State looks to expand outreach

By Brad Shannon | The Olympian • Published May 04, 2008

Owen, a Democrat, sees potential in places such as Israel, Turkey, and even Kenya and Uganda.

Reed said he has no plans for foreign travel this year, with an election to oversee, but says he might go back to India next year, where he's seen success.

Retiring state agriculture director Valoria Loveland says she hasn't talked to Gregoire about it yet, but her agency might suggest Russia as a next trip to tackle trade barriers.

Gregoire said she's likely to go to Canada in June, crediting past work with Canada for the state's new enhanced driver's license agreement that lets motorists prove citizenship and cross the border without a passport. But she also has an eye on the Paris Air Show in 2009 to advocate for Washington's growing number of aerospace suppliers, as well as China, both assuming she's re-elected.

Costs of expansion

Besides advocating for missions, Reed says the state Department of Community Trade and Economic Development could do more good if it received more funding from the Legislature. That could be used to help with export promotion and to keep track of the successes of missions led by him, Owen and Gregoire, he said.

"In the 21st century, Washington's future is international trade — period," Reed said.

Mark Calhoon, managing director for the international trade unit at CTED, said Washington's expenditures on trade-promotion activities are roughly equal to the average of what other states do, based upon a national survey by state trade offices. He said his office's budget is $2 million to $2.5 million a year, and Loveland said her office spends $985,000. Those costs include their agencies' shares of trade mission costs and the cost for operating trade offices overseas.

By contrast, Pennsylvania spends close to $20 million, Calhoon said. "You could argue that even though we are average, we could be looking at more resources, because we really have an opportunity to capitalize on our global position," Calhoon said. "We are on the map in a big way. There is a basketball analogy: We play much taller than we are."

But Loveland, a former Senate budget-writing chairwoman, said lawmakers always want to see results and ask why the money is needed, even if it gets results. And then, she said: "If you are doing so well," they ask, "why do we need to give you more money?"