What kind of export assistance is available for U.S. companies looking to do business in Indonesia or Vietnam? 

Kemp: The U.S. Commercial Service connects U.S. companies to global trade opportunities around the world through its network of offices in 108 U.S. cities as well as U.S. embassies and consulates in more than 70 countries, including offices in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta. The U.S. Commercial Service provides counseling for exporters, business matchmaking, market research, advocacy and commercial diplomacy, and other trade services for U.S. exporters. Businesses can visit us at ">www.export.gov/Vietnam.

Gossack: I would add that the U.S. Commercial Service has excellent boots-on-the-ground contacts in both countries. We can identify the best prospects for U.S. companies, saving them valuable time and resources. In addition, our Gold Key Business Matchmaking Service provides U.S. businesses with pre-arranged business appointments with overseas prospective business partners, all pre-screened by the U.S. Commercial Service. Businesses can visit us at ">www.export.gov/Indonesia.

With offices in 108 U.S. cities and U.S. embassies and consulates in more than 70 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service connects U.S. companies with international buyers. For more on the U.S. Commercial Service, visit ">www.export.gov. To learn more about the upcoming infrastructure trade mission to Indonesia and Vietnam, contact Jessica Arnold at her e-mail: ">Jessica.Arnold @trade.gov. The deadline for registration is Sept. 21 or until all spaces are filled.

 

GOSSACK

Prior to his position as counselor for commercial affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, David Gossack served as principal commercial officer at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai from 2008 to 2011. He previously served as commercial attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing from 2003 to 2007, in Bangkok from 1999 to 2002 and in Tokyo from 1995 to 1999. He is the recipient of numerous awards from the Dept. of Commerce. Earlier in his career, he held positions in the State Dept., at the American Embassy in Tokyo and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. From 1987 to 1990, he was counsel to U.S. Sen. Spark Matsunaga (D) of Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, where he was an active participant in drafting legislation in the Senate. Gossack subsequently practiced international trade and business law in a Washington, D.C., firm. He is a graduate of Stanford University and the School of Law at the University of Washington.

 

KEMP

Prior to assuming her position as commercial counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, in August 2011, Sarah E. Kemp was a commercial counselor for the U.S. Commercial Service in Beijing, responsible for the day-to-day coordination of the service’s 147-member staff in Beijing and the five subordinate sonsulates. She served in Beijing from 2006 to 2011. Before that, Kemp was the director of the department's International Partner Network, overseeing operations in 14 second-tier cities in China. Other postings have included serving as deputy chief commercial consul for Commercial Service operations in Hong Kong and Macau, leading the Beijing information technologies and medical team and serving as commercial attaché in Bangkok. Kemp joined the U.S. Dept. of Commerce in 1992 as a presidential management intern and, during her tenure in D.C., helped draft the first national export strategy and focused on U.S.-ASEAN trade promotion and policy. Previously, Kemp worked for the Center for Chinese Legal Studies at Columbia Law School. She received her MBA from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2006), her MPA from Columbia University (1992) and her BA in psychological anthropology from Hamilton College (1988).