June 26, 2015
Today is Secretary Penny Pritzker’s two-year anniversary
at the Department of Commerce. What an incredible two years it has been,
especially with the important passage of the Trade Promotion Authority! The blog
this week focuses on the many accomplishments of our team across all of our
bureaus which I strongly encourage you to read about; there you will see
highlights on the success we have had across all the pillars of the Open for
Business Strategic Plan. With so many achievements, I really look forward to seeing
how much further we can go in setting the conditions for every American
business and innovator to test new ideas, gain financing, and attract customers
so that they may ultimately thrive.
Around Commerce, USPTO’s CIO hosted a DevOps Days; NIST
highlighted their involvement in the National Maker Faire; and ITA notes how
exports take flight at the 2015 Paris Air Show.
On one final note, next Friday is Independence Day in
which case we will not be sending a Commerce Week at a Glance Newsletter. We’ll
see you again on July 10th!
Thank you for all of your effort and hard work throughout
the last two years to ensure that America remains Open for Business.
Best wishes,
Jim
Five Ways the Department of Commerce Is Promoting Trade and Investment – As Secretary Pritzker celebrated her two-year anniversary in office,
the Department of Commerce highlighted the major accomplishments made under her
leadership within each of the five pillars of the “Open for Business Agenda.” As
the country’s “Chief Commercial Advocate,” Secretary Pritzker works to ensure
that U.S. companies have the best possible chance of selling their goods and
services abroad while also ensuring that foreign direct investment is a bigger
part of U.S. businesses.
Five Ways the Department of Commerce Exhibits Leadership in Innovation - As the voice of business in the President’s Cabinet, Secretary
Pritzker has spearheaded the Department of Commerce’s “Open for Business
Agenda,” which includes the strategic pillar of Innovation. Strengthening
American innovation is crucial for sustained economic competitiveness,
productivity and growth, and is at the core of the Department’s mission.
Five
Ways the Department is Helping Communities and Businesses Prepare for and
Prosper in a Changing Environment - The Environment pillar of Secretary
Pritzker’s Strategic Plan calls for advancing the prediction of changes and
solutions in the environment through world class science and observations, building
a Weather-Ready Nation, and strengthening the resiliency of communities and
resources.
Five Ways the Department of Commerce Supports a Data-Enabled Economy - Data are the fuel of the modern economy, and the Department of
Commerce publishes valuable new data every second of every day. The continued
excellence with daily operations of sharing data every day confirms that the
Department of Commerce is America’s Data Agency.
Five
Ways the Department of Commerce Improves Operational Excellence - The Operational
Excellence pillar highlights the Department’s commitment to “deliver better services,
solutions, and outcomes that benefit the American people.”
Commerce
Department Receives A+ Rating for Commitment to Small Businesses - The A+ rating is a first for the Department, and is awarded based on
the Commerce Department’s commitment to supporting small businesses through procurement
contracts with smaller enterprises.
Trip to Brazil Provides Important Recommendations for Improved Trade
Relations - A guest blog post by Deputy Secretary Bruce
Andrews who traveled to Brazil and met with government officials
and business leaders to discuss a prosperous economic future between our two
countries. While in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, he had the opportunity to
co-chair the ninth session of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum to open doors for a
stronger partnership in trade and investment for many years to come.
American Competitiveness and the Global Race for Export Success - This week, Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of the
United States Fred P. Hochberg wrote a blog post where he emphasized the importance of EXIM, which equips American
businesses with the financing necessary to compete for export sales when the
private sector is unable or unwilling to do so.
Millennials Outnumber Baby Boomers and Are Far More Diverse, Census
Bureau Reports - Millennials are more diverse than the
generations that preceded them, with 44.2 percent being part of a minority race
or ethnic group. The Census Bureau examines the latest population estimates and
changes among group by age, sex, race, etc.
Exports Take Flight at the 2015 Paris Air Show - A guest blog post from Assistant Secretary of ITA Marcus D.
Jadotte who attended 51st International Paris Air Show, attracting
participation from high-level government officials from across the globe, and
CEOs from major U.S. and foreign aerospace companies to see the latest
technologies in the aerospace industry and to meet potential business partners
from around the world.
A Federal First – USPTO’s CIO Hosts DevOps Days DC - Increasingly, government agencies are looking to the private
sector and enlisting the public’s help in order to optimize efficiency and
operating practices. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is one of the
agencies leading the way, by bringing private sector best practices to the
government.
IP
Attaché Program Outreach in San Diego and Los Angeles - Last month, the IP
Attaché Program conducted a set of outreach meetings in San Diego and Los
Angeles. In these meetings, the USPTO engaged in an interactive dialogue with a
wide variety of stakeholders, explaining how the IP Attaché Program works, and
identifying more ways for IP attachés to address stakeholders’ needs.
Farewell
from USPTO’s Commissioner for Patents - A
guest blog by Commissioner for Patents Peggy Focarino wishing everyone the
best of success as they continue their vital work for the agency and the United
States.
Free
Trade Agreements + Exports = Jobs - Free trade agreements make it easier
and cheaper for U.S. companies to export their products and services to trading
partner markets. Currently, the U.S. has free trade agreements with 20
countries. Last year 44 percent of U.S. goods exports went to FTA partner
countries and supported 3.2 million jobs.
America's
Largest Seed Fund is Coming to a City Near You - Over the course of this
year individual program managers from the 11 participating agencies
representing $2.5 billion in early stage funding will embark on a 20 state road
tour, participating in a series of events alongside technology entrepreneurs
and innovation supporters from across the United States.
Where
Do We Go When We Retire? A Broader Look at Retirement Destinations — The
Census Bureau’s Ben Bolender writes about his research on people 65 and older
showing that the most popular retirement moves this decade are to Sumter
County, Fla., and Maricopa County, Ariz.
National
Maker Faire and Future Makers - The NIST booth prominently displayed a
banner providing information on the upcoming Manufacturing Day at the Maker
Faire. Thousands of visitors ranging from 5 year olds to 75 year olds visited
over 170 exhibitors at this faire.
A Comprehensive
Excellence Framework for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care - An interview
with Baldridge alumnus examiner Christopher E. Laxton, who compares the
Baldridge Excellence Framework to two other approaches used in his sector today
to improve the performance of post-acute and long-term care organizations.
This week, Bureau of Economic Analysis wrote about: Real
Consumer Spending Rises in May; First-Quarter
GDP Revised Up; Travel
and Tourism Spending Decelerated in the First Quarter of 2015; and finally,
State
Personal Income: First Quarter 2015.
Advance
Report on Durable Goods - Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and
Orders – May 2015: New orders for
manufactured durable goods in May decreased $4.1 billion or 1.8 percent to
$228.9 billion.
New
Residential Sales Report - May 2015: Sales
of new single-family houses in May 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted
annual rate of 546,000. This is 2.2 percent above the revised April 2015
estimate of 534,000.
Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) First
Quarter Third Estimate Report
- decreased at an annual rate of 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2015,
according to today’s third estimate. Corporate
profits from current production decreased $110.8 billion in the first quarter,
following a decrease of $30.4 billion in the fourth.
Personal Income and Outlays Report - in May 2015 increased 0.5 percent. Nominal
PCE increased 0.9 percent. Real personal consumption expenditures (PCE) rose
0.6 percent. Nominal disposable personal income (DPI) increased 0.5
percent. Real DPI increased 0.2 percent.
The personal saving rate as a percentage of DPI was 5.1 percent in May.
Commerce Data in the News:
Time magazine
cites the latest Census Bureau population estimates to write that the country’s
minority population increased from 32.9 percent in 2004 to 37.9 percent in 2014
in the article, U.S. Steps
Closer to a Future Where Minorities are the Majority.
CBS News cites
Census Bureau statistics on fertility and population to write that the birth
rate has dropped to its lowest level since 1937 in an article about the
intangible issues that parents face when their new baby arrives in the article,
Can
You Put a Price Tag on Moms’ Stress from Kids?
Business Insider
cites Census Bureau statistics on household income and employment to write that
the average wealthy household works five times as many hours as the average
poor household in the article, 8 Common Beliefs About Rich People that
Simply Aren’t True.
Data Releases Next Week: Construction Spending: May
(Census); Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: May (Census).
On Tuesday, the Census Bureau will announce the two sites
for the 2016 Census Test. The test is used to research modern and cost-efficient
methods to improve the accuracy and cost-efficiency for the 2020 Census.
Also on Tuesday, MBDA National Deputy Director Albert K.
Shen will participate as a keynote speaker addressing the topic of
"Looking Over the Horizon: Future Opportunities and Challenges for
Minority-Owned Businesses” at the National Conference on Business Development
in Underserved Communities in New York, NY.
On Wednesday, Census Bureau Director John Thompson will
announce at the National Congress of American Indians’ midyear conference in
St. Paul, Minn., that the Census Bureau will be conducting a series of tribal
consultation meetings across the country to facilitate data collection during
the 2020 Census.
Also on Wednesday, Under Secretary for Intellectual
Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Michelle
K. Lee will attend the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
exhibit “Inventing in America” in Washington, D.C. The event is co-hosted by
USPTO and features patent models, prototypes, trademark examples and
inventions.
On Friday and Saturday, July 3-4, MBDA National Director
Alejandra Y. Castillo will participate as the keynote speaker at the Pitch City
– Minority Business Executive Institute, a 2-day training course in New
Orleans, LA. MBDA will host the training and feature leading experts to present
best practices, innovative tools, and business solutions.
UK Trade Minister
Lord Maude
stopped by for a meeting with Secretary Pritzker about strengthening U.S.-UK
economic & commercial ties.
Bonus
photo of the week:
In celebration of Secretary Pritzker’s
two-year anniversary at Commerce—Secretary Pritzker
is sworn-in by Vice President Joe Biden on June 26, 2013.
A
More Diverse Nation - The
Census Bureau posted a graphic in support of its release of population
estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin that shows for the first time,
more than 50 percent of U.S. children under age 5 are minorities.
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