District Export Councils (DECs) are organizations of leaders from the local business community, appointed by a U.S. Secretary of Commerce, whose knowledge of international business provides a source of professional advice for local firms. Closely affiliated with the Commerce Department’s Export Assistance Centers, the 61 DECs throughout the country support the U.S. Government’s export promotion efforts. The Virginia/DC DEC exists to support businesses in Virginia and Washington D.C.

Mission:

The DECs 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.

What We Do:

• Counseling of local businesses

• Identifying export financing sources for businesses

• Creating greater export awareness in the business community locally

• Identifying issues that affect export trade and implementation of constructive suggestions for improvement, which are then communicated to appropriate bodies for action

• Supporting programs and services of the U.S. Export Assistance Centers

• Building local export assistance partnerships with other organizations

• Promoting international education at the community level