American Business Council of Dubai & the Northern Emirates
November 10, 2011 -For Immediate ReleaseU.S. Under Secretary Sanchez leads Infrastructure Trade Mission to U.A.E. DUBAI - The American Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates and the U.S-U.A.E. Business Council, based in Washington, D.C., jointly sponsored a dinner for Francisco J. Sanchez, Under Secretary for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce on November 2 at the Ritz Carlton, DIFC, Dubai. The U.A.E. was the second stop on a Department of Commerce transportation infrastructure trade mission to the GCC region. Under Secretary Sanchez led the 14 member trade delegation of U.S. government and transportation infrastructure executives on a regional tour that aimed to introduce their companies to public and private organizations engaged in U.A.E. infrastructure projects. Members of the trade delegation included Susan Kurland, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, Department of Transportation along with heads of U.S. firms: Target Engineering Group Regional, Vice President, Jamal Hassouneh; Manufacturers Industrial Group, CEO, Andre Gist; Magne Motion, Vice President, James Wieler and Orca Maritime, CEO, Kurt Nelson. The November 2 dinner brought together Dubai executives in the infrastructure industry to hear the keynote address by Under Secretary Sanchez. He outlined the willingness for U.S. companies to bring their expertise to the U.A. E. “U.S. products and services represent quality. Today I am here with 14 companies that are experienced. They are creative. They are committed to innovation. And they are leaders in a wide range of sectors.” Danny Sebright, President, U.S.-U.A.E Business Council, welcomed guests including Justin Siberell, Consul General, U. S. Consulate Dubai. Also attending the dinner were U.A.E. Commercial Attaché, Saud Hassan Al Nowais from the UAE Embassy, in Washington, D.C. and H.E. Hisham Al Shirawi, Vice Chairman, and H.E. Hamad Buamim, Director General, from the Dubai Chamber, Key members of the American business community in Dubai, Boeing Middle East President, Jeff Johnson, Parsons President MENA Plus, Guy Mehula, Fly Dubai COO, Capt. Kenneth Gile and other executives, many of them members of the American Business Council and the U.S.-U.A.E Business Council, expressed the significance of their work on U.A.E. infrastructure projects to their companies. “Dubai sits at the crossroads of global business. U.S. companies are world leaders in aviation, airport and port security, rail technology, construction and related sectors. The U.S. freight rail system is the largest in the world. It moves roughly two trillion tons of goods every year.” Earlier in the day Assistant Secretary Kurland for Aviation toured the Dubai International Airport Emirates facilities.