Witnessing History in Havana

Trade and Investment

Flag Raising in Havana, Cuba: My View of a Historic Moment – Deputy Secretary Andrews writes about attending the flag raising ceremony at the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba. During his time in Havana, he met with Cuban entrepreneurs to hear more about the Cuban private sector and the impact that the regulatory changes Commerce and Treasury made earlier this year are having on their ability to strengthen and engage in independent economic activity on the island.

Commercial Service Taiwan Completes U.S. Trade Day and Select USA Roadshow - U.S. Trade Day has served as an effective platform for U.S. companies to understand the Taiwan business environment and meet with potential buyers and partners.  During the opening ceremony, AIT Director Kin Moy highlighted the burgeoning trade relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan, noting that Taiwan was the U.S.’s 10th largest trading partner in 2014 with total bilateral trade in goods exceeding $67 billion.

Business Opportunities in West Africa: Attend the Trade Mission to the Canary Islands & Africagua - At more than 5 percent GDP, West Africa had the strongest economic growth of the continent in 2014. This rapid growth is generating opportunities and prosperity in all industry sectors. The Trade Mission to the Canary Islands & Africagua will help your firm access West African markets, find regional business partners, and highlight the advantages of setting up an operation in this booming hub.

Innovation

Secretary Pritzker to Tour National Network for Manufacturing Innovation Institutes - Secretary Pritzker will travel to Youngstown, Ohio; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Chicago, Illinois to tour three institutes that are part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI). President Obama created the NNMI to strengthen the global competitiveness of America's manufacturing sector and our workforce.

Secretary Pritzker Announces Members to Serve on FirstNet Board - The four leading experts on public safety, wireless broadband communications, and state and local government will serve three-year terms on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board. FirstNet is an independent authority within Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) mandated by Congress to develop, build and operate the first nationwide wireless public safety broadband network. The network will enable better communication among local, state, regional, tribal, and national emergency services personnel, improving response time and saving lives.

An Update on the IANA Transition - After factoring in time for public comment, U.S. Government evaluation and implementation of the proposals, the community estimated it could take until at least September 2016 to complete this process. In response to their feedback, NTIA informed Congress of the plan to extend the IANA contract with ICANN for one year to September 30, 2016. Beyond 2016, NTIA has options to extend the contract for up to three additional years if needed.  This one-year extension will provide the community with the time it needs to finish its work.

Environment

July 2015 was warmest month ever recorded for the globe - The July average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.46°F (0.81°C) above the 20th century average. As July is climatologically the warmest month for the year, this was also the all-time highest monthly temperature in the 1880–2015 record, at 61.86°F (16.61°C), surpassing the previous record set in 1998 by 0.14°F (0.08°C).

As Wildfires Rage, NOAA’s Fire Weather Meteorologists Provide Tailored and Timely Forecasts - Firefighters battling the wildfires in the west are not working alone. Specially trained meteorologists known as Incident Meteorologists, or IMETs, provide weather forecasts critical to fighting these fires. This year, NOAA has deployed 86 IMETs to support fire managers. Recently NOAA had a record 35 IMETs in the field in a single day, setting a new record for wildland fire weather support.

Thanks, Oil Pollution Act: 25 Years of Enabling Environmental Restoration After Oil Spills - On August 18, 1990, a little more than a year after the Exxon Valdez disaster, the Oil Pollution Act was passed and signed into law. This historic and timely legislation gave NOAA and other agencies the authority to address impacts to natural resources caused by oil spills in navigable U.S. waters and shorelines. The law is designed to prevent oil spills, ensure cleanup if they occur, and restore the natural resources impacted as a result of spills.

Data

U.S. Minority-Owned Firms Continue to Outpace Growth of Nonminority-Owned Firms - The number of minority business enterprises increased 39 percent between 2007 and 2012 from 5.8 million to 8.0 million, or more than three times faster than population growth among minorities. Employment at minority-owned firms increased 33 percent to 7.7 million jobs, while gross receipts were up 53 percent from 2007.

Economic Surveys Provide a Detailed Look at the Characteristics of Small Businesses — The Census Bureau’s Erika Becker-Medina and Patrice Norman write the release of 2012 Survey of Business Owners statistics provides a preliminary socio-economic picture of business owners across the nation. As part of the economic census, which is conducted every five years, the Survey of Business Owners uses a sample of 1.75 million employer and nonemployer businesses. The results provide estimates on firms, receipts, payroll and employment by gender, ethnicity, race and veteran status.

Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales – 2nd Quarter 2015: The estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the second quarter of 2015 was $83.9 billion, an increase of 4.2 percent from the first quarter of 2015. Total retail sales for the second quarter of 2015 were estimated at $1,171.5 billion, an increase of 1.6 percent from the first quarter of 2015.

New Residential Construction – July 2015: Privately owned housing starts in July 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,206,000. This is 0.2 percent above the revised June 2015 estimate of 1,204,000.

Commerce Data in the News: Bloomberg Business cites Census Bureau statistics on median household income, the share of households making $200,000 or more each year, median home value and the share of homes worth at least $1 million to determine that Summit Park, Utah, is No. 1 and Edwards, Colo., is No. 2 in the article, These are the 20 Richest Small Towns in America.

Forbes magazine cites statistics from the National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Census Bureau to write that 90.8 percent of Americans have health insurance in the article, Thanks, Obamacare: America’s Uninsured Rate Is Below 10% For First Time Ever.

The Washington Post cites journey-to-work statistics from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to create a map that illustrates the commutes for the 38 million Americans who leave the counties where they live when they head to work most days: Where Americans Go to Work When They Don’t Work Near Home.

Data Releases Next Week: New Residential Sales: July (Census); Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: July (Census); Gross Domestic Product: (Second) 2015 Q2 (BEA); Personal Income and Outlays: July (BEA)

Operational Excellence

How My Internship at the USPTO Provided the Necessary Skills for Future Employment - Isabel Bolivar, an Urban Alliance USPTO Intern, writes about her time with the Office of Human Resources.  There, she worked under the Compensation and Benefits Division with the Benefits and WorkLife Team.  She learned about work benefits, wellness, and what to expect in a professional working environment.

Park Place Lexus—How Workforce Plays a Role in the Evolution of Excellence - In 2005, when Park Place Lexus became the first automotive dealership to be named a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, it ranked among the country’s top Lexus dealers. And in the four years of applying the Baldrige Criteria, of receiving feedback reports, and leading up to the award, the company’s gross profit had increased by 51.3 percent.