In partnership with Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions, the Arkansas District Export Council and the World Trade Center Arkansas, a webinar focusing on the importance of doing business in Colombia will be held at 9 a.m. on May 19.

Melvin Torres, director of Western Hemisphere trade for the World Trade Center Arkansas, will be interviewing Carlos Ronderos, regional director of the World Trade Association of Latin America, to explain the highlights of the U.S./Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which began in 2012, with all tariffs ending by 2022.

These trade experts will help businesses understand how they can use provisions in the free trade agreements between the United States and Colombia to increase export sales.

Register now at this link.

Topics will include Colombia's primary economic indicators, such as their gross domestic product, purchasing power and foreign debt, providing an overall risk analysis. Ronderos will also cover tariffs, rules of origin, tax framework for U.S. investors, Free Trade Zones and using Colombia as a supply-chain gateway to the rest of Latin America.

Attendees will especially want to listen for little-known U.S./Colombia trade facts (as well as Arkansas/Colombia trade facts), which can provide significant insights as to where opportunities exist.

The webinar is one of many joint events the center is a part in May for World Trade Month. U.S. exports of goods and services totaled $2.5 trillion in 2018, supporting 11.5 million U.S. jobs and accounting for nearly 13 percent of GDP, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the World Trade Month Association.

Those numbers also reflect Arkansas' strong export economy. Arkansas exports remained strong in 2019, accounting for $6.2 billion in trade while supporting over one-fourth of the state's workforce, according to data compiled by World Trade Center Arkansas. 

About the World Trade Center Arkansas: The mission of the World Trade Center Arkansas is to grow trade and increase Arkansas exports by connecting Arkansas businesses to the world through international trade services. The center is part of the University of Arkansas and serves as the official trade promotion arm for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. For more information and valuable updates, please follow the center on Facebook and Twitter or subscribe to the World Trade Center Arkansas newsletter.