting U.S. Commercial Diplomats and Specialists
Paulo Camposeco
Eric Olson
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Lisa White
Start
1:00 PM
End
4:00 PM
Speakers
Paulo Camposeco
Paulo Camposeco
Eric Olson
Eric Olson
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson
Lisa White
Lisa White
Financing Your Exports to the Americas
Financing Your Exports to the Americas
John Brislin
Trish McCarthy
Natalie Sullivan
Start
1:40 PM
End
2:10 PM
Speakers
John Brislin
John Brislin
Trish McCarthy
Trish McCarthy
Natalie Sullivan
Natalie Sullivan
Next Level Partner Engagement: Successful Strategies from Incentivizing to Contracts in Latin America
Next Level Partner Engagement: Successful Strategies from Incentivizing to Contracts in Latin America
Holda Crocker
Russ Monk
Brandy Sargent
Start
2:15 PM
End
3:15 PM
Speakers
Holda Crocker
Holda Crocker
Russ Monk
Russ Monk
Brandy Sargent
Brandy Sargent
Networking Reception Hosted by the Oregon District Export Council and Buchalter
Networking Reception Hosted by the Oregon District Export Council and Buchalter
Buchalter Law Firm, 805 SW Broadway, Suite 150
Start
4:00 PM
End
5:59 PM

Speakers

John Brislin Speaker image

John Brislin

International Trade & Finance Specialist @ U.S. Small Business Administration

John Brislin is SBA's Export Finance Manager and International Trade & Finance Specialist / Export Finance Manager for Washington State, Northern Idaho, and Alaska. He has over 23 years of private-sector international banking and trade finance experience working at Bank of Boston (now Bank of America) and Bank of California (now U.S. Bank) supporting U.S. Exporters and U.S. Importers 

 

John has over 14 years of public-sector export trade finance and risk mitigation experience working at Export Finance Assistance Center of Washington (EFACW), Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank) and SBA Office of International Trade (SBA OIT).  

 

He works closely with the SBA Seattle District Office in support of the Lending Community with the provision of SBA Export Loans to their Small Business Clients. John also works with SBA’s Resource Partner Network of Small Business Development Centers, SCORE Chapters, Veteran Business Outreach Centers, Women’s Business Centers, and Community Navigators to help support their Small Business clients who conduct business globally.  He helped to form the Washington Export Outreach Team (WEOT) which is a collaborative group of local, state, regional, and federal export assistance agencies who provides businesses with the tools and resources needed to sell goods and services internationally.   

 

John looks forward to working with Small Businesses so they can turn their export opportunities into actual sales and to achieve the ultimate goal of getting paid—especially on time—for those sales. 

Paulo Camposeco Speaker image

Paulo Camposeco

Commercial Specialist @ U.S. Commercial Service Mexico

Paulo Camposeco is the commercial specialist in charge of the Healthcare Industries for Mexico, based at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Paulo has over 10 years of international experience in the public sector, where he has worked for the UK government as well as multiple international companies as a regional manager for the Americas. Paulo joined the US Commercial Service in 2021, and along with Healthcare, he also covers woodworking and paper.

Holda Crocker Speaker image

Holda Crocker

International Sales Engineer @ Orenco Systems Inc.

Christophe Esayian Speaker image

Christophe Esayian

Director of Compliance @ Masterpiece International, Ltd.

David Fiscus Speaker image

David Fiscus

Regional Director - Pacific North @ U.S. Commercial Service

James Golsen Speaker image

James Golsen

Deputy Director General @ U.S. Commercial Service

Jim Golsen serves as Deputy Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service at the International Trade Administration (ITA), the U.S. government’s primary commercial diplomacy, export, and investment promotion agency. He manages a staff of more than 1,450 trade professionals across more than 225 domestic and overseas trade offices.

With a career marked by over twenty years of service, Golsen has cultivated extensive expertise in facilitating collaborations between American and global businesses. He is a member of the Senior Foreign Service and has held roles across the U.S., globe, and at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Prior to his current role, Jim served as the Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His career trajectory also encompassed significant positions such as: Commercial Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia; Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon, Burma; and Principal Commercial Officer for South India in Chennai. His work has taken him to various locations, including Bangkok, Thailand, and Shanghai, China.

Jim’s influence also extended to his role as ITA’s Executive Director of Asia for Global Markets, where he managed 14 Commercial Service posts across Asia, in conjunction with three policy offices in Washington.

Kellie Holloway Speaker image

Kellie Holloway

Director @ U.S. Commercial Service Oregon & SW Washington

Kellie Holloway Jarman is the Director of the U.S. Commercial Service office located in Portland, Oregon. As the local international trade promotion and advisory arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, she leads a team counseling businesses and trade partners in Oregon and Southwest Washington in developing and implementing global growth strategies. Kellie taps more than two decades of international trade experience to help companies succeed in export growth. After serving as a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, she launched the Commerce Department’s China Business Information Center earning the Director General’s award for deepening and broadening exporter success in the China market. She’s served international assignments on behalf of Commerce in Shanghai, The Hague, Toronto, Phoenix and Washington DC. Previously, Kellie served as a board member of the Arizona Governor directed Arizona Bio-industry and Environmental Technology Clusters, and prior to joining the Commercial Service, worked as a management consultant supporting high tech and energy sector clients in Asia joint venture activities. She also taught English in Japan. Kellie has a bachelor’s in Marketing from the University of Arizona supported with studies at the University of Copenhagen and a Master of International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management. In Oregon, Kellie is a member of the Oregon Federal Executive Board, Executive Secretary of the Export Council of Oregon, and an active volunteer with Hunger Fighters Oregon, a community nonprofit working to reduce food insecurity.   

Young Kim Speaker image

Young Kim

President & CEO @ Digital Harvest

Paul King Speaker image

Paul King

President & CEO @ Ampere Scientific

Dr. King is a highly focused and well-respected professional with a track record of producing winning results in technology development and deployment. He is a global leader throughout the R&D arena in energy systems and has founded or co-founded 8 startups since 2015. As the founder and CEO of Ampere Scientific, his responsibilities include leading the strategic, financial, operational and technical aspects of all Ampere Scientific product lines.
Trish McCarthy Speaker image

Trish McCarthy

Head of Client Services @ Impello Global

Trish has 35 years of experience in the international trade finance and credit and political risk insurance industriesPrior to joining Impello Global, Trish held executive leadership roles with Marsh JLT Specialty, International Risk Consultants, US Bank, PNC Bank, and Chase/Bank One. 
 
Trish has a reputation in the industry for being honest, clear, and sincere which helps her enjoy long-term and strong relationships with clients and underwritersWith experience in both international letters of credit and export credit insurance policy compliance, Trish has the ability to teach customers how to use these risk mitigation tools to help them grow sales and get paid. 
 
Trish, a native of Dayton, Ohio, relocated to Boise, Idaho in 2020 with her husband Tom, where she enjoys hiking, reading, environmental activism, and becoming an engaged member of her new communities.
Russ Monk Speaker image

Russ Monk

Chair @ Oregon District Export Council

Russ Monk is also the co-owner and director of operations for High Impact Technology. The company designs protective technologies such as ballistic coatings for fuel tanks and critical infrastructure protection for vehicles, mostly used by the military and police forces. High Impact Technologies has exported its products to nine different countries and hoped to continue expanding overseas. 

Russ first joined Business Forward in 2015, for a conference call on technology and innovation with the then-director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Michelle Lee. Following the conference call, Russ expressed interest in participating in a Business Forward fly-in briefing at the White House, and attended one with senior White House and Administration officials in June of 2015. Russ later co-hosted a local briefing where he invited colleagues in his industry to discuss issues in modern trade agreements with a senior State Department official. 

Russ has also taken use of Business Forward’s help working with the press. The media trainings Russ attended helped him place an op-ed in the Portland Business Journal and improve his public speaking skills. 

In 2016, Russ Monk’s company won the President’s “E-Award” for excellence in exporting. They were the first company from Oregon to win the accolade in 20 years. 

Eric Olson Speaker image

Eric Olson

Regional Senior Commercial Officer - Southern Cone @ U.S. Commercial Service Argentina

Eric Olson is the Commercial Counselor based at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires with responsibility for coordinating the activities of the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Southern Cone countries of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Eric’s previous assignments include: Commercial Attaché in Seoul, Korea, where he was a member of the U.S. team that negotiated the KORUS Free Trade Agreement; Senior Commercial Officer in Quito, Ecuador and Caracas, Venezuela; Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Recife, Brazil; Commercial Officer at the U.S. Export Assistance Center in West Los Angeles; and Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey, Mexico. Prior to his career in the Foreign Service, Eric worked in Washington, DC, at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Office of the Western Hemisphere as the Deputy Regional Director. Before coming to the Department of Commerce, Eric worked in the U.S. Congress as a legislative assistant to Congressman Dan Schaefer of Colorado. He earned an MA from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, DC and a BA from the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.

Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson Speaker image

Elmer ("E.J.") Richardson

Commercial Officer @ U.S. Commercial Service - Brazil

E.J. Richardson most recently served as a commercial officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Sao Paulo (2020-2023). He oversaw a team of commercial specialists responsible for sectors including civil aviation, tourism, franchising, and IT. During his tour in Brazil, E.J. coordinated the Visit USA travel and tourism conference (2022-2023), organized the International Aviation Trade Event with Embraer (2022), and served as the in-country liaison for the 2022 Trade Americas Mission to South America. E.J. joined the U.S. Commercial Service in July 2020.

E.J. is currently a diplomat in residence at the Irvine, CA U.S. Export Assistance Center where his portfolio includes supporting aerospace and defense exporters access new markets. He also serves as a regional champion for the SelectUSA program, helping attract foreign direct investment to the United States.

Prior to joining the Commercial Service, E.J. worked in due diligence, compliance and risk analysis in Washington, D.C. where he primarily researched and prepared reports on subjects in Portuguese-speaking jurisdictions for Fortune 500 companies. He holds a master’s degree in international relations and economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Arizona.

 

Brandy Sargent Speaker image

Brandy Sargent

Partner @ K&L Gates

Brandy Sargent is a partner in the firm's Finance practice. She represents debtors, lenders, vendors, purchasers, and official and unofficial committees in a variety of commercial and agricultural finance, bankruptcy, workout, and litigation matters. Brandy has significant experience representing clients in commercial lending, corporate finance, and private equity finance transactions, distressed asset transactions, and loan modifications and work outs. In addition, she has specific experience advising clients regarding supply chain disruptions, consignment agreements, purchase money security interests, and warehouse and transportation liens. In agribusiness matters, Brandy assists clients with unique issues arising under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), Food Security Act (FSA), state agricultural lien statutes, and cooperative member and marketing agreements.
Natalie Sullivan Speaker image

Natalie Sullivan

Assistant Vice President, International Banking @ Washington Trust Bank

Natalie Sullivan is on a mission to help clients succeed in international business. With over a decade of experience in international trade, Natalie counsels small and medium sized companies on how to structure payments to minimize risk. She currently works at Washington Trust Bank and volunteers her time with the District Export Council in Washington. In past roles Natalie has worked at both small and Fortune 100 companies. Her specialties are trade finance, international payment methods, marine cargo insurance, program management, international marketing, supply chain finance, government guarantee programs, Export-Import Bank, non-profit management.
Lisa White Speaker image

Lisa White

Commercial Officer @ U.S. Embassy - Colombia

Lisa White joined the Foreign Commercial Service (FCS) in 2020 and is currently Commercial Attaché at U.S. Embassy Bogota. She manages FCS services to assist U.S. businesses develop their export sales in Colombia and SelectUSA for Colombian investments in the United States. Her prior posting was at the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Seattle where she advised Washington businesses on how to grow international sales and developed special programs to accelerate women-owned businesses. Lisa has more than 15 years of combined federal service with experience at three previous agencies. Previous roles include the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) where she worked as an Economic Development Specialist and Public Information Officer, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) where she worked as an Immigration Services Officer, and the U.S. Peace Corps where she worked as a Regional Recruiter. Prior to that, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea and Mali in West Africa where she supported small business development and developed French proficiency. Lisa graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a BS in Business Administration with a focus on marketing and communications.

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