S.C. Chamber sponsors Global Business Forum
By John Temple Ligon temple@thecolumbiastar.com

Fred Monk (l), S.C. Export Consortium

The S.C. Global Business Forum was held Tuesday, April 15, in the convention center on Lincoln Street. Well attended, the affair's morning program included addresses by Joe Taylor, secretary of commerce, and Columbia Mayor Bob Coble. Another opening speaker was Peter Beattie, former Australian premier and minister of trade.

It was clear during the opening session world trade was playing a progressively larger role in the economy of South Carolina. Later in the morning session were sessions on trade with Asia and with the Americas.

The Asia market focus was led by Monica Chen, director, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York City. Following Chen was a four- person panel of S.C. world exporters on the faces of trade with Asia: David Stone, Grizzly Products; Jonathan Lipsi, Patterson Fan; Dan Vandermeer, Dutchman Global; and Kevin Corrigan, American Tower.

Another four S.C. world exporters discussed the faceas of trade in the Americas: Mark Haddad, Guardian Building Products; Bratton Riley, Maybank Industries; Ross Travis, The TDA Companies; and Eric Devan, Devan & Associates.

Tommy Pruitt, Force Protection, Ladson, S.C. with Walter Bastian, department assistant secretary for the Western Hemisphere,U.S.Dept. of Commerce

The luncheon keynote address was by Eduardo Munoz, Colombian Vice Minister for Foreign Trade. He thanked the S.C. Trade Coalition for its its work and production. He described his home country Colombia, and he touted hard the honest returns expected from the Free Trade Agreement now in debate in Congress.

Colombia's capital Bogota has seven million people, and the country counts a total population of 44 million. The gross domestic product is $171 billion, and its growth in the past year was 7.5%. Imports are growing and inflation is slowing down. The Central Bank in Colombia has taken interest- rate measures to tamper inflation. In 1997, the country's inflation rate was 17.7%, and last year it was 5.7%.

In just four years, beginning in 2002, foreign direct investment in Colombia went from $2.4 billion to $7.8 billion. In roughly the same time frame, exports have doubled.

Frank Lockhart, Marley Engineered Products, Bennettsville, S.C.

Bogota, the capital, has suffered from a crime reputation, not undeserved, but the crime rate is down. Bogota and the other two putative concentrations of crime, Medellin and Cartagena, all have lower murder rates than Washington, D.C.

Kidnappings have plummeted from a national high of 1,676 in 2002 down to 226 last year. The lower crime rate has nurtured gains in tourism. Tourism has tripled in five years.

Under the proposed Free Trade Agreement, The U.S. and Colombia would share a bilateral/reciprocal relationship. The products the U.S. already ships to Colombia, albeit with an average duty of about 10%, are entirely different from what Colombia ships to the U.S. Under the Free Trade Agreement, there would be no duty. Currently 97% of all U.S. products entering Colombia suffer a duty.

The six high points of what can be expected if the Free Trade Agreement is enacted by Congress were itemized by Munoz: (1) more jobs and better jobs; (2) three years of negotiation are already invested in the agreement; (3) free flow of trade promotes economic stability; (4) the economic sense of complementary trade; (5) the national interest benefits; (6) a two- country cooperation in the fight against drugs (Free trade is the most effective alternative development when illicit drug trafficking is considered).

Mark Haddad, Guardian Building Products, Greer, S.C.

South Carolina exports $17 billion in goods annually to the rest of the world, and only $99 million of that goes to Colombia. There's room to grow the business.

After the luncheon keynote address, three export achievement certificates were awarded to three S.C. firms with outstanding export growth in the past year: Force Protection, Guardian Building Products, and Marley Engineered Products.

The afternoon sessions included an economic forecast for South Carolina's international business by economist Dr. Donald Schunk.

The closing reception included a last tour of the exhibits, all expected to return next year.

Eduardo Muñoz, Colombian vice minister for Foreign Trade Charles Powell, president and licensed customs broker, C. H. Powell Company, Charleston, S.C.