Joni Waddell, Director of the Rocky Mountain Trade Adjustment Assistance Center, provided a presentation on connecting businesses to export opportunities during the conference Create, Challenge, Change: Economic Development Conference for the Denver Region in August 2016. This presentation occurred during the session "Expanding Opportunities to Compete in the Global Marketplace."

1. Expanding Opportunities to
Compete in the Global Marketplace
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms Program
by Joni Waddell
Director, Rocky Mountain Trade Adjustment Assistance Center

2. Program Overview:
Trade Adjustment Assistance has been a pillar of U.S trade policy for more than 60 years.
The TAA for Firms program was developed to assist U.S. firms negatively impacted by
increases in foreign imports.
• Federal Grant Program Funded by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce
• Administered by the Economic Development Administration
• 11 Regional Centers – Supports Manufacturers in 50 States
• Only “Trade Remedy” Program for Manufacturing Firms

3. TAAF Program’s Critical Mission – Help Trade Impacted Manufacturers:
• Save and create U.S. manufacturing jobs.
• Preserve manufacturing skill sets, institutional knowledge, and
innovative capabilities to bring back manufacturing jobs to the U.S.
• Improve manufacturing competitiveness for future generations.

4. Manufacturing – Vital for Economic Growth, Global Success

5. Joni L. Waddell, Director
Rocky Mountain Trade Adjustment Assistance Center
2595 Canyon Street, Suite 330, Boulder, CO 80304
P: 303-499-8222, Extn. 2
Joni.Waddell@colorado.edu
www.rmtaac.org
Donna M. Leonard, Director
Mid-America Trade Adjustment Assistance Center
4200 Little Blue Pkwy, Suite 590, Independence, MO 64057
P: 816-666-9407
leonardd@taacenter.org
www.missouribusiness.net/taa
Montana
Wyoming
Utah
Colorado
North Dakota
South Dakota
Nebraska
Kansas
Iowa
Missouri

6. Unique Program Model – Key to Program’s Success
• Staffed by business professionals with extensive private sector experience,
partner with firm’s management team to develop strategic recovery plan.
• Implement strategic projects using private sector consultants over 3–5 years.
• 50/50 cost share – firms have “skin in the game.”
• Target: Small - Medium size firms.
• TAAF is not an entitlement – only trade impacted firms can qualify.
• Grant funds can’t be used for capital equipment, only for consulting expertise.

7. Project Assistance:
Manufacturing firms receive cost-shared technical assistance funds to
implement strategic projects that improve manufacturing competitiveness.

8. Regional Program Results:
The performance results for firms that have
implemented strategic projects to expand
capabilities and improve their competitive
position during the last five years from
2011 – 2015 within the Rocky Mountain
Region are impressive:
Sales Revenue Growth since Certification: 40.0%
Employment Growth since Certification: 26.6%
TAAF Client Sales Revenues for 2015: $5.5 Billion
2015 Firm Employment for RMTAAC Region: 22,144 Employees

9. Manufacturing’s Impact – A Double Edge Sword
• RMTAAC Client – Alarm System Manufacturer
• Impacted by Asian imports, sales down 11%, employment down 8%
• Rural location, 50 year old firm, supports 2/3 of county employees
• Tasks - New product development, website redesign, production efficiency
• Outcome: New wireless alarm developed, sales up 19%, 96 new jobs added
• Carrier Corporation, Air Conditioners, Indianapolis
• Production moving to Mexico over next 3 years, eliminate 1,400 jobs
• 1,358 jobs lost from other sectors, retraining efforts not likely to succeed
• Jobs lost at Carrier will cut state income per year by $67M, if include other
sector jobs lost impact expected to be $108M per year

10. Small Program – Critical Mission – Huge Footprint
• In 2015, assisted over 850 firms supporting nearly 70,000 jobs.
• Modest funding at $12.5M. Impressive results.
• Critical program for rural areas. Great fit for EDA Denver Region.
• Smarter, less costly to save existing jobs. Program pays for itself.
TAA Funding Authorization: $450M - Workers, $16M – Firms
• TAA for Workers - $53,802 average cost/person
• TAA for Firms - $75,000 maximum cost/firm to save entire firm’s jobs
• At $12.5M,TAA for Firms needs to save < 250 jobs to pay for itself

11. Partnering with EDA to Facilitate Economic Growth
• TAAF program helps trade impacted firms stay in business for the long
term, create job growth through export expansion.
• Market-driven – does not compete with private sector.
• Objectives fit the national competitiveness agenda – repositioning
domestic producers in the global arena.
• Shores up American rural communities through local employer
stabilization.