World Trade Center-Kansas City News: August, 2022
Sep 06, 2022
A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
As summer comes to a close, we are gearing up for an eventful fall. We are excited to host the 6th Annual Go Global KC! This year, we will present a program on nearshoring, featuring speakers Elaine Dezenski, senior director and head of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and John Austin, Director, Michigan Economic Center and Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution & Chicago Council of Global Affairs. We will be presenting the Outstanding Service Provider Award, the Outstanding Economic Development Agency Award and the Weida Award. Join us on September 28 from 3-5 pm for an informative and engaging program! Register for the event here.
Events
iSteamKC Symposium
September 14
Register here
Port Panel Discussion
KC CSCMP
September 14
Register here
Discover Global Markets: The Blue Economy
U.S. Commercial Service (USCS)
September 20 – 22
Register here
2022 Continental Reunion
North American Strategy for Competitiveness (NASCO)
September 26 – 28
Register here
Go Global
World Trade Center-Kansas City (WTC-KC)
September 28
Register here
Growth360 Program
Missouri Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) & University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC)
September 29 – December 8
Apply here
Energy Fest 2022
U.S. Commercial Service (USCS) & The Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition (LAGCOE)
October 19 – 21
Register here
Women in Tech Trade Mission
U.S. Commercial Service (USCS)
October 30 – November 5
Register here
2022 Mid-America Trade Summit
University of Missouri and WTC-KC
November 1 – 2
Register here
Executive Led Aerospace and Defense Trade Mission
November 6 – 11
Apply here
SCEWC 2022
Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC)
November 15 – 17
Register here
Job Opening
U.S Commercial Service
Supervisory International Trade Specialist
Announcements
Take the Healthy KC Workplace Wellness Certification!
Dispatches from DC
Anthony J. Blinken, from the U.S. Department of State, traveled in sub-Saharan Africa from August 7-12, visiting 3 countries: South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Rwanda. Blinken’s main goal is to strengthen relationships between African countries and the United States which advances the Biden Administration’s U.S. strategy for sub-Saharan Africa. The 4 priorities of the strategy include:
- Fostering openness
- Working with African partners to fulfill the promise of democracy
- Working together to recover from the devastation wrought by COVID-19 and lay the foundation for broad-based, sustainable economic opportunity to improve the lives of our people
- Leading a clean energy transition that saves our planet, adapts to the effects of climate change, and provides energy to power economic opportunity
Blinken’s visit came at a critical time with the economic challenges of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. The entire continent of Africa has been severely impacted due to these economic, health, and geopolitical pressures. Agriculture and food exports in Russia and Ukraine are at a halt, meaning that the already fragile food supply chains in Africa will continue to be threatened. Amid global challenges, the state department is prioritizing building critical partnerships with countries in Africa. Secretary Blinken recognizes the cultural diversity of the continent and the important role the continent plays on a global stage.
Read the U.S. Department of State bulletin here and learn more about the trip here.
Here are all the World Trade Centers located in Africa: Algiers, Luanda, Praia, Cairo, Accra, Abidjan, Nairobi, Benghazi, Antananarivo, Verdun, Casablanca, Abuja, Lagos, and Tunis. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working with any of these World Trade Centers.
The 2023 WTCA General Assembly will be hosted in Accra, Ghana from April 23 – 28.
Resources
Black & Veatch’s Annual Sustainability Report
- Black & Veatch’s 2022 Sustainability Report outlines their environmental, social, and governance efforts. Their 2020-2023 Sustainability Strategy focuses on the concept of “Accelerate Zero, which guides their work and progress towards improving their environmental stewardship, social progress, and good governance.