ITA chief is cultivating foreign markets
For Roger Johnson, taking over as executive director of the International Trade Alliance is like renewing a passport. The Chicago native has been involved in foreign affairs almost continually since a stint with U.S. Navy intelligence 40 years ago.
The only time since then he has stepped out of international activity was in his most recent capacity as executive director of the Pasco Chamber of Commerce, a job he took in 2003 to be close to his son. Even in the Tri-Cities, he kept his hand in.
Johnson says he became a believer in the potential to make value-added agricultural goods an export strength for Washington. He continues to think so, and plans to emphasize agriculture more with the alliance.
During his long career, Johnson worked for Campbell Soup Co. in Japan and Europe, and for Owens-Illinois, the glass maker, in Asia. Expanding Owens’ business throughout Southeast Asia was his most memorable achievement, he says.
He also founded two of his own trade groups, and helped develop international business ties for the City of Chicago. That city’s trade association could be a model for the Spokane alliance, Johnson says.
Johnson foresees a more regional ITA.
The organization’s bylaws do not extend its purview into the Columbia Basin, but he sees opportunities there not only in agriculture, but also in Grant County’s booming economy, particularly the $600 million expansion of a Moses Lake silicon plant by its Norwegian owner.
“I would like us to be the premier resource on international trade for all of Eastern Washington,” Johnson says.
He says predecessor Roberta Brooke, now director of Eastern Washington University’s MBA program, built a fine “product,” especially a help desk available to answer trade-related questions. He wants to improve marketing of the alliance so more are aware of its capabilities, and more companies see the advantages of membership. A speakers’ bureau is one possibility.
Johnson says many interpret “trade” too narrowly. It’s not just exports or, for that matter, imports. The term should encompass licensing agreements, technical assistance and equity positions, he says.
Johnson says there is some justification for the current backlash against job outsourcing and other impacts of a global economy, but adds that the long-term effects should be positive. As China, India and other developing countries prosper, there will be more buyers for the high-end goods and services United States companies sell.
Some government initiatives have been misguided, he concedes, for example the efforts to discourage the growing of coca — the base for cocaine — in South America by displacing that crop with asparagus or cut flowers. Washington’s asparagus industry was all but wiped out as a result, yet farmers also continue to cultivate coca.
Looking to the government for protection is the wrong approach, he says. American business must batten down and compete. Unfortunately, too many U.S. firms have poor reputations as trading partners.
Many will cultivate foreign relationships when domestic business lags, but too often they look homeward again as the economy rebounds. Oftentimes, Johnson adds, companies simply ignore inquiries from potential foreign customers.
The declining state of the U.S. educational system in comparison with those in Asia and Europe is also a problem.
Johnson says he intends to focus on four initiatives, one related to Canada, the rest to transportation.
Like Brooke, he believes booming energy development in Alberta, Canada, should open significant opportunities for Inland Northwest companies. A more robust north-south transportation corridor would also help tap opportunities north of the international border. In addition, as Puget Sound ports become more congested, Spokane International Airport could become an alternative in itself, or as part of an intermodal transportation facility also incorporating rail and truck terminals.
“We’re becoming global, like it or not,” Johnson says.
If he has his way, we’ll learn to like it.