PRESS RELEASE
For Additional Information Contact:
Keith Parsky at 202-208-4070
INTERIOR SECRETARY ANNOUNCES CONFERENCE TO SHOWCASE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
IN THE ISLANDS
(Washington, D.C., June 7, 2004) Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton
announced today that she will host a conference to showcase business
opportunities in the seven island jurisdictions for which the Department has
responsibility.
The Secretary’s Conference on Business Opportunities in the Islands, to be
held September 23 and 24 at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, will
highlight opportunities in Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the Republic of Palau, the
Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.
“The islands offer American companies excellent contracting opportunities,”
Secretary Norton said in announcing the conference. “The Federal Government
recently agreed to send $3.5 billion in grants to the Marshall Islands and
the Federated States of Micronesia alone over the next 20 years. We send
hundreds of millions of dollars out to the islands every year.”
Norton noted that the money creates a great deal of contracting
opportunities for several types of businesses. “We want to make sure that
American firms know about these opportunities so they can win their fair
share,” she emphasized.
This year’s conference follows the successful 2003 conference at which more
than 500 businesspeople and others joined Secretary Norton and top officials
from the U.S. territories to hear expert panels discuss opportunities in a
variety of industries. The 2004 conference will be expanded to include the
freely associated states (the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of
Micronesia and Palau) as well as the territories. “This is an excellent
opportunity for business leaders to meet the top officials from the
islands,” said Norton. “Last year, all of the Governors and all of the
Members of Congress from the territories attended. This year, we hope that
the three Presidents of the freely associated states will attend as well.”
Norton said that the conference would present a number of possible
opportunities for win-win situations for the islands and the mainland,. If,
for example, a California-based global hotel chain expands by building
resort hotels in the islands, it will create jobs in the islands and
opportunities for U.S.-based contractors. The expansion of the business
should also create jobs and prosperity back in California
Norton stressed that her Department’s role was to facilitate interaction and
the exchange of information that might lead to business activity, and not to
support specific projects. “Every company will have to do its own due
diligence to determine whether it makes sense for that company to do
business in the islands,” said Norton. “We are not in a position to endorse
any particular project, promoter or business opportunity.”
Last year’s conference included panels on privatization, infrastructure
finance, federal financing programs, tax incentives and Small Business
Association procurement opportunities, as well as several panels on specific
industries.
The 2003 conference drew companies from 33 states and territories, including
California, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Washington, Hawaii,
South Carolina, Georgia and Puerto Rico. Among the industries represented
were environmental technology, information technology, construction,
education and training, real estate development, tourism, shipping, energy
and professional services.
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