Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Walter Bastian discusses Americas Competitiveness Forum. WATCH VIDEO

Atlanta’s position as a business hub for the Western Hemisphere was evidenced by the U.S. Commerce Department’s decision to hold the first annual Americas Competitiveness Forum here, Deputy Assistant Commerce Secretary Walter Bastian told GlobalAtlanta during the event on June 12.

“Atlanta had a lot to offer, including the full support of the congressional delegation, your governor, mayor, companies down here, local chambers, CIFAL [Atlanta] and the Metro Atlanta Chamber [of Commerce],” he said in an interview at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis during the forum.

“Participants shared best practices of what techniques work, what companies have been successful, etc. It was an incredible first start,” Mr. Bastian said. He added that the forum was the first of future conferences to be held in the Americas region focusing on competitiveness. 

This year’s inaugural forum drew some 1,000 business and political leaders from 33 countries in the hemisphere to discuss strategies for increasing the region’s competitiveness through improvements in education, innovation, small business development and supply chain management.

Mr. Bastian came to Atlanta in January to meet with CIFAL Atlanta, a local branch of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, and leadership of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce about Atlanta hosting the event. [related story: Georgia Firms Invited to Americas Competitiveness Conference]

GlobalAtlanta Video Coverage Jorge Fernandez WATCH VIDEO   Conference attendee comments WATCH VIDEO   Wayne Clough WATCH VIDEO   Mike Eskew WATCH VIDEO

The Commerce Department looked at Louisville, Ky., and Research Triangle Park, N.C., as locations to host the competitiveness forum.  Mr. Bastian said that though North Carolina had strong academic-industry partnerships, it did not have sufficient facilities to host the conference.

Atlanta’s infrastructure, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Georgia Aquarium, and abundant hotel rooms, made Atlanta the best candidate, he said.

Atlanta also has strong public-private partnerships that foster business innovation and competitiveness, said Jose Ignacio Gonzalez, former executive director of Hemisphere Inc., the private-public organization formed to market Atlanta as the best location for a future Free Trade Area of the Americas. Mr. Gonzalez is currently a director of Hemisphere Trade Services Inc., a consulting firm that facilitates trade among U.S., Latin American and Spanish companies.

“This [conference] talks very well of Atlanta, it talks very well of Georgia and about the Southeast of the United States. It opens up a new frontier for Latin America, which is accustomed to looking at the U.S. from a Miami perspective,” Mr. Gonzalez told GlobalAtlanta during the competitiveness forum.

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce President Sam Williams told GlobalAtlanta that the next step for the chamber, after hosting a pre-forum reception for conference attendees, is to help small- and medium-sized companies in Atlanta work with small businesses in other countries throughout the hemisphere.

“Some of our members are here today to work on partnering with universities, governments and other companies to share their knowledge with small companies in Latin America. The whole Atlanta community is networking together to develop relationships and opportunities,” he said, referring to the chamber, CIFAL, the Commerce Department, Georgia Economic Development Department, the City of Atlanta, Atlanta’s 17 Americas region consulates and other local partners.

Atlanta’s relationships with Latin America continue to deepen, Mr. Fernandez said, noting that the Metro Atlanta chamber is planning to receive trade missions from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua in August.

“We’re not easily distracted. Latin America and Brazil are priority No. 1 for our trade strategy,” he said of the efforts of the chamber’s Global Commerce division, which was created last year after Mr. Fernandez came to the chamber from Delta Air Lines Inc.

Brazil is increasingly investing overseas, and Atlanta “wants to be a part of that,” he said, adding that the chamber is focusing on drawing more foreign direct investment to the city from China, India and Europe as well.

During the forum, the chamber signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sao Paulo Chamber of Commerce to work together to increase business ties.

“We’re taking our experience with Hemisphere Inc. and prioritizing on trade development and FDI to position Atlanta as a gateway in the global marketplace,” Mr. Fernandez said.

He added that the Americas Competitiveness Forum was not a culmination of the city’s FTAA efforts, but part of a constant cultivation of commercial and political ties within the Americas.

This Special Issue of GlobalAtlanta features full-length videos and short clips of comments from participants in the inaugural American Competitiveness Forum.

Georgia Institute of Technology President Wayne Clough, who is also university chairman of the Council on Competitiveness, underlined in a speech at the forum the importance of universities working with the business community to commercialize research and development. He also emphasized the need to teach innovation through universities focusing on math, science and engineering.

In a keynote address during the forum, United Parcel Service Inc. Chairman and CEO Mike Eskew suggested that logistics infrastructure and processes must improve for the hemisphere to remain competitive. Border crossings must be sped up and simplified, physical and telecommunications infrastructure must be improved and companies should use more technology to increase supply chain efficiency, he said.

Various participants including Atlanta businesspersons, consuls general and chamber of commerce officials, as well as visitors from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and other countries, told GlobalAtlanta on video about their experiences at the forum.

Related articles about the Americas Competitiveness Forum are listed in the box below, including an article with Jose Ignacio Gonzalez explaining the creation of a Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce office in Atlanta that is the result of the Americas Competitiveness Forum.

Additional Stories in this Special Report

Report Shows Americas Could Improve Competitiveness Colombia VP Asks Georgians to Support Free Trade Pact Latino Banking Leaders Says Atlanta Should Boost its China Ties [ Uruguay Technology Park Seeking Georgia Investors [ Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce To Open in Atlanta

All videos in this Special Report were shot and edited by Erik Huber (efh@erikfletcher.com).