As Chairperson of the West Michigan District Export Council, I would like to congratulate you all on your Chairperson Fay Beydoun's recognition as one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Michigan” by Crain's Detroit Business!
As you know, Fay has been active in international business since 2003 when she became VP of Operations for the US-Arab American Forum. She joined the American Arab Chamber of Commerce in 2008 and serves as its Director. She is also the Chief Operating Officer of the Tejara Global Business Development Center, an incubator for minority and immigrant owned businesses. Fay is credited with co-creating the Council of Ethnic Chambers of Commerce and is co-founder of the US Arab Women's Business Council. In addition to serving on numerous boards, she became Chair of the East Michigan District Export Council in 2015. Congratulations Fay on the well-deserved recognition for all your efforts to promote international business! Click here to read Fay’s bio in the Crain’s directory.
The Michigan District Export Councils encourage and support exports of goods and services that strengthen individual companies, stimulate U.S. economic growth and create jobs. Export expansion activities are accomplished by working with the U.S. Export Assistance Centers to provide opportunities to promote greater export activity at the local level while developing a trade assistance network.
The mission of the District Export Councils is supported through activities such as:
- Counseling and mentoring of local businesses in exporting;
- Identifying export financing sources for businesses;
- Creating greater export awareness in the business community locally;
- Identifying issues affecting export trade and implementation of suggestions for improvement;
- Advocating trade policy and legislation supporting exporters and the U.S. export sector;
- Supporting programs and services of the U.S. Export Assistance Centers;
- Building local export assistance partnerships with other trade-related organizations;
- Providing export training and education through Export University® programs
If you are interested in being involved in the DEC, please contact the Chairperson for your region:
East Michigan DEC: Fay Beydoun, faybeydoun@eastmichigandec.org
West Michigan DEC: Jean Schtokal, JSchtokal@fosterswift.com
Very truly yours,
Jean G. Schtokal
Chair, West Michigan DEC
FOSTER SWIFT COLLINS & SMITH PC