Act Boldly, Act Globally

by Bob Milligan

Today in San Antonio I have the honor of presenting the TradeRoots International Leadership Award to Free Trade Alliance President and CEO Kyle Burns.
 
As a business owner, I certainly appreciate the work of local chambers and groups like the Free Trade Alliance to help small businesses capitalize on overseas opportunities. M.I. Industries is a good example of one of the many small- and mid-size U.S. firms that depend on foreign markets for revenue growth, profits, and job creation here at home. We're small -- only about 250 employees - and strongly rooted in the Lincoln, Nebraska community and the Midwest. But we think and act globally. We export our all-natural and organic nutritional pet products to 16 countries throughout Europe, Asia, and South America.
 
M. I. Industries also produces product lines for biological, pharmaceutical, and base cosmetic products derived from animal proteins and amino acids. A vast majority of these products are sent overseas. All told, exports account for nearly 15% of our company's sales. Overseas markets are absolutely essential for our continued success. Europe, in particular, is way ahead of the United States in the consumption of all natural and organic products, whether for people or pets. And because the bulk of the global pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry is located in Europe, it has protocols in place that utilize our products. We also see tremendous growth opportunities in other overseas markets in which we trade, including China, Brazil, New Zealand, and Australia.
 
The question for us is, "Will those opportunities continue to exist and multiply, or will policies from Washington shut the door on us?"
 
In these difficult economic times, a natural first instinct is to turn inward, to protect the remaining businesses and jobs. But that's an approach that simply won't work. In a new, more competitive global economy, we need to expand our engagement with the world--not shrink it. When I became an owner of M.I. Industries some 30 years ago, the United States was still calling most of the shots in the global economy. Today, nearly half of the world economy is centered in the Asia-Pacific region. Fierce new competitors--and markets of great opportunity, from China to India to Brazil--are rapidly emerging.
 
How is the United States responding to the new global race for jobs, markets, influence, and leadership?
 
In my view, we are not stepping up on the worldwide stage as boldly, as vigorously, or as smartly as we must. And that's what I'd like to talk about today. Our nation faces a fundamental choice. In a new global economy, and in the midst of a major economic downturn, do we hunker down and turn inward--or do we act boldly to ensure that America is as pre-eminent in the 21st century as we were in the 20th century?