Podcasts about export import bank

In this episode of Plugged In, Chuck Hanna welcomes Rich Powell, CEO of the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), to discuss the future of grid infrastructure and associated emerging technologies. Powell highlights the importance of enhancing the current grid through innovative technologies like dynamic line rating, advanced conductors, and virtual power plants. He emphasizes the need for better utilization of existing assets and explores how grid-enhancing technologies can improve efficiency and support clean energy generation. Powell also touches on the role of policy shifts in enabling these advancements, sharing insights into the ongoing legislative efforts around tax incentives for clean energy. He stresses the potential impact on electricity prices and the importance of maintaining support for new clean energy generation. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Overview of  CEBA's sustainability vision for 2030 and beyond (02:36) Addressing  regulatory changes and industry shifts (07:29) How CEBA balances near-term needs with long-term vision (11:34) CEBA initiatives and their impact on corporates (14:35) Key emerging grid-enhancing technologies (18:12) Tech-neutral tax credits and their possible effects (23:03) For full show notes, click here. Resources: Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) Connect with Rich Powell  On LinkedIn Rich Powell is the CEO of Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA). Prior to CEBA, he was the CEO of ClearPath and ClearPath Action, the DC-based organizations advancing policies that accelerate breakthrough innovations to reduce emissions in the energy and industrial sectors. Powell advises policymakers on investing wisely in energy innovation, removing roadblocks to building and exporting American clean energy and industrial technology, and maintaining and promoting our flexible clean energy resources. He frequently testifies before Congress on climate change and energy innovation. His work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, FoxNews.com, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Morning Consult, RealClear Energy, and several regional publications. His views are regularly featured in national publications including the National Review, NPR, Politico, USA Today, Axios, E&E, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, LA Times, Houston Chronicle, MIT Tech Review, Bloomberg, Green Tech Media, Utility Dive, the Guardian, and many others. Powell serves on the boards of the 2040 Foundation and the Conservative Climate Foundation, is a Strategic Advisor to the Silverado Policy Accelerator, and is part of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center's Advisory Group. Rich served on the Advisory Committee to the Export Import Bank of the United States from 2019 to 2021. Previously, Powell was with McKinsey & Company in the Energy and Sustainability practices. He focused on corporate clean energy strategy, government low carbon growth strategy, and clean tech market entry. Connect with Constellation Follow Constellation on LinkedIn Follow Chuck Hanna on LinkedIn Learn more about Constellation sustainability solutions Connect with Smart Energy Decisions Follow us on LinkedInSubscribe to Smart Energy Voices onApple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, aCast, PlayerFM, iHeart RadioIf you're interested in participating in the next Smart Energy Decisions Event, visit smartenergydecisions.com or email our Community Development team at attend@smartenergydecisions.com

The Export-Import Bank supports Trump's strange support of coal, says Kate DeAngelis from Friends of the Earth USA The post DeAngelis: Export-Import Bank Stands Behind Trump's Coal Executi... appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

After a wave of not-so-great headlines on tariffs, we finally have some good news: the Trump Administration is signaling cuts to the new tariffs on Chinese goods. But what does that actually mean for your bank account? To follow the money trail, Nicole brings back Fred P. Hochberg—former President of the Export-Import Bank and Acting Administrator of the Small Business Administration—who has spent his career at the intersection of business and public policy. Fred and Nicole break down how tariff policy should work to benefit Americans, what happens if these cuts don't happen, and how it all could affect prices (yes, including what you'll pay for Christmas presents this year). Fred's book is an amazing read to understand the current moment! Check it out here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Trade-Is-Not-a-Four-Letter-Word/Fred-P-Hochberg/9781982127374

Groong Week in Review - April 20, 2025Topics:US-Iran Talks, Israeli ThreatsTrump Admin Support for AzerbaijanGyumri Election Effect on Civil ContractFomenting Hate towards Artsakh ArmeniansGuest: Hrant MikaelianHosts:Hovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 429 | Recorded: April 21, 2025https://podcasts.groong.org/429#ArmenianPolitics #VaticanControversy #ArtsakhCrisis #AzerbaijaniPropaganda #USIranTalksVIDEO: https://youtu.be/i0u_ZkVT11cSubscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

Ali Velshi is joined by President and Founder of the Eurasia Group & GZERO Media Ian Bremmer, former Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States Fred Hochberg, former Associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom Rachel Cohen, Managing Partner of Mark S. Zaid, P.C. Mark Zaid, former Secretary of Treasury Lawrence Summers, North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, Senior Associate Dean for Leadership at the Yale School of Management Jeffrey Sonnenfeld & fmr. asst. Chief Negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative J. Nicole Bivens Collinson

Abdiel Santiago is Secretary (CIO) of the Fondo de Ahorro de Panama, a role he has held for over 11 years. He holds a number of board roles in addition – including Advisory Committee Member of the Export-Import Bank of the US, a Board Advisory Committee Member of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds and a Committee Member of the Milken Institute. He is also a Board Leadership Fellow at the National Association of Corporate Directors.Our conversation starts with his early years in the US military, and the lessons learned there around leadership, team work and chain of command. We cycle through his career in finance, some of its ups and down and what led to the offer he couldn't refuse to join the start up sovereign wealth funding his home country of Panama.This series we have a special focus on sovereign wealth funs with the coming podcast with Victoria Barbary, Director of Strategy & Communications for the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds, and Abdiel provides on the ground insight into building a fund from scratch, responding to governance concerns and considering local impact. Our discussion ends with a discussion of board roles and governance, and how the allure of these roles might not be always as they seem. This episode of the Fiftyfaces Podcast is proudly brought to you by bfinance—a trusted partner to the world's leading institutional investors. With a proven track record in strategy, implementation, and oversight, bfinance delivers bespoke investment consultancy that empowers asset owners to achieve their unique objectives. Whether it's refining portfolio strategy, selecting fund managers, monitoring performance or getting better value for money, bfinance combines global expertise with tailored solutions to unlock value for their clients. To learn more about how they've supported over 500 clients in 45 countries, managing assets totalling over $9 trillion, visit bfinance.com.

What is Japan's current position in the Supply Chain Wars? How will Japan handle the influx of millions of AI Agents in the workforce? Can Japan develop its own Self-Driving Systems?SHOW NOTESSUPPLY CHAIN WARHill hearing explores network of China-controlled ports as security threatChina builds space alliances in Africa as Trump cuts foreign aidGhana and China (from Grok)Infrastructure Investments: China has financed significant infrastructure projects in Ghana, often through loans and barter agreements. For example, the Bui Dam, Ghana's second-largest hydroelectric plant, was constructed by Sinohydro through a barter loan involving cocoa exports. China's Export-Import Bank provided a USD 562 million loan for the USD 622 million project. Other projects include telecommunication networks, highways, water supply expansions, and schools in Accra.Rail and Road Development: A USD 6 billion concessionary loan from the China Export-Import Bank is being used to extend Ghana's rail network, including the 17 km Ofankor-Nsawam road (completed in 2009 with a USD 28 million interest-free loan) and landing sites for fishing communities (USD 99 million interest-free loan).Mining and Bauxite Deals: China has invested in Ghana's mining sector, particularly in bauxite, through deals that exchange infrastructure development for mining rights. These investments have led to significant environmental and social concerns, including deforestation and water pollution in areas like the Atewa forest.Total Investments: By 2014, Chinese investments in Ghana reached USD 1.6 billion, with cumulative investments from 2008 to 2015 totaling USD 2.2 billion. Most investments focus on manufacturing, construction, tourism, trading, and services, with building and construction emerging as major recipients.Owner Of US Defense Contractor Making Fighter Jet, Missile Parts Listed As Chinese Intel Agency OfficialTaiwan plans investment and trade center in FukuokaSOCIETY 5.0How can the president of a black company become invincible by acquiring an "AI agent"?Hackers Using AI Agents To Validate Stolen Credit CardsSoftBank app SureTalk turns sign language into textAI agent developed by University of Tokyo startup Tou to streamline construction workThe advent of the "Sales 3.0" era: Algomatic's AI agents will change the future of salesNapkin AI reinvents the design agency: 4 AI agents generate professional-grade graphics in 5 secondsPitch deck for startup that turns existing security cameras into AI agents that successfully raised 2 billion yen [Exclusive ReleaseColega AI, an AI agent for restaurants, raises funds and enters the Japanese market in earnest"Face Recognition System FACEmaⓇ Management Box Series Key Management Box Model," jointly developed with Obayashi Corporation, will be available for rental from February 12, 2025Migaro Holdings aims to expand its facial recognition service overseasAI-based medical interviews begin at Kurobe Municipal Hospital, reducing the burden on both doctors and patientsTuyen Quang Provincial Public Security Department Announces Launch of AI Security System "AI Security asilla" in Detention Centers and Prison FacilitiesBYD, China's largest electric vehicle manufacturer, has announced that it will equip all of its vehicles with cutting-edge autonomous driving systems.Nihon Kotsu and Tier IV begin collecting driving data across Tokyo for AI development"Autonomous vehicle 'priority lane'" finally installed on Shin-Tomei Expressway in March, tested in left lane at nightBusiness opportunities inside self-driving cars! Development of concierge AI and special seats progresses

The New York Times has called Clyde Prestowitz “one of the most far seeing forecasters of global trends.” For more than fifty years, Prestowitz has studied, lived, and worked in Asia, Europe, and Latin America as well as in the United States and has become noted as a leading writer and strategist on globalization and competitiveness. His best -selling books include: Trading Places, Rogue Nation, Three Billion New Capitalists, The Betrayal of American Prosperity and Japan Restored.Prestowitz was a leader of the first U.S. trade mission to China in 1982 and has served as an advisor to Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and Obama. He has also worked closely with CEOs such as Intel's Andy Grove, Chrysler's Lee Iacocca, and Fred Smith of Fedex. In addition, Prestowitz has served on the Advisory Boards of Indonesia's Center for International Studies and of Israel's Ministry of Industry and Labor.As Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce in the Reagan administration, Mr. Prestowitz headed negotiations with Japan, South Korea, and China. Under the Clinton administration he served as Vice Chairman of the Presidential Commission on Trade and Investment in the Asia Pacific Region. He was also on the Board of Advisors to the Export/Import Bank.Prior to these posts, Prestowitz had a successful corporate marketing career, working for such companies as Scott Paper Company Europe in Brussels, Egon Zehnder International in Tokyo, and the American Can Company.Mr. Prestowitz holds a B.A. with honors from Swarthmore College; an M.A. in Asia Studies from the University of Hawaii and Tokyo's Keio University, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton Graduate School of Business. He speaks Japanese, Dutch, German, and French.Prestowitz's newest book is The World Turned Upside Down: China, America and the Struggle for Global Leadership (Yale University Press), which was published in January 2021.

Alice Albright, CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), joins Mike Shanley to discuss MCC's role in US foreign policy, key MCC accomplishments, future countries and sectors of work, and how organizations can partner with MCC. RESOURCES: - MCC LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/millennium-challenge-corporation - MCC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mccgov/ - Doing Business with MCC: https://www.mcc.gov/work-with-us/mcc-business/ - MCC Business Forecast: https://www.mcc.gov/resources/doc/report-business-forecast/ - Procurements on sam.gov BIOGRAPHY: Alice P. Albright is the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation where she provides strategic leadership and vision to the agency helping deliver on programmatic priorities. Ms. Albright has more than 30 years of international experience in the private, non-profit and public sectors. Prior to MCC, Ms. Albright served as the CEO of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). As a political appointee of the Obama Administration, between 2009 and 2013, she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank). Beforehand, she was the Chief Financial and Investment Officer for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI). Prior to working in international development and government, Ms. Albright was a banker focusing on emerging markets, working principally at J.P. Morgan. Ms. Albright has served on two G7 Gender Equality Advisory Councils, appointed first by the President of France for the 2019 G7 and subsequently by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for the 2021 G7. Additionally, she has served on the Boards of Williams College and Mercersburg Academy. Ms. Albright received her MIA from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and her BA from Williams College. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. LEARN MORE Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Aid Market Podcast. You can learn more about working with USAID by visiting our homepage: Konektid International and AidKonekt. To connect with our team directly, message the host Mike Shanley on LinkedIn.

Ukraine's Energy Crisis: With temperatures already below zero, more than a million Ukrainians are without electricity due to recent attacks targeting the nation's energy infrastructure. Roger Hearing hears insights from Olga Khakova, deputy director for European energy security at the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center.Brazil's Real fluctuates as doubts grow about the government's economic reforms. Our South America correspondent Ione Wells reports from São Paulo on investor concerns over President Lula's fiscal plans.India's economy is underperforming, with GDP growth of 5.4% instead of the expected 6.5%. Economist Janhanwi Singh of the Export-Import Bank of India shares her insights on this economic shift.And Yelp turns 20. The online review giant has shaped consumer decisions for two decades, amassing nearly 300 million reviews worldwide. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino reflects on Yelp's influence and evolution.We want to hear your views. Contact us on WhatsApp or send a voice note to +44 330 678 3033.

Sandra Donzella from the U.S. Export-Import Bank discusses how ExIm programs, including export insurance and financing, help U.S. businesses expand internationally while minimizing financial risks.

The Export-Import Bank this year celebrated 90 years in business. Established during the Franklin Roosevelt administration, it helps U.S. exporters with buyer financing they may not find from the private sector. Today the Exim faces a strong challenge from China's export credit agency as the great powers competition intensifies. Here with an update on where the agency is headed, Exim Chairman Reta Jo Lewis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Export-Import Bank this year celebrated 90 years in business. Established during the Franklin Roosevelt administration, it helps U.S. exporters with buyer financing they may not find from the private sector. Today the Exim faces a strong challenge from China's export credit agency as the great powers competition intensifies. Here with an update on where the agency is headed, Exim Chairman Reta Jo Lewis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I had the distinct pleasure of hosting Trae Stephens and Michael Kratsios on a panel in San Francisco in September on the topic of “Rebuilding the arsenal of democracy.” Trae Stephens is a general partner at Founders Fund and a Co-Founder of Anduril, a defense tech company that specializes in advanced autonomous systems.Michael Kratsios served as Chief Technology Officer of the United States in the Trump White House. He also served as acting undersecretary of defense, where he was responsible for research and engineering efforts at the Defense Department. These days, he's managing director of Scale AI.We discussed:* What's wrong with the defense industrial base?* How can we use tools like the Export-Import Bank to beat China?* Can cutting Chinese tech out of supply chains hurt American companies?* Will we see more tech talent in the next administration?You can subscribe to Statecraft at www.statecraft.pub. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

Send us a textBetsy Myers is on a mission to improve leadership by developing leaders and teams who infuse passion and purpose into their organizations by leading from both the head and the heart.With over three decades as a thought leader, author, speaker, and consultant, Betsy is a renowned expert on emerging leadership trends and women's leadership. Her extensive experience includes working with corporate, government, non-profit, and higher education leaders. She is the author of Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You.Betsy is currently a Senior Advisor at the Warren Bennis Leadership Institute at the University of Cincinnati. She also serves on the Council on Advancing Women in Business for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. A senior adviser to two U.S. presidents, Betsy served as President Clinton's Advisor on Women's Issues, was the first Director of the White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach, and was Chief Operating Officer of President Obama's 2008 National Presidential Campaign.  Previously, Betsy was founding director of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University, a repository of best practices for corporations to recruit and retain women leaders. She was Executive Director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard's Kennedy School, focusing the Center's teaching and research around authentic inner leadership. She held leadership roles in the U.S. Small Business Administration, including as the Director of the Office of Women's Business Ownership at the SBA where she was an advocate for the 9.4 million women entrepreneurs in the United States.Betsy has a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.A Quote From This Episode"There's a lot more we agree on than we disagree on...we have to move away from this 'othering.' We 'other' people - 'they're different from me, they're bad.'"Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeBook - Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around YouHBR Podcast - Women at WorkScholar - Linda NielsenArticle - Research: Why Gender Bias Persists Even When Organizations Try to Curb ItAbout The International Leadership Association (ILA)The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals interested in studying, practicing, and teaching leadership. About  Scott J. AllenWebsiteWeekly Newsletter: The Leader's EdgeBlogMy Approach to HostingThe views of my guests do not constitute "truth." Nor do they reflect my personal views in some instances. However, they are views to consider, and I hope they help you clarify your perspective. Nothing can replace your reflection, research, and exploration of the topic.

In the latest installment of Five Questions, Five Answers, host Birgit Matthiesen is joined by colleagues Dan Renberg, former member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and Kelsey Griswold-Berger, former long-time Congressional senior staff member who served as senior trade advisor to Finance Committee member Senator Richard Burr (R-NC).  They delve into the differing trade priorities of the presidential candidates, Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, while also exploring the future of trade agreements, the significance of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the dynamics of congressional races, and more. Highlights of the conversation include: How the two candidates differ on US trade policy. Insights into how congressional leadership will influence trade priorities. The future of the USMCA under either Administration. How ongoing geopolitical tensions are reshaping trade negotiations for the years ahead.

GOOD EVENING: The show begins in the Koreas, where the voices are raised about Ukraine... 1951 US Army Korea War CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR FIRST HOUR 9:00-9:15 #Ukraine: North Korea vs South Korea. Colonel Jeff McCausland, USA (retired) @mccauslj @CBSNews @dickinsoncol 9:15-9:30 #ISRAEL: Is the Iran strike delayed until after the US election? Colonel Jeff McCausland, USA (retired) @mccauslj @CBSNews @dickinsoncol 9:30-9:45 #DENNY's: Closing 10% of the stores because of food inflation. #SCALAREPORT: Chris Riegel CEO, Scala.com @Stratacache 9:45-10:00 #MEXICO: Tariffs, USMCA and the Trump Campaign. Mary Anastasia O'Grady SECOND HOUR 10:00-10:15 MARKETS: Drain the swamp and Boeing at the Export Import Bank. Veronique De Rugy, Mercatus Center 10:15-10:30 #CANADA: Speaking in support of Israel and the Jewish people. Conrad Black, National Post 10:30-10:45 #GEORGIA: Balancing Moscow and Brussels by ending the opposition. Anatol Lieven, Quincy Institute 10:45-11:00 #MOLDOVA: Undermined by bribery. Anatol Lieven, Quincy Institute THIRD HOUR 11:00-11:15 1/8: The Eastern Front: A History of the Great War, 1914-1918 by Nick Lloyd (Author) 11:15-11:30 2/8: The Eastern Front: A History of the Great War, 1914-1918 by Nick Lloyd (Author) 11:30-11:45 3/8: The Eastern Front: A History of the Great War, 1914-1918 by Nick Lloyd (Author) 11:45-12:00 4/8: The Eastern Front: A History of the Great War, 1914-1918 by Nick Lloyd (Author) FOURTH HOUR 12:00-12:15 1/4: Operational Energy 1st Edition by Alan Howard, Daniel Nussbaum, Brenda Shaffer 12:15-12:30 2/4: Operational Energy 1st Edition by Alan Howard, Daniel Nussbaum, Brenda Shaffer 12:30-12:45 3/4: Operational Energy 1st Edition by Alan Howard, Daniel Nussbaum, Brenda Shaffer 12:45-1:00am 4/4: Operational Energy 1st Edition by Alan Howard, Daniel Nussbaum, Brenda Shaffer Changes made: - Fixed formatting and spacing throughout - Standardized time formats - Corrected "Grady Mary Anastasia O'" to "Mary Anastasia O'Grady" - Fixed numbering of segments (2/8 was missing) - Removed duplicate URLs and review quotes for cleaner formatting - Fixed "A4lan" to "Alan" in last segment - Added consistent punctuation - Aligned all times and segments

MARKETS: Drain the swamp and Boeing at the Export Import Bank. Veronique De Rugy, Mercatus Center 1877 Iron Works Bucks County

SHIPPING – THE INTERNATIONAL OWNER’S PERSPECTIVE featuring: Moderator: Mr. Nicolas Bornozis, President – Capital Link, Inc. Panelists • Mr. Mark Young, CEO – Cetus Maritime • Mr. Demetris Chrysostomou, Managing Director Asia Region – Columbia Shipmanagement • Mr. Emanuele (Manu) Ravano, Co- CEO – IFCHOR GALBRAITHS (IG) • Mr. Stamatis Tsantanis, Chairman & CEO – Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHIP); Founder, Chairman & CEO - United Maritime Corporation (NASDAQ: USEA) 8th Annual International Shipping Forum - Pudong - Shanghai, China Monday, October 21, 2024 Grand Kempinski Hotel - Shanghai, China Hosted by Capital Link & The Export-Import Bank of China With the support of the Shanghai - Pudong Government In Partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement & Singhai Marine Services https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2024china/

RAISING CAPITAL IN CHINA – THE INTERNATIONAL SHIPOWNER’S PERSPECTIVE Featured Moderator: Mr. Elton Chan, Partner – Stephenson Harwood Panelists : • Mr. Nick Daskalakis, Managing Director – Alpha Shipping Advisors • Mr. Michalis Livanos, Chief Financial Officer – DryDel Shipping Inc. • Mr. Nicholas G. Armaos, Chief Financial Officer – Lavinia Corporation/Laskaridis Shipping Co. Ltd. • Mr. Gautam Khurana, Chief Financial Officer – Precious Shipping Public Company Limited • Mr. Stavros Gyftakis, CFO – Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHIP); CFO & Director – United Maritime Corporation (NASDAQ: USEA) 8th Annual International Shipping Forum - Pudong - Shanghai, China Monday, October 21, 2024 Grand Kempinski Hotel - Shanghai, ChinaHosted by Capital Link & The Export-Import Bank of China With the support of the Shanghai - Pudong Government In Partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement & Singhai Marine Services https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2024china/

WELCOME REMARKS • Mr. Nicolas Bornozis, President – Capital Link, Inc. • Mr. Demetris Chrysostomou, Managing Director Asia Region – Columbia Shipmanagement • Mr. Terence Zhao, Managing Director – Singhai Marine Services 8th Annual International Shipping Forum - Pudong - Shanghai, China Monday, October 21, 2024 Grand Kempinski Hotel - Shanghai, China Hosted by Capital Link & The Export-Import Bank of China With the support of the Shanghai - Pudong Government In Partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement & Singhai Marine Services https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2024china/

SHIP FINANCE - THE CHINESE - HELLENIC RELATIONSHIP Presented by: Mr. George Xiradakis, President – Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping; Founder - Managing Director – XRTC Business Consultants 8th Annual International Shipping Forum - Pudong - Shanghai, China Monday, October 21, 2024 Grand Kempinski Hotel - Shanghai, China Hosted by Capital Link & The Export-Import Bank of China With the support of the Shanghai - Pudong Government In Partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement & Singhai Marine Services https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2024china/

IMPLEMENT MARINE FUEL STRATEGY: WHAT IS YOUR PACE? Featuring: Mr. Shen Tao, Director, Global Sustainability - Eastern Hemisphere - ABS 8th Annual International Shipping Forum - Pudong - Shanghai, China Monday, October 21, 2024 Grand Kempinski Hotel - Shanghai, China Hosted by Capital Link & The Export-Import Bank of China With the support of the Shanghai - Pudong Government In Partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement & Singhai Marine Services https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2024china/

OPTIMIZING SHIP PERFORMANCE Moderator: Mr. Keng Chen, Vice President & Area Manager, China South – DNV Maritime • Mr. Dario Bocchetti, Head of Energy Saving, R&D and Ship Design – Grimaldi Group • Mr. Bruno Bai, Head of Tankers, Asia Pacific – IFCHOR GALBRAITHS • Mr. Holger Jablonski, Business Development Manager – Intership Navigation Co. Ltd. • Capt. Vikas Kapoor, Business Development Director – Ishima 8th Annual International Shipping Forum - Pudong - Shanghai, China Monday, October 21, 2024 Grand Kempinski Hotel - Shanghai, China Hosted by Capital Link & The Export-Import Bank of China With the support of the Shanghai - Pudong Government In Partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement & Singhai Marine Services https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2024china/

CHINESE LEASING - FINANCING THE GLOBAL SHIPPING INDUSTRY Featuring Moderator: Mr. Christoforos Bisbikos, Head of the Asia Assets and Structured Finance Group – Watson Farley & Williams Panelists • Mr. Eahan Shi, Director, Shipping Business Department – Bank of China Financial Leasing • Mr. Charlie Tsai, Deputy Head of Shipping Finance – Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Co., Ltd • Mr. Zhang Jia, Vice General Manager, Ship Leasing Division – CDB Leasing Co., Ltd. • Mr. Yang Yi, Assistant to the General Manager, Shipping Business Department – CMB Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. 8th Annual International Shipping Forum - Pudong - Shanghai, ChinaMonday, October 21, 2024 Grand Kempinski Hotel - Shanghai, China Hosted by Capital Link & The Export-Import Bank of China With the support of the Shanghai - Pudong Government In Partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement & Singhai Marine Services https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2024china/

SEAFARERS OF TOMORROW – EMERGING PATTERNS AND TRENDS featuring: Mr. Terence Zhao, Managing Director – Singhai Marine Services 8th Annual International Shipping Forum - Pudong - Shanghai, China Monday, October 21, 2024 Grand Kempinski Hotel - Shanghai, China Hosted by Capital Link & The Export-Import Bank of China With the support of the Shanghai - Pudong Government In Partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement & Singhai Marine Services https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2024china/

CHINESE SHIPYARDS & GLOBAL SHIPPING Featured Moderator: Mr. Gu Zheng Wang, VP, Commercial Manager East China, Marine & Offshore, Greater China – Lloyd’s Register Panelists • Mr. Sun Changqing, Chief Financial Officer – CSSC Cruise Technology Development Co., Ltd. • Mr. Huang Guoliang, Assistant to the Director, Marketing Department - Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. • Mr. Lin Qingshan, Vice President – Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) CO., Ltd. • Mr. Dimitris Vranopoulos, President & CEO – Marine Plus S.A. • Ms. Ingrid Liu, General Manager – Optima Shipbrokers (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. 8th Annual International Shipping Forum - Pudong - Shanghai, China Monday, October 21, 2024 Grand Kempinski Hotel - Shanghai, China Hosted by Capital Link & The Export-Import Bank of China With the support of the Shanghai - Pudong Government In Partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement & Singhai Marine Services https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2024china/

GOING INTO 2025 – FUELEU MARITIME & EU ETS Presented by: Mr. Ronny Waage, Global Sales Director – zero44 8th Annual International Shipping Forum - Pudong - Shanghai, ChinaMonday, October 21, 2024Grand Kempinski Hotel - Shanghai, China Hosted by Capital Link & The Export-Import Bank of China With the support of the Shanghai - Pudong Government In Partnership with Columbia Shipmanagement & Singhai Marine Services https://forums.capitallink.com/shipping/2024china/

“I coined the phrase ‘threat multiplier,' which has come to really stand for the connection between climate change and national security….Threat multiplier conveys that climate acts on every other threat we face, whether it's strategic competition with Russia and China, or terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, biological threats, and other threats around the world…because it's destabilizing our natural systems, and the whole goal of security is stability.” Sherri Goodman on Electric Ladies Podcast Just as climate change is causing extreme weather at home, it's also causing floods, heat waves, droughts, typhoons etc. across the globe, and threatening water and food supplies and destabilizing societies in many ways. It's also stressing servicemembers in theatre, putting more demands on the military's time, and threatening military installations. To name a few. Listen to Sherri Goodman to find out how, who is the author of the new book, “Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership and the Fight for Global Security.” She has been working in the highest levels of the defense industry for 30 years, including serving as the first Undersecretary of Defense for Environmental Security. She also shares insightful career advice. You'll hear about: What exactly a “threat multiplier” is and why she says climate change is one. How exactly climate change stresses national security, including in ways you probably have not thought about. The impact of climate change on geopolitics – from destabilizing societies to weaponizing resources How the U.S. Defense Department is also a model for how to decarbonize and drive innovation that improves the military and saves lives – military lives and across society   Plus, insightful career advice, such as… “It helps to diversify what you do in your career. And also, I find sometimes women undersell themselves. They think they have to have all sorts of competencies in order to be qualified for that next level of career advancement….You have to be willing to sort of put yourself out there a little bit, and you know, don't be afraid for people to tell you no…Also, I'd say that the network really matters. So, even if you do take time off….from your professional life at a certain stage, and then you think you want to get back in, don't let your network, your relationship network atrophy, because that always is vitally important.” Sherri Goodman on Electric Ladies Podcast Read Joan's Forbes articles here. You'll also like these episodes: (some may be recorded under our previous name, Green Connections Radio) Judith Pryor, Vice Chair and First Vice President of the Export Import Bank of the U.S., which facilitates business deals in furtherance of U.S. national economic and political security. Natalie Jaresko, former finance minister of Ukraine, on war, energy and global security – and ESG Vanessa Chan, Ph.D., Chief Commercialization Officer of the Department of Energy and Director of the Office of Technology Transitions, on the Inflation Reduction Act and the transition to clean energy. Secretary Katherine Hammack, former Assistant Secretary of the Army for Energy, Environment and Installations, on the Army's Net Zero program Secretary Deborah Lee James, 23rd Secretary of the Air Force, under President Obama and author of “Aim High” Susan McPherson, CEO of McPherson Strategies, on corporate strategies in a time of geopolitical crisis. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

Hi Technically Human Listeners! After a long summer break we are back with a brand season and brand new episodes of the show! To kick off the season, we are bringing you an episode that I'm calling “agree to disagree,” with two guests, Robert D. Atkinson and David Moschella, who join me to argue that the critiques of tech circulating in our environment are full of “myths and scapegoats.” That's the title of their new book, “Technology Fears and Scapegoats: 40 Myths About Privacy, Jobs, AI, and Today's Innovation Economy,” published this year by Pallgrave McMillan. The book argues that our era of tech critique, and the impetus for regulation that many critics advocate for and recommend, is misguided, and that our era is one of general pessimism toward AI, in which our society largely overlooks the benefits of this technology. In their words, quote, “These attitudes both reduce the enthusiasm for innovation and the efforts by government needed to spur it.” Well, as the title of the episode suggests, agree to disagree, both on the facts and the merits of the argument! A key component of this show is my commitment to talking to people with whom I disagree, and foregrounding civil discourse with people whose ideas differ from my own. My hope is that you, the listeners, can weigh out their arguments against my own and see where you land. As always, if you have thoughts about the show, please get in touch! Robert D. Atkinson is the founder and president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). He is an internationally recognized scholar and a widely published author whom The New Republic has named one of the “three most important thinkers about innovation,” Washingtonian Magazine has called a “tech titan,” Government Technology Magazine has judged to be one of the 25 top “doers, dreamers and drivers of information technology,” and the Wharton Business School has given the “Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award.” A sought-after speaker and valued adviser to policymakers around the world, Atkinson's books include Technology Fears and Scapegoats: 40 Myths about Privacy, Jobs, AI, and Today's Innovation Economy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024); Big is Beautiful: Debunking the Mythology of Small Business (MIT Press, 2018); Innovation Economics: The Race for Global Advantage (Yale, 2012); Supply-Side Follies: Why Conservative Economics Fails, Liberal Economics Falters, and Innovation Economics is the Answer (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006); and The Past And Future Of America's Economy: Long Waves Of Innovation That Power Cycles Of Growth (Edward Elgar, 2005). President Clinton appointed Atkinson to the Commission on Workers, Communities, and Economic Change in the New Economy; the Bush administration appointed him chair of the congressionally created National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission; the Obama administration appointed him to the National Innovation and Competitiveness Strategy Advisory Board; as co-chair of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's China-U.S. Innovation Policy Experts Group; to the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and the Trump administration appointed him to the G7 Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence. The Biden administration appointed him as a member of the U.S. State Department's Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information, and a member of the Export-Import Bank of the United States' Council on China Competition. Atkinson holds a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hil. David Moschella is a nonresident senior fellow at ITIF. Previously, he was a research fellow at Leading Edge Forum (LEF), where he explored the global business impact of digital technologies, with a particular focus on disruptive business models, industry restructuring and machine intelligence. For more than a decade before LEF, David was in charge of worldwide research for IDC, the largest market analysis firm in the information technology industry, responsible for the company's global technology industry forecasts and insights. A well-known international speaker, writer, and thought leader, David's books include Technology Fears and Scapegoats: 40 Myths about Privacy, Jobs, AI, and Today's Innovation Economy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024), Seeing Digital—A Visual Guide to the Industries, Organizations, and Careers of the 2020s (DXC Technology, 2018), Customer-Driven IT (Harvard Business School Press, 2003), and Waves of Power (Amacom, 1997). He has lectured and consulted on digital trends and strategies in more than 30 countries, working with leading customers and suppliers alike.

EXIM bank shows an uptick in credit activity in 2023. Learn more on Two Minutes in Trade. 

“We work with this entire portfolio of buildings of the federal government, as you mentioned, about 350,000 buildings, also including 600,000 cars and trucks in the fleet, all of them looking towards decarbonization…We do it through policy and planning. So, we analyze the management mandates, the energy management mandates that come out, and we help agencies understand what they need to do to meet those legislative goals. We do analysis and strategy, so we help work alongside the agencies to identify the short and long-term opportunities and how they can…save money and to meet these higher goals. We do it through execution and funding.” Anna Siefken on Electric Ladies Podcast The federal government has 350,000 buildings across the country and internationally, which are all looking to decarbonize, just as the government suggests we all do. How do you reduce the carbon footprint of such a massive and varied collection of buildings? Listen to Anna Siefken, Deputy Director at the Federal Energy Management Program at the U.S. Department of Energy, explain how they do and maybe discover some opportunities for your company to help them, as well as some insightful career advice, in this fascinating discussion with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson.  You'll hear about: What exactly the Federal Energy Management Program does and how they do it. The impact of these buildings and initiatives on their local economies – including how and when they use subcontractors, including women-owned businesses and helping disadvantaged communities. How FEMP trains leaders across the government to make decisions that reduce their energy and water use, and CO2 emissions, as well as tools they provide to help. Plus, insightful career advice, such as… “There are spaces for everyone in this clean energy transition…A way for a person to get more involved is, I've got to say DOE website has a lot of postings….(Or) Find someone (on LinkedIn) who's in a position that is exactly what you think you want to be doing. And then first map your own skills to what that person is saying they're doing… Or you can also do this with like open positions, you go and you look for open positions that you think you might qualify for and then back in your skills…Figure out how your skills map to either what that person is doing or what that position is asking for, because you'll find that the similarities are there.” Anna Siefken on Electric Ladies Podcast Read Joan's Forbes articles here. You'll also like: Rachel McCleery, Senior Advisor, Treasury Dept. Inflation Reduction Act Program, on how exactly to leverage the IRA to reduce a building or business's carbon footprint and save money. Vanessa Chan, Ph.D., Chief Commercialization Officer of the Department of Energy and Director of the Office of Technology Transitions, on the Inflation Reduction Act and the transition to clean energy. Polly Trottenberg, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation, on the transportation revolution taking place. Judith Pryor, Vice Chair & First Vice President, Export Import Bank of the U.S., on leveraging exporting and trade for energy, climate and sustainability, as well as economic development. Lisa Jacobson of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy & Tara Narayanan, of Bloomberg NEF on their new Energy Factbook 2024, including the Inflation Reduction Act opportunities. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum. Prior to founding SkyBridge in 2005, Scaramucci co-founded the investment partnership Oscar Capital Management, which was sold to Neuberger Berman in 2001. Earlier, he worked in Private Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs. He served on the Trump administration's 16-person Presidential Transition Team Executive Committee, and in 2017 briefly served as chief strategy officer of the Export-Import Bank and White House communications director. He was also profiled on the February 2023 cover of Real Assets Adviser magazine. (06/2024)

GUEST OVERVIEW: Donna Jackson, who serves as the director of membership development for the Project 21 black leadership network, is a seasoned accountant with public and private sector experience as well as previous forays into politics and ministry. Donna is a sought-after speaker, having testified before Congress and also appearing regularly in the media and at conferences. Donna earned a Bachelor of Accountancy (cum laude) from the California State University San Marcos. She has worked in accounting, auditing and management roles with major companies such as Ernst & Young and Marriott International in the private sector before serving in the public sector as a deputy controller for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. She is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants.

“There are those individual actions that we can take. But if I can work with my community or work inside of my company, or if I can work inside of my house of worship and we can build some community and some action that way, it will have a much bigger impact than anything that I can do as an individual… The communities that they're already a part of, whether they're residential, like in their neighborhoods, or it's the nonprofits that they're a part of, or the places where they have other kinds of communities like religious communities, and start conversations there. What could we do as a community? What could we do as an organization?” Laur Hesse Fisher on Electric Ladies Podcast There are steps each of us can take individually to help avert climate change, but if we can leverage the larger entities we are a part of, then we can have a much larger impact. How? Listen to Laur Hesse Fisher of MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative and TIL Climate podcast, in discussion with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson, explain ways you can leverage the places you already go and people you currently encounter to reach people who might not get the climate message elsewhere.  You'll hear about: Why reaching people outside the climate-tuned bubble is critical. How important the Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment Act & CHIPS and Science Act are to addressing the climate crisis and in an equitable way. How we can leverage the relationships we already have, the local media, and local events to make a bigger difference than we can make on our own. Why voting is so crucial this year – and not for the reasons you might have heard Plus, insightful career advice, such as… “My advice would be, as you're thinking about where you want to go, talk to people about that. So you might not know where you want to go, in which case I recommend informational interviews. Those are great for learning about other people's career paths, what it took for them to get there, what did they learn along the way? I mean, people are really open to having a half an hour conversation.” Laur Hesse Fisher on Electric Ladies Podcast Read Joan's Forbes articles here too. You'll also like: Rachel McCleery, Treasury Dept. Senior Advisor, Inflation Reduction Act Program, on how to benefit from the IRA, including where to find out what it covers Vanessa Chan, Ph.D., Chief Commercialization Officer of the Department of Energy and Director of the Office of Technology Transitions, on the Inflation Reduction Act and the transition to clean energy. Jill Tidman, Executive Director of The Redford Center, environmental storytelling through media, film, series and documentaries. Polly Trottenberg, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation, on the transportation revolution taking place. Judith Pryor, Vice Chair & First Vice President, Export Import Bank of the U.S., on leveraging exporting and trade for energy, climate and sustainability, as well as economic development. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

The GovNavigators skip a guest this week and record a shorter pop up episode to honor the sacrifices of those who have given their lives in defense of the United States. Robert and Adam also review some of their recent adventures and preview an upcoming guest.Show NotesBest Places to Work in Government (full list)WP's Joe Davidson: Social Security, Export-Import Bank among survey's worst federal workplacesSign up for the GovNavigators Public Policy Updates

“We like to break (the tax credits) down by industries and audiences...On the industry side, we have energy efficiency, energy generation, manufacturing, vehicles, fuels, and carbon capture. Now, overlaying all of those are a handful of cross crosscutting bonuses and requirements that can greatly affect, in many cases, increase the amount of the underlying tax credit within those industry driven tax credits. And then we have the audiences who are applicable to these tax credits. Now, the beauty of the IRA is that it is so wide sweeping that almost everybody is eligible for some type of tax credit within the law.” Rachel McLeery on Electric Ladies Podcast There are so many ways to benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment Act and the CHIPS & Science Act, but it can be kind of confusing to know which elements are best for you. How do you find which ones can benefit you? Listen to Rachel McLeery, Senior Advisor at the Department of Treasury, explain where and how to access the benefits of these ground-breaking pieces of legislation in this fascinating discussion with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson.  You'll hear about: How and where to access the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment Act & CHIPS and Science Act – no matter what industry or taxpayer you are, including examples. The impact of these bills on the economy – in energy, climate, sustainability, infrastructure, electric vehicles. The ground-breaking collaboration between Treasury and the Dept. of Energy & Dept of Transportation & the Dept. of the Interior, and the White House. Plus, insightful career advice, such as… “You have to have a little bit of fearlessness at this stage of your career. I think at this point, you know, like Joanie mentioned, you're in the space of your career where you know what you want. You have the ambition, you have the drive, you know how to do it, you have the confidence. But confidence and fearlessness, to me they are two very different things. And in order to take that step, you have to be able to take some risks and you have to assume space that you haven't before.” Rachel McLeery on Electric Ladies Podcast Read Joan's Forbes article about this new report here and more of her articles here too. You'll also like: Vanessa Chan, Ph.D., Chief Commercialization Officer of the Department of Energy and Director of the Office of Technology Transitions, on the Inflation Reduction Act and the transition to clean energy. Polly Trottenberg, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation, on the transportation revolution taking place. Judith Pryor, Vice Chair & First Vice President, Export Import Bank of the U.S., on leveraging exporting and trade for energy, climate and sustainability, as well as economic development. Lisa Jacobson of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy & Tara Narayanan, of Bloomberg NEF on their new Energy Factbook 2024, including the Inflation Reduction Act opportunities. Kristen Sullivan, Deloitte Audit Partner & Head of the firm's Sustainability practice, on the final SEC climate rules Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

GUEST OVERVIEW: Donna Jackson, who serves as the director of membership development for the Project 21 black leadership network, is a seasoned accountant with public and private sector experience as well as previous forays into politics and ministry. Donna is a sought-after speaker, having testified before Congress and also appearing regularly in the media and at conferences. Donna earned a Bachelor of Accountancy (cum laude) from the California State University San Marcos. She has worked in accounting, auditing and management roles with major companies such as Ernst & Young and Marriott International in the private sector before serving in the public sector as a deputy controller for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. She is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants.

Amid escalating global competition and trade cheating, the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of the United States is helping American manufacturers play offense. Owen Herrnstadt, a member of EXIM's Board of Directors, shares how the bank's Make More in America Initiative works in conjunction with President Biden's U.S. supply chain resiliency effort to close financial gaps and support export-oriented projects for American manufacturers.

GUEST HOST: Lembit Opik filling in for Marc Morano.  GUEST OVERVIEW: Donna Jackson, who serves as the director of membership development for the Project 21 black leadership network, is a seasoned accountant with public and private sector experience as well as previous forays into politics and ministry. Donna is a sought-after speaker, having testified before Congress and also appearing regularly in the media and at conferences. Donna earned a Bachelor of Accountancy (cum laude) from the California State University San Marcos. She has worked in accounting, auditing and management roles with major companies such as Ernst & Young and Marriott International in the private sector before serving in the public sector as a deputy controller for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. She is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants.

Financial Support For Exporting, Trade – Judith Pryor, Export Import Bank of U.S. “We help anyone in the United States who wants to sell their good or service overseas through short, medium, and long-term financing tools for international buyers. It's usually medium term and long term. We provide foreign buyers with the ability to purchase U.S. goods and services. So we're debt financiers to buyers of American goods and services. On the flip side of that, and more often with small businesses than not, we provide export credit insurance, which is short term, 30, 60, 90 days to ensure payment of goods received.” Judith Pryor on Electric Ladies Podcast One of the most important lessons from the pandemic economy is that we can collaborate across borders and industries, even with competitors, when it's for mutual benefit. Addressing climate change takes that kind of collaboration too. These deals are risky and complicated, but there's a small government agency that most businesses and entrepreneurs don't know is there to help structure and secure the deal, reducing the risk. It's called the Export Import Bank of the U.S. (EXIM Bank). Listen to this fascinating interview with Vice Chair and First Vice President of the EXIM Bank, Judith Pryor, on Electric Ladies Podcast with host Joan Michelson (live at the EXIM Bank office). You'll hear: How the EXIM Bank works, deals it can help with and how it can secure financing across borders. How EXIM Bank helps bring electricity to rural areas, and helps U.S. manufacturers secure their supply chains. How EXIM Bank earns billions of dollars in revenue on its deals that goes toward paying down the national debt. Particular support EXIM Bank provides for women- and minority-owned businesses doing trade deals. How economic security and international trade support national security. Plus, insightful career advice “I have a couple of quotes that I have written on my blackboard that I use often when I'm speaking publicly. And one of them is, ‘whatever you are, be a good one.' That was Abraham Lincoln said that. So it's, if this is what you've chosen to do, be good at it. Do give your best, give your all.…You're going to have bad days, but try to make them good days ….I have a fortune cookie phrase that ca literally came out of a cookie that I have taped my monitor upstairs that says, listen to yourself more often. I think as a woman, yes, we tend to question ourselves more.” Judith Pryor on Electric Ladies podcast   You'll also want to listen to: (some might be recorded under our previous name, Green Connections Radio) Kristen Sullivan, Deloitte Audit Partner & Head of the firm's Sustainability practice, on the final SEC climate rules Polly Trottenberg, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation, on the transportation revolution taking place. Celinda Lake, Founder/CEO of Lake Research Partners, on women voters, climate and the 2024 election. Suzy Deering, (then) Chief Marketing Officer, Ford – on bringing change to a legacy industry as an outsider. Isabelle Grosmaitre, Founder/CEO of Goodness & Co. climate resilience and ESG consulting firm. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson

In today's episode of the IC-DISC show, Eric Miller from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EX-IM) provides valuable insights into how this 90-year-old institution supports American exporters through strategic financial services. I also learned that EX-IM is one of just two governmental agencies that is an actual profit center. ​ Before joining EX-IM, Eric worked for a privately-held exporter that was a customer of EX-IM. His expertise both inside and outside of EX-IM sheds light on crucial products like export credit insurance, export financing, and financing for foreign buyers. These solutions can alleviate common hurdles inhibiting international trade growth. ​ We also talk through some real-world examples of these various EXIM solutions. This is a must-listen episode for any company doing substantial direct exports.   SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Eric Miller from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) discusses the role of the bank in aiding exporting companies with financial services, operating without costing taxpayers. We delve into how Ex-Im Bank and the Small Business Administration (SBA) offer loan guarantees and insurance to boost companies' borrowing capacity. Eric shares insights into export credit insurance and how Ex-Im Bank's products can help resolve common financial challenges in international transactions. The discussion covers Ex-Im Bank's new domestic project finance product, designed to support projects that have a significant export component. We touch on the requirement for a U.S. majority in product content, aiming to foster manufacturing and job growth in the United States. Eric explains the importance of services, like engineering and architectural services for foreign projects, requiring a U.S. majority for cost. We discuss government resources that can aid businesses in exporting, such as tax incentives and the Gold Key service provided by the U.S. Commercial Services. The episode highlights the STEP grant, a federal program managed by states to support companies with export-related expenses. Eric and I settle the Tex-Mex vs. BBQ debate with an appreciation for both, adding a lighthearted twist to the episode. Contact information for Eric Miller is shared for listeners who wish to connect and further explore export financing options. Contact Details Email (eric.miller@xmexim.gov) Phone Number (713-306-7969) LINKSShow Notes Be a Guest About IC-DISC Alliance About Export-Import Bank of the United States GUEST Eric MillerAbout Eric TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dave: Hi, this is David Spray. Welcome to another episode of the IC Disc Show. My guest today is Eric Miller of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, colloquially known by the acronym of XM. More useful takeaways for privately held exporting companies than any guest I've ever had. We talked about the history of the XM, its purpose and the four service offerings that they have for privately held exporting businesses. We also talked about three other governmental arms that can also be of value. The other interesting thing about Eric is he actually was a customer of XM early in his career when he was a minority owner of an exporting business. So Eric's a really dynamic guy. He's really passionate about serving exporting companies and he really understands what it's like to be in the shoes of their customers. I really recommend you take a listen to this one. It's really valuable hey good morning Eric. Welcome to the podcast. Eric: Thank you, Dave. It's a pleasure to be here. It's an honor. Thank you. Dave: Well, the pleasure is all mine. So where are you connecting from today? What part of the world are you in at the moment? Eric: The great state of Texas. I'm in the Houston area, born and raised in Texas and been all over the world, but this is home. Oh, that's awesome. Dave: In fact, I think you even stayed close for college, right. Eric: I did. I'm a Cougar alumni, so a proud Houston native. Dave: Awesome, so I'm really excited to have you on. You are with the Export Import Bank of the United States, correct? Correct so we also go by XM Bank, sorry. Eric: Yep. Dave: So tell me about XM, tell me about the kind of the history of the organization and why it exists, and then we'll get it. We'll see where the conversation goes. Eric: Yeah, no, it's a good question. I'm biased, of course, working here, but I think it's one of the most fascinating government agencies that exist. We're set up in the executive branch of the federal government. We've been around for 90 years. Most people haven't heard of us. We are small. We've got anywhere between 400 and 500 people as a part of the agency. Most are headquartered in Washington DC, but we do have a dozen regional offices scattered throughout the US and all the major cities. I cover the Houston office and in doing so, I work with exporters in the great state of Texas and help them export more US made products and services. That's really what we're about here at XM Bank is supporting our US companies that are exporting a US made good or service. We're on the finance side of that help. There's other government agencies. Throughout the whole process of a transaction, whether it's finding buyers, whether it's financing a transaction or even getting grant money to help you export. There's other support, but EXIM is specific on the finance piece. Dave: Okay, and so does EXIM. At the end of the day, you know, does this cost taxpayers, you know, billions of dollars to have this thing in place. Eric: Yeah, that's another good question. So you know, we're one of the few agencies historically that have actually built a surplus of money for the taxpayer. In other words, we're using less than we're making and we send money back to Treasury. It changes year to year, but historically, if you look over the past you the past 20, 30 years we're generating a surplus and sending that back to treasury, so costing taxpayers billions of dollars. No, we like to operate a little differently than a government agency. We are an independent government agency, which means we're not inside a cabinet, but we are set up in the executive branch and we like to say we run at the speed of business Internally, we're very efficient, we're very effective and we're very aggressive, trying to reach out to US companies and get them involved in helping them. Dave: Well, that is awesome. I think it sounds like just a win, right. It's a win for the taxpayers. It's actually a profit center, if you will, for the taxpayers. It's good for the exporters, it's good for the country. Am I correct? I think the only other government agency I've ever heard of that's a profit center is like the Patent and Trademark Office. Have you heard that too? Eric: I think you're right. Now, I haven't researched that myself, just in passing and conversations I've heard of the same and there might be one or two others out there. But yeah, it's an unusual feat of a government agency to kind of generate that surplus for a taxpayer and send it back to Treasury. We do charge, you know, fees and that's how the agency itself makes and brings in money. We charge fees for our different products and you know we have products like export credit insurance. To just kind of dive into what we do, yeah, let's do that In export credit insurance to just kind of dive into what we do yeah let's do that In export credit insurance. So let me take a couple steps back. When an exporter engages in international business, when they find a foreign buyer in a country and they say, hey, here's what I sell, whether it's a product or service, there's always a sticking point. If you will product or service, there's always a sticking point if you will in the negotiations, when it comes to money flow. And what I mean by that is the exporter will say, hey, I'll ship my product or I'll do the service, but go ahead and wire me money before I ship it. And then the importer, the buyer there's always a reluctance to say well, I don't want to wire you money, because what if you close your doors? I never hear from you again. So when there's a new relationship and there's a transaction that's trying to occur, money, the movement of money, is always a sticking point. Who sends it first? And exporters lose a lot of deals because of this. I speak to exporters on a daily basis and every week there's at least one that says I wish I would have known about this. It would have helped me with the last negotiation I had with a foreign buyer who said you know, ship me the product on open account and I'll pay you 60 days later. I wasn't comfortable with that as an exporter so I closed the door and lost the deal. So XM gets involved and we say no, go ahead. And you know, if they're asking for credit terms, go ahead and provide that to them and we will back you up on the payment. We will insure that receivable from default. So if something goes wrong and the foreign buyer doesn't pay back the exporter as intended, we will insure it. They put a claim into us. So when I say claim, just like any other insurance policy, right, you're driving a car and you get to an accident, you file a claim. Something goes wrong with the house, you file a claim with the home insurance provider. We're no different. We're an insurance provider on foreign receivables and the government gets involved in this space because you know, david, look at the trade deficit. Last year we're nearing a trillion dollars. Most years, from year to year in the last 10 years, it's getting worse and worse. So what I mean by that is we're bringing in way more than we're sending out, and what we have found through our research as a government agency is the number one reason more US companies are not sending more product abroad is the number one reason is fear. They are fearful of what that process looks like and the government gets involved. Then we say let's take away that fear. We'll put the risk on our shoulders as it relates to credit insurance. Go ahead and give your foreign buyer terms or open account. We'll shoulder the risk and if they don't pay you, we'll pay you. And we want to help the trade deficit. We want to as a government agency. We want to stimulate US manufacturing. We want to create jobs through exports. That's really what the mission is here at Ex-Im Bank. Dave: Okay, yeah, no, that's really good. And do you specifically underwrite each customer? You know each foreign customer, or is there just you guys? Just use some general parameters. Eric: Yeah, no, it's a good question, like what does that process look like? So we have four different credit insurance policies. We can do everything from hey, we'll underwrite every buyer if you're not comfortable with it. Or hey, we'll give you a policy where you can do your own underwriting according to our credit standards but give you that autonomy inside your company to do it without coming to us every time there's a buyer. So there's different approaches. Most exporters like the autonomy because they can approve a credit right then and there, rather than sending us the paperwork and then us process it and then get back to them. So it just depends on timeline. But yeah, we can do either. Dave: And does the policy insure 100% of the invoice or is there a co-insurance piece where your customer is taking some of the risk? Eric: So the coverage will be anywhere from 90 or 95%, depending on which policy. Most of them are in that 95% range, but some of them are in the 90. Okay, they have the option. Dave: Yeah. So it's enough that as long as the company's got decent margins right, if their margin's greater than 5% or 10%, then their risk is just if a deal goes bad. They didn't make any money on that deal. Eric: That's a fair way of looking at it? Dave: Yep, but they have enough skin in the game that they do want to make a profit on that transaction. They want to all that trouble. So they have a motivation to not, you know, sell to people who you know they have serious concerns about their ethics or integrity or ability to pay. Eric: Exactly, and that's really what it's all about. Hey, I've got a new relationship and you know, name a country. They're asking for open account. And open account, you know, most people are comfortable with that in the US. They have a recourse in mind. Hey, if I don't pay, here's the process where I can recoup. But that all goes away when you send it to a foreign country. Like you know, how do I even get my money if I don't? I'm dealing with a different legal environment, political currency, culture, I mean. The list goes on and on. So that's where, wherein lies the fear for the exporter. And there's government agencies, both local, state and federal, all of them. We want to surround the exporter, prop them up, take away the fear, shoulder the risk and get them comfortable in international business. Dave: Okay, so you may mention the one person you were talking to that said they wish they'd known about XM because they kind of lost this deal. Do you have another case study, if you will, or example and obviously you don't have to mention the specific company by name where everything did work out kind of a success story, where maybe they were not exporting much but with this credit insurance it really helped them materially increase their sales? Do you have any examples like that, just to help people further understand? Eric: Oh yeah, we have a whole list of resources on our website. There's a section dedicated to success stories of all the different companies and we like to diversify the industry and the product and we've got you name it and it's probably up there. One that just immediately comes to mind is a company and they've been kind of a strong advocate of Ex-Im Bank. They're called BuzzBalls and it's alcohol manufactured here in Texas in the Dallas area, and they were very successful domestically. I mean, you can find these little alcohol glasses basically in any kind of retail store in the US. But as they looked abroad they wanted to de-risk a lot of their open account with distributors and really I think the last I heard they either doubled or tripled the revenue by focusing on foreign buyers, distributing it to the distributors, the foreign distributors giving them credit to pay and Ex-Im Bank insuring the risk. I mean, it's just one interesting example that you know, if little cups of alcohol can move abroad, mostly anything can. Dave: Oh, that's great, I love that and thank you for that. Thank you for that example. So now let's say that a company is contemplating exporting and let's say they have this large potential order you know large for them, you say it's a $5 million company annual revenues and suddenly they have this pay for the materials from their supplier and they maybe don't have enough working capital to do that and maybe they're in a spot where you know a traditional bank loan or line of credit. They're maybe, just maybe what you'd call not bankable. What happens then? Does the whole process just fall apart? You know they've got the credit insurance but they don't have the cash to buy the goods. What happens then? Eric: Yeah, that's really the second big problem in international trade. So the US banking system in general is challenging to help US companies fill export orders, and what I mean by that is, in your example, a $5 million revenue company. It can even be bigger than that, it could be 20, 30, 40. The problem with a lot of US companies is when their foreign sales start to get significant and they go to the bank and say, hey, I need a line of credit, not just for my domestic business, I need it for my international too. There becomes a problem in the banking system. There's this view that it's high risk and, as bankers tend to be more conservative and shy away from risk, so most times US companies have problems getting the money they need to fill these export purchase orders. So government gets involved, Ex-Im gets involved and SBA also has a product similar to the Ex-Im bank. It varies according to the banker who wants to use the product, but the idea behind it is we become a guarantor of repayment to the lender. So in your example, $5 million a year company, $2 million foreign sale that we're going to insure they walk that over to the bank and they say, hey, I got insurance on the receivable. Great, it's a $2 million deal. Now I need a million bucks or whatever as a line of credit to build all this stuff or go out and buy it. The bank will say, okay, where's it going? Oh, it's leaving the country. I can't help you. But when you come back with a US purchase order, then we can get serious in our talks. The company is stranded and they can't get the money, the capital they need to fill these orders with working capital. So we get involved and we say, hey, if they're presenting financial statements and the financial statements merit the ability to borrow what they're asking for a million, whatever it is and you're only saying no because it's an export, go ahead and give them the money that they need that they're asking for again, as long as it meets the credit standards, and we'll co-sign, we become a repayment guarantor to that line of credit so they can have access to the money that they need to fill these foreign buyer purchase orders. Guarantees and insurance is really kind of what we're about here at Ex-Im Bank to enable this cross-border trade. On the finance piece, Now, with that line of credit that we guarantee, they could also use it to issue bid bonds or performance bonds or standby letters of credit. Because another problem in our banking system is when a exporter bids on a foreign tender, that tender sometimes will say hey, if you want to bid on this, you got to put up a performance bond or a bid bond and that kind of weeds out the non-serious suppliers versus the serious. And when they want to supply that bid bond and they go to the bank, put the equivalent amount of cash in your account, I'll escrow it and then issue the bond. And then the exporter you know has this confused look. And well, I don't want to pay for my own deal and block my own cash. So under the XM line of credit you can actually use borrowed money to issue those bid bonds, performance bonds, standby LCs at a reduced cash collateral, so you're not tying up your cash. Dave: Interesting. Eric: And what's the? Dave: typical I think the term like if you're factoring an invoice, it's called. I think it's called like the advance rate, like what percentage you could borrow, like on the you know the purchase order or the invoice that you create. What's that percentage? You know, through the XM financing. Eric: So we put it into two categories pre-export and post-export. Okay, pre-export is the working capital right, the inventory, work in process, finished goods. So under that you could borrow a 75% advance rate. Then post-export, once it becomes a receivable, you could borrow 90. So it's pretty generous advance rates and typically it helps exporters fill these purchase orders much easier if we weren't involved. Dave: Yeah, Cause I think I was a CFO of a company many years ago and we were growing rapidly and we're using factoring and the. It seems like the advance rate we were able to get on the factoring for domestic sales, let alone international, was only like 70 or 80%. So, and even I think I'm told that even if a company has a line of credit that they're backing with inventory and domestic receivables, that still a typical kind of advance rate is really only like I think, about 80. And so you're talking about an even higher, if I'm using the correct term, than what a traditional bank would provide to a traditional bankable customer for a domestic sale. Is that accurate, based on your knowledge? Eric: Yeah, very accurate. And sometimes you know I go back to the example of US banks don't like export orders, and they don't. Sometimes they will give an advantage. They've got a traditional line of credit set up for domestic. They may say we'll let you borrow 10, 20, 30% advance rate on the export stuff. With our guarantee we can expand that to 75, up to 90. So it could be that we expand the borrowing base or just let alone get them access to it for export orders, with our guarantee. Dave: Okay, yeah, this is really valuable and I can't wait to get the word out to our contacts. So, on the working capital piece so how does that work then? Is the process that they call up their bank and say, hey, do you guys do anything with XM and they just work purely through their banker? Or do they call you up and say, hey, we need some working capital? We don't really have a big banking relationship. Can you recommend somebody? Help me understand the logistics? Eric: of it, Absolutely. Yeah, it's a good question. We recommend starting with us. It's very easy to get lost in the banking system and trying to figure out who to talk to about getting the setup. A lot of time exporters will speak to their local relationship manager and they start talking about XM working capital and they're like you know who's XM? I don't, I don't even know what you're talking about. Slow down, so it's more efficient to start with us and if they're working with a bank that is in our lender network, we can go directly to the right person and connect them with the exporter to have those conversations. If they're working with a lender that is not inside our our network, we can still locate a lender to set up kind of a XM specific line of credit if that's something they want to pursue. Dave: Okay. Eric: Okay. Dave: Now this is really valuable. Does the bank have any other service lines besides the foreign receivables insurance and the working capital? Eric: We've got a couple others. One of them is called foreign buyer finance. Okay, this is a real interesting one. This is when a US company is selling capital equipment to a foreign buyer and when that capital equipment quotation gets to the foreign buyer, what we see often is they'll go to their bank. In some of these emerging markets, developing countries, the buyer will go to the bank and say, ok, you know, I got a quotation for, let's say, you know, john Deere equipment, ag equipment or Caterpillar, construction equipment or mining equipment, whatever. They go to their bank and they say I need to borrow to pay the US company for the equipment. And when they get a term sheet from their local bank, if you're familiar with international business and international finance, the cost can be much higher than what we're used to paying in the US as far as cost of capital Cost of capital I've seen even triple and quadruple in some of these developing markets. And then the buyer the deal falls to the wayside because the buyer can't afford to pay the bank all this cost associated with the capital. So in situations like that and kind of high cost capital markets, we can get involved and find a lender, as long as we've got good audited financial statements and they meet credit standards, we can find a lender to give that foreign buyer a term loan, a three to seven year term loan, of which we guarantee repayment of to the lender, to buy that US made capital equipment. So, in simple terms, we can finance a foreign buyer when the foreign buyer is buying US made equipment, and what we have found is the US companies that really know this product inside and out use that as a competitive advantage. They're saying, hey, sure, on one hand, here's my quotation for the equipment and on the other hand, I can get you finance if you need it. And I can get you finance if you need it. And the companies that do that well, I mean their sales shoot through the roof because now they become this finance facilitator for foreign buyers to access cheaper capital, which we've even seen companies where maybe they're 10% higher on the bid than some of the other countries, but they're saving them 15% on the finance. Dave: Yeah, I can see that. Yeah, I can see that that's really clever. I was familiar with the first two pieces, but I really was not familiar with that. I mean, yeah, that's a real competitive advantage. I mean it makes you wonder how a company in I don't know pick your country, brazil, that you know is trying to compete Like how do they compete when they can't? I'm guessing that they probably don't have the same type of capability to offer you know these, you know more attractive financing rates. Eric: So, yeah, that's a great point XM Bank we're also referred as an export credit agency, eca. So every developed country in the world has the equivalent of us. Out of, let's say, roughly 200 countries, there's 120 of us representing the nation of each country. So what we know is, as it relates to international business, there are, you know, foreign. When there's foreign competition in the tender, sometimes that foreign competition knows about their local ECA also. Right, so they could be offering the same thing. Hey, I can get you, you know, finance through my local ECA. You know name, a country, country. So we want companies in the US to be aware of how we can help them and support them, just like other member countries of partner ECAs do, because it's a competitive advantage and if they're not aware of it, it's a loss really for the exporter. And I mentioned four products. So we went over export credit insurance, the working capital getting the foreign buyer a loan, and then the fourth one. It came out about a year and a half ago. It's a new product that we're super excited about and it's really domestic project finance where there's an export nexus. And what I mean by that, david, is let's take an industry, let's take LNG. When an LNG liquid natural gas. When liquid natural gas projects in wherever let's call it Texas, when they go live and you've got a solid entity set up for the purpose of building an LNG plant maybe there's corporate shareholders, maybe there's individual shareholders, whatever it may be when banks take a look at this and they see that it's a domestic project finance structure meaning the off of any kind of contract will repay the loan Bankers don't like that. Bankers don't like project finance. If we look at a project where there's an export nexus and what we define as an export nexus is 25% of the sales will be exported we could potentially be a lender or a loan guarantor to that domestic project as long as there's going to be 25% foreign sales, and we could go down to 15% if it's a small business, so we can involve oh, that's really cool. Dave: Yeah, because I mentioned the bank is going to say, yeah, it sounds like a great opportunity. Go find some investors to fund this and then, once you start exporting the LNG, give us a call. We'll give you some working capital and you'll work with XM to ensure the receivables, but until then, hey, it's on you. Eric: That's it. That's the problem. That's where a lot of these projects get stuck in the banking system as it relates to traditional banking. They can't get the money they need to lift this project up, and it could be a great project, but yeah, banks like to see history right. I want to see your balance sheet income statement, cash flow last three years. Let me underwrite it Well, there is none. It's a new project and we're building it. Well, we can't help you Go find some investors, and that's typically the conversations. So, instead of these deals disappearing, as long as there is solid offtake agreements, we can look at that, potentially to repay the loan, and we do that on the foreign buyer side too. Dave: Yeah, and to be fair to the bankers I know many bankers and have great relationships If a bank is paying 5% for a deposit and they're lending it out at, say, 8%, by the time they pay their fees and stuff they really don't have a lot of margin left. So you know they have an imputed default rate. You know that they can tolerate of like half a percent, right, maybe 1%, right. I mean, that's just their model. Eric: Margins are thin, you're right. Dave: Yeah, and they're probably even I'm guessing even prohibited from saying okay, yeah, we'll finance this deal for you, but this is high risk. So instead of a 7% loan, it's gonna be 30%. I mean, the banks probably aren't even allowed to do. There's probably usury laws or something. Am I correct in that? Eric: Yeah, yeah. So they would definitely view the risk differently as a domestic project finance. But I would say, even more so, the regulatory issues involving domestic project finance probably prohibit the lenders from doing that. Dave: Even oh yeah, yeah, that's right. I never thought about that. Eric: There's definitely some challenges in that space. I never thought about that. There's definitely some challenges in that space. Dave: Yeah, that makes sense because really, from a holistic perspective, you would say hey, bank, this isn't your sweet spot. This is like venture capital, risk capital. Let them find a lender, like a hard asset lender, that'll charge a much higher rate, or let them raise equity capital to finance this. This isn't what you're designed for, mr First National Bank, Exactly. Eric: Okay. Dave: What are some of the limits, minimum maximums for these different products? Let's start with the credit insurance. Is there a minimum size that you all have insurance? Is there a minimum size like that you all have? I mean, I'm guessing if somebody has a hundred dollar foreign receivable that they want to insure, probably doesn't really make sense for everybody. So is there a minimum size? Is it a hard minimum or kind of a soft minimum? Eric: Yeah, that's a great question. So we don't have a minimum per se, documented minimum, but yeah, it's got to make sense right To go through the process. So I mean, we've insured receivables as low as a couple thousand bucks, so that's for credit insurance. For working capital we also don't have a minimum, but that's set by the lender. So we say hey, as long as the lender will do the loan, we'll take a look at the guarantee and most lenders that we have spoken to we probably would say that the minimum with most lenders is around a half a million for a working capital line of credit. And then on the foreign buyer side, again it's got to make sense to the lender. We don't have a minimum. Most lenders, I would say the minimum I've seen where a US lender would give a loan to a foreign buyer is also around a half a million. Maximum, no maximum, but anything above 25 million has to go to our board. The largest we did in the bank's history was in Mozambique, for an LNG facility was 5 billion. Oh wow. Dave: And then are there limits on the working capital and credit insurance, similar limits that require board approval. Eric: Anything above 25. Yep, it's the same 25 number, correct, which it's. You know it's not prohibitive, it just adds another layer to the process. Yeah. Dave: And even again, even if XM wasn't involved, I know a lot of banks, just you know, when loans get above a certain amount they want to syndicate them with other banks, just for their own risk. And I think a lot of times those syndication amounts for a medium-sized bank will start in that 10 to $25 million, as I understand it. And then what about the domestic projects that have 25% export expectations, any minimum or maximums there that you've seen? Eric: So I would say there's no hard set minimum, but the soft minimum I'm seeing is probably 5 million plus and the reason for that is the SBA, the Small Business Administration, also a federal government agency. They have similar products that go up to five, so this will take it past five and we don't want to compete with another government agency. They have similar products that go up to five, so this will take it past five and we don't want to compete with another government agency, so it's five below. Sba might be a better fit. Five above we're probably the only game in town. Okay, zero to five, taking some notes on this Five plus. Dave: You know, one of the other interesting things is we've had this conversation that if you think people have never heard of XM, they're even, I think, less likely to have heard of the ICDISC program. You know we specialize and what's interesting is how is the number of parallels? I mean, the thing that I can't, you know that blows me away is how logical everything is with XM. Like you know, there's a, you know there's a perhaps a belief that some government programs, agencies that there's no real logic to it. It was just it was some negotiation in Congress and they had just some arbitrary rules. But you know, as I kind of look at these, they just all seems very logical, right? And you know, like you know, above a certain amount you need board approval Again, just like in a bank, right, when they're doing a $25 million loan, it's probably got to go to a loan review committee or something. But the other thing is there's some similarities between XM and the ICDISC and one of them is the 51% US content. Can you explain how that works with XM, because I think it's pretty much the same as ICDISC. Eric: To my knowledge it is also yeah. So it goes back to really the mission right Creating jobs through US exports, and we want to stimulate US manufacturing. So we can't support a trade where you know Houston companies buying from China and sending it down to you know name a country in South America. There's no value add for the country. So Congress basically put a policy to the agency that says anything that we support has to be greater than 50% US content. So another way of saying it's just 51%. Right, majority of the product has to be US content, and the way that we calculate that is we look at the cost. So if they're selling a widget that they sell for $100, but it costs $70, we're going to look at the $70 and say $30 of that, 70 needs to be US content. So that's really we look at the cost and the majority of the cost needs to be US made, whether it's product. Dave: Or another way of saying it is no more than $36 foreign cost Yep, that makes sense. Eric: And if it's a service, by the way, sometimes we get these service questions, by the way, because sometimes we get these service questions where, hey, you know, I'm an engineering company designing, you know, a refinery plant for a foreign buyer. How do I look at that as far as US content? So what we do is we say, okay, start with your invoice. Right, whatever you're billing out, if it says engineering services or CAD drawings or whatever, take that and then look at the cost and greater than 50% needs to be US citizens or green card holders as part of that cost for services. So we basically look at the citizenship of the provider for evaluating US content and the cost. Dave: Yeah, and that's somewhat similar to the ICDISC really only includes two types of services that are eligible engineering services and architectural services for foreign construction projects or services that are an integral part of the sale. You know, like if you sell a product for a million dollars and there's a $200,000 installation service, as long as that's an integral part of the, you know the project that qualifies, you know that service does. But yeah, that's interesting. So let's say somebody says hey, you know, eric, I really like the sound of this and I'd like to talk to you. But you know, I just feel like you know, you're probably a lifelong government employee. You probably want to work right out of college. You don't know what it's like to sit in my shoes. You don't know what it's like to have been on the private side. You know having these foreign customers. What would you say to them? Eric: Yeah, so being a government employee is new to me also, yeah, so after college I started at a company and worked there for a decade, grew into sweat equity. I was a part minority shareholder and I was a customer of Ex-Im Bank for 10 years. Yeah, we were a company that exported capital equipment all over the world, but with a concentration in Sub-Saharan Africa. Okay, and we grew rapidly with the help of Ex-Im Bank. We used all the products of credit insurance, the working capital, getting the foreign buyer a loan and that really became a competitive advantage to the company. Because we looked at ourselves saying, hey, we're an equipment supplier, but so is the other hundreds of companies around, if not thousands of companies. How do we make ourselves different? And the finance became very important to that conversation, because you can Google, search equipment companies in the US and you're going through thousands of pages trying to find an equipment supplier. But not everybody is saying, hey, we have financial solutions too. If you need them, we can get you a loan. We can sell to you an open account with our insurance. We can get the capital we need to fill these export purchase orders. We can get the line of credit that we need to send bid bonds and performance bonds to some of these large tenders. So, going back to your question, I've been at Exxon for seven years, but the majority of my career was in the private sector and being a minority shareholder of a company that used the bank that I work for now to grow a small business. Dave: What a great story, like it would seem like you have the perfect background for your role I mean, you're actually a customer for your role. I mean you're actually a customer. So the private companies that you're trying to help you really do understand what it's like to be in their shoes. Eric: I think most employees that work here at ExxonMobil found we're very service oriented. We like to help. We like to help. It's fun for us to help. It's fun for me to help. The best part of my day is meeting small business exporters, helping them become aware of all the resources that are available to them to become more competitive and grow, like we did when I was with that company. Dave: Yeah, it's just amazing how similar our days are. That's also the favorite part of my job is when I get a phone call from somebody and they say hey, you know, bob said I should call you. You know we're. Our exports have really grown a lot, and there's this thing called ICDISC and you know, tell us about it, are we the right fit? And it's great to be able to help them. Oh, I was just going to ask you something. Oh, what about indirect exports? Do they qualify under an indirect export? Eric: Great question, yeah, so under the working capital it does. So if you have an exporter that's selling to you know name a major company, let's say a major oil and gas company who in turn is exporting that out, we call that an indirect export. That does qualify them to get the capital they need to fill that order. Dave: Yep, Another parallel with the IC disk. The IC disk is the same way. Yeah, Most of our clients are actually indirect exporters. So some of the products would not be as beneficial, you know, like the credit insurance, for example, because they don't have any foreign receivables. But you know, they don't have any foreign receivables, but they still may have use for some of the other products. Okay, so I've got just a couple more questions. Eric: Well, first off, is there anything we didn't cover that you wish I had? I would say there's other government resources that every exporter should know. Dave: Okay, what are those? Eric: Yeah, so one of them is the US Commercial Services. They're a part of the Department of Commerce and they've got an office in every major city in the US. I think there's a hundred, if I remember right, a hundred US Commercial Service offices scattered throughout the US. If you're in Houston, there's one in Houston. Great folks, we work with them closely. They've got some really good products as well for exporters. One of them is called the Gold Key, and the Gold Key it basically connects buyer and seller. So once the agency understands the company, they met with them. They understand the company, they understand what they're selling. They have to be what's called export ready. So an existing business that's already selling, let's say they're successful here domestically and they want to export. You know, let's say that to the, to our closest neighbors, first Canada and Mexico. But they're like hey, I don't, how do I even do that? How do I find a buyer, how do I find a distributor in these countries? That's really the first step in kind of the. The maze of exporting is first you got, you have to have a buyer. We're kind of second to that right. Once you have a buyer, then it's money talks and then we get involved. But even before us. The commercial services can get involved and under the gold key they can find distributors, partners, buyers in foreign markets. Wow, yeah, under the gold key. So they basically, once they understand the business, they work with the embassy in that country and say, hey, I've got, you know, bob, here's his company, been around for 10 years, successful in the U? S, but they want to start with Mexico. And can you find them buyers, can you find them distributors? And they try to play matchmaker. So they generate a list and they recommend going to the country that you want to export to shake hands, stare them in the face, sit down with them physically, because that's another important thing in international business you can't just stay behind the phone or email. You really have to go to these places. Dave: Wow, so that's amazing. Now the bad news, Eric, is you and XM may have just dropped to number two as far as my favorite government agency. I mean, depending on where a company is, that might be even more valuable, right? Because without the customers, they don't even need the other products of XM. That's really cruel. Eric: That's right yeah. I mean they need a buyer before they come to XM. They need a foreign buyer and commercial services can help with that. Dave: So be careful. You're about to list some other agencies and may further knock you down on the priority list, so be careful there. Eric: That's OK, we're here to help. So you know. Another problem with small businesses you know I'm selling domestically. You know successful I'm selling domestically. You know I'm successful. Maybe I'm running on thin margins. I don't have the capital that I need to go into all these countries and spend all this money and cross my fingers that I get business. And I just don't want to spend that kind of money and risk that kind of money because I need to keep my lights on and pay employees first. So there's something called the STEP grant S-T-E-P grant. Dave: STEP grant. Eric: It stands for statewide trade export promotion, so most states participate in it. It's federal money given to the states who in turn give grant money to companies who are looking to export, and they can use that grant money for travel you know, hotel, stay, airfare. They want to do website translation on their website from you know English to Mandarin and Spanish to. You know capture half the world. They want to. You know create design, create print flyers. You know any kind of marketing collateral that will aid them in promoting their company to foreign buyers. This is a reimbursable grant, which means you apply for it. You can say, hey, I want to go to Mexico, my airfare is going to cost this, my hotel is going to cost this, conference in Mexico is going to cost this, and all together it's going to be $10,000. So you apply for it and then, once approved, you can get up to 75% of that back. Dave: So you have to actually spend the money. Eric: First you got to spend. That's the key thing there. You got to spend the money, but you got to get it approved. Once it's approved, then you spend the money and then you come back and give them your receipts. Dave: Wow, that's pretty cool. Does that fall under one of the federal agencies? Is that kind of the ultimate umbrella, or is it really more of a state by state program? Eric: In Texas the Department of Ag is administering the fund and I think it does vary state by state on who holds the money and approves it and disperses the money, and I may be wrong, but I think it goes up to $10,000. It's either $7,500 or $10,000 max amount that can be approved. Okay, you can apply every year. Some companies do that. Okay, and what else? Are there some other? The SBA, small Business Administration Sure, most people know them for domestic business, but they also have an export arm called the OIT, which is Office of International Trade. So they have export finance products just like we do. They're not competitive to one another. They're slightly different in various aspects. They can get you working capital, usually for smaller loans, or they can get you something called an international trade loan and what that is used for is like, hey, I need to buy some capital equipment to go into my factory and it's going to cost a million bucks and it's going to generate export sales, that kind of finance structure. Dave: Is the structure kind of the same, or does the borrower have to put up a bigger percentage? Or do you know? Eric: For the international trade loan. I think it's similar. They guarantee the lender just like we guarantee the lender. The international trade loan I think it's similar. They guarantee the lender just like we guarantee the lender and lenders. You know, we like to say the lender makes the decision because our guarantees are slightly different than one another. So some lenders will say, hey, I'm more comfortable with XM, or hey, I'm more comfortable with the SBA, or hey, this is above $5 million. The only one you could do is XM Bank. So it's really up to the lender to evaluate the guarantee and what fits them best. Dave: Well, that is awesome. Any other government agencies that you tend to work with regularly those are the big ones. Eric: They'll always be in the same circles the SBA, the commercial services, and ourselves in the same circles, promoting as much as we can to our communities. Dave: That's awesome. Well, this has been so informative. I really appreciate the time. I just have two more questions, and they're really kind of fun ones, okay. So the first one is if you could go back in time and give advice to yourself, like right, when you were graduating college, what advice might you give to yourself? You know, with the benefit of hindsight, you know, if you kind of go back in time. Eric: What advice might you? Dave: give to yourself. You know, with the benefit of hindsight, you know if you kind of go back in time what advice might you give to yourself, you know? Things to do instead, or do sooner, or what comes to mind. Eric: That's a really good question, you know, going back in time, I would say, for the company that I worked for and some of the things that I don't like to say did wrong. But if we could repeat it and how we would do it differently. When the business grows and we grew fast our operational costs also grew fast and I think if we were better controlling the operational cost when there was a dip in revenue, there wouldn't be so much growing pains or slowing pains. I think getting a better grasp operationally on a business when it's going through the growth phase is key to its long-term success, because a business is not always going to accelerate up. There's going to be peaks and valleys and as long as you manage the operational cost of the company, it can get through. You know look at COVID right Nobody predicted that how many businesses went through all kinds of painful experiences. So that, going back in time, just from a business standpoint, I think that would have been super helpful in our judgment and assessment of looking towards the future. Dave: Okay, I really like that. Well, we just have one left, and this one's even more fun. Don't think about this, I just want. It's kind of a snap answer. Okay, so you're a native Texan, right Native Houstonian, tex-mex or barbecue. Eric: Oh, I got to go with Tex-Mex. I love barbecue, barbecue. Oh, I gotta go with tex-mex. I love barbecue, but you know the chips and queso and salsa and guacamole. Dave: I don't think everything competes with that. Yeah, I, I asked this question of all my guests and and I had two answers that were interesting. One answer was if it's, if I know that the food is going to be average, I, I absolutely would take the Tex-Mex, because Tex-Mex has more tolerance for averageness. Ok, they said. But if it's going to be world class, then they would take the barbecue. But they don't want mediocre, tough, dried out brisket. Ok, so I'm like, well, that's a good one. And then I had a guest telling me about I forget the name of the place, but it was a place that had like brisket tacos or brisket enchiladas, and they basically said both, they'll take both. Eric: There you go. I like that. Dave: Yeah, I am with you. If people want to get ahold of you, what's the best way to reach out? I know you're on LinkedIn. Are you very active on LinkedIn? Eric: Not super active on LinkedIn, but I'm very accessible Cell phone, email, office phone. You can always get ahold of me. Dave: What's the email address? Eric: So ericmiller M-I-L--LE-R X-M-E-X-I-Mgov gov. Dave: So eric.miller@xmexim.gov and if they want to just call you, what's the best number to reach you? Eric: at 713-306-7969 awesome. Dave: well, thank you so much for taking the time to come on here. This may be the most information dense episode I've ever done for an exporter. Usually it seems like we've got one or two good nuggets, but we may have a dozen takeaways, so thank you so much for making time out of your day and this has really been fun. And don't be surprised when this goes live if you don't have a few folks reaching out to you. Eric: I look forward to it. Thanks for having me. It's been an honor. Special Guest: Eric Miller.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States is considering pouring billions of dollars into two massive foreign gas projects, which could put the independent federal agency at odds with the Biden administration's climate agenda and pledge to transition off fossil fuels. POLITICO's Zack Colman breaks down how Biden officials are responding and the awkward reality they face with independent federal agencies. Plus, a second federal judge has ruled that the Transportation Department overstepped when it issued a rule requiring states to measure on-road greenhouse gas emissions and set reduction targets.   For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro:  https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy   Catherine Morehouse is an energy reporter for POLITICO.  Zack Colman covers climate change for POLITICO.  Nirmal Mulaikal is a POLITICO audio host-producer.  Annie Rees is a senior audio producer-host at POLITICO.  Gloria Gonzalez is the deputy energy editor for POLITICO.  Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO.

GUEST 1 OVERVIEW: Donna Jackson, who serves as the director of membership development for the Project 21 black leadership network, is a seasoned accountant with public and private sector experience as well as previous forays into politics and ministry. Donna is a sought-after speaker, having testified before Congress and also appearing regularly in the media and at conferences. Donna earned a Bachelor of Accountancy (cum laude) from the California State University San Marcos. She has worked in accounting, auditing and management roles with major companies such as Ernst & Young and Marriott International in the private sector before serving in the public sector as a deputy controller for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. She is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants. GUEST 2 OVERVIEW: David Bell is a public health and internal physician, with a PhD in population health. He has worked in international public health for over 25 years. This has included positions as a medical officer at the World Health Organization, Program Head at the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics in Geneva, and Director of Global Health Technologies at Global Good Fund near Seattle, USA. He currently consults in biotech and global health, and is a senior scholar at the Brownstone Institute. https://brownstone.org/author/david-bell/

GUEST OVERVIEW: Donna Jackson, who serves as the director of membership development for the Project 21 black leadership network, is a seasoned accountant with public and private sector experience as well as previous forays into politics and ministry. Donna is a sought-after speaker, having testified before Congress and also appearing regularly in the media and at conferences. Donna earned a Bachelor of Accountancy (cum laude) from the California State University San Marcos. She has worked in accounting, auditing and management roles with major companies such as Ernst & Young and Marriott International in the private sector before serving in the public sector as a deputy controller for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. 

On today's show, Donna will address Biden's border policies and how they are affecting the black community. GUEST OVERVIEW: Donna Jackson, who serves as the director of membership development for the Project 21 black leadership network, is a seasoned accountant with public and private sector experience as well as previous forays into politics and ministry. Donna is a sought-after speaker, having testified before Congress and also appearing regularly in the media and at conferences. Donna earned a Bachelor of Accountancy (cum laude) from the California State University San Marcos. She has worked in accounting, auditing and management roles with major companies such as Ernst & Young and Marriott International in the private sector before serving in the public sector as a deputy controller for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. She is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants. https://www.nationalcenter.org  

GUEST OVERVIEW: Donna Jackson, who serves as the director of membership development for the Project 21 black leadership network, is a seasoned accountant with public and private sector experience as well as previous forays into politics and ministry. Donna is a sought-after speaker, having testified before Congress and also appearing regularly in the media and at conferences. Donna earned a Bachelor of Accountancy (cum laude) from the California State University San Marcos. She has worked in accounting, auditing and management roles with major companies such as Ernst & Young and Marriott International in the private sector before serving in the public sector as a deputy controller for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. She is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants.

ExIm Bank has the mandate to help US exporters and special set-asides that may benefit small companies. Listen for details on Two Minutes in Trade. 

Today, we welcome back friend of the show, Donna Jackson. Mark and Donna talk all things electric cars - tune in to listen. https://nationalcenter.org/ncppr/staff/donna-jackson-2/ Donna Jackson, a Project 21 member who serves as the program's director of membership development, is a seasoned accountant with public and private sector experience as well as previous forays into politics and ministry. Donna earned a Bachelor of Accountancy (cum laude) from the California State University San Marcos. She has worked in accounting, auditing and management roles with major companies such as Ernst & Young and Marriott International in the private sector before serving in the public sector as a deputy controller for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. She is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants. Prior to her career in accounting, Donna was a political operative in the state of Arkansas. She worked on the successful campaigns of Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Tim Hutchinson and Representative (now Governor) Asa Hutchinson. She was active in campaign recruiting and communications. She played a vital role during the Huckabee governorship in recruiting black candidates for executive-appointed boards and commissions in addition to helping create job-training programs at a local community college and the Arkansas Office of Workforce Development. She is a former board member of the Little Rock Minority Disability Advisory Network and a former member of the Crittenden County (Arkansas) Workforce Development Planning Committee. She was also a contributor to the Ernst & Young Diversity Think Tank. Donna originally sought a role in the church. She is a former divinity graduate of Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee. It was there that she was taught the gift of administration as a vital part of the Christian ministry. Donna is a firm believer in free markets and entrepreneurship, rather than government, as a means of lifting people out of poverty.

Fred Hochberg, Fmr. Chairman & President of the Export–Import Bank of the United States and author of Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word: How Six Everyday Products Make the Case for Trade, joins the Inside Economics team to discuss all things related to global trade. The discussion takes up the U.S.-China relationship, the future of globalization, and how trade policy may change after the 2024 election. Marisa's visit to Disneyland is a (largely irrelevant but entertaining) theme throughout. For more information on Fred Hochberg and his book click hereFollow Mark Zandi @MarkZandi, Cris deRitis @MiddleWayEcon, and Marisa DiNatale on LinkedIn for additional insight.