Page Two	E-mail PagePrint Version

LOS ANGELES - 05/15/04 - The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Pierce College International Trade Center (ITC) have entered into a partnership to promote the expansion of international trade and collaborate on the dissemination of global trade information in the greater Los Angeles region.

The Pierce College International Trade Center is sited on the campus of Los Angeles Pierce College, a community college located in the suburban San Fernando Valley since 1948.

The ITC was created earlier this year to provide small- and medium-size companies in the San Fernando Valley with a central clearinghouse for information to help them establish and expand their global operations.

Funded by a BIE grant from the US Department of Education, the ITC operates in cooperation with a number of public and private sector entities including the US Department of Commerce, the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, and the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley.

The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce has been involved in international trade promotion since the 1920s when Stanley Olafson, the Chamber's international trade manager, came up with the idea to set aside the third week in May to promote global trade in Southern California. The annual observance became what is known as World Trade Week (WTW) and in 1933 was made a national event celebrated across the country by President Franklin Roosevelt.

The Chamber is an active partner in the statewide Cal Trade Consortium along with the Bay Area Economic Forum and the Monterey Bay International Trade Association.

Go back, or read the latest Page Two stories:

MATTEL ACQUIRES FRENCH GAME COMPANY

EL SEGUNDO – 01/26/09 – Toy and game giant Mattel Inc. has acquired France-based Sekkoia SAS, which produces the Blokus family of games; Blokus was launched in September 2000 and now ranks as one of the best selling board game packages in the world.