Luis Fortuño
Governor of Puerto Rico

It is an honor to serve as the 2011-2012 chair of the Southern Governors' Association. I look forward to collaborating with all of you during the upcoming year on a strong agenda that will not only convey the benefits of doing business with the American South but help us achieve our common objectives: job creation, prosperity and growth for our region.

As I take on the Chairmanship for the coming year, I envision a truly complementary strategy to amplify SGA’s work on innovation and further focus on the central goals that occupy us as governors: creating jobs, spurring our economies, and powering prosperity. How do we do so as our states and territories grapple with the acute fiscal challenges of our time – those facing our federal government and governments throughout the world?

A bright spot in these unsteady economic times has been the strength of America’s exports. Demand in emerging markets beyond our borders represents an incredible opportunity for American business and innovation. It is this demand for the quality of the ‘Made in the USA’ label that makes our goods and services the standard of excellence throughout the world.

My Chairman’s Initiative, "Growth Beyond Our Borders," will focus on creating jobs and increasing exports in our Southern states by enabling our private sector businesses and entrepreneurs to tap into dynamic and emerging Latin American markets.

From Raleigh to Rio… from Birmingham to Bogotá, we must take advantage of our proximity to these emerging Latin American markets which represent our fastest-growing export zone. The United States exports three times as much to Latin America as we do to China, and the figures are growing.

Our strength lies not only in the goods and products we build and grow, but in our strong service industries and in our intellectual property where some of the world’s best and brightest ideas are cultivated. Our capacity to offer high-quality services and high-value goods shows we can compete and thrive where innovation matters most.

To capitalize on that innovation, we are designing a program to help businesses in the American South insert their goods and services into the global economy and increase trade within our region to boost economic growth. We enjoy significant bilateral trading relationships with many countries in the region, and exports to these countries will soon support more than two million U.S. jobs.

The timing for seizing opportunities in Latin American markets could not be more acute. Congressional leaders are working to craft a way forward for consideration of our long-pending trade agreements with Colombia and Panama. And the completion of the Panama Canal expansion in 2014 represents an incredible opportunity. Our proximity to the Panama Canal provides us a unique opportunity to position our Gulf, Atlantic and Caribbean ports as world-class international trans-shipment points for goods traversing the globe.

Export to Latin America represents more than 550 million prospective clients. Engaging businesses and innovators from the American South in these growing economies makes not only economic sense, but can play a larger strategic role for our country.

My goal as Chairman is to help increase the American South’s exports by the end of 2012 and promote the Southern states as an investment destination. Our program will include trade and investment missions to Latin America; international trade workshops; joint lobbying efforts at the federal level devoted to removing barriers to International trade and achieving passage of the Colombia and Panama Free Trade Agreements. We will also encourage “matchmaking” between our private sector and Latin American business delegations for joint ventures and sales, and promote the expansion of tools like the U.S. Export Assistance Centers and SBA Export Working Capital programs to member states.

Our efforts will culminate with a major Trade Expo to be held concurrently with the SGA annual meeting in Puerto Rico next August to bring businesses from throughout our Southern states in direct contact with buyers and sellers in Latin America.

I want close by thanking Governor Perdue for her steady leadership of the SGA over this past year, and for bringing a strong focus to branding the American South as a destination for innovation.

I want to extend a warm invitation to join us in Puerto Rico next August for what we are planning to be a first-rate program and a comprehensive business agenda.

Thank you very much.