Promoting trade

The news seemed good. The 2009 U.S. trade deficit was $380.7 billion, down nearly half from the punishing deficit of $695 billion in 2008. That "progress," however, was more the result of reduced U.S. consumer spending on imports than increased exports.

The national goal must be a trade surplus, and that means selling more products abroad. That is why 2nd District Rep. Joe Courtney's second economic trade mission within a year, announced Monday, is a good use of the congressman's time.

In June 2009 Rep. Courtney took part in a trade mission to Brussels. Participants in that mission report making contacts and gleaning information that will allow them to better compete in the European Union market and for NATO contracts.

"The work that you are doing to help Connecticut businesses compete in U.S. and international markets is admirable," wrote Robert M. Gorman, CEO of Applied Physical Sciences Corp. of Groton, and Michael K. Voisine, president of Capewell Division of South Windsor, in a joint letter to the congressman. Kaman Helicopters of Bloomfield reports the trip helped position it to compete for several NATO and EU defense contracts.

There is also the synergy that can happen when businesses come together on such trips. Applied Physical Sciences, a research and development engineering firm specializing in naval applications and Capewell, a manufacturer with expertise in parachute hardware, ended up combining their expertise to successfully compete for a $70,000 Army contract to assess parachute performance and use. Now there is the potential for a $700,000 contract.

The coming trip is to Israel, April 5-11, and will include state manufacturers, several defense contractors and, interestingly, Goodspeed Musicals of East Haddam, which sees the potential for cultural exports. As with the last mission, the not-for-profit Connecticut District Export Council, not taxpayers, is underwriting the trip.

Connecticut and the U.S. cannot sit back and concede trading dominance to other nations, not if it wants to remain the world's economic leader.