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ON THE PACIFIC RIM
by Tanya Shuster and Kathleen Scanlan

The states of the Pacific Northwest have extensive NIS-oriented trade development
programs, based on the region's long-standing ties to the Russian Far East (RFE). 
Alaska, Washington, and Oregon all trade actively with Russia, with 1993 exports
totaling between them more than $80 million.  The growing importance of this
trade has led to creation of the first state government trade development offices in
the NIS, and to a high degree of cooperation between state and local governments,
academia, and the private sector.  The U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID), and other federal agencies actively
support these efforts. 

Alaska--Only 50 Miles Away

The University of Alaska leads its state's NIS trade development efforts, operating
the first U.S. state government trade office there.  Located in Khabarovsk, the
Troika Alaska Commercial Center assists small- and medium-sized companies
exporting products and services.  A U.S. Department of Commerce CABNIS
grantee, Troika Alaska is funded by the state's Office of
International Trade, the World Trade Center Alaska, and the Municipality of
Anchorage.   

The American Russian Center/University of Alaska Anchorage (ARC) began
operations in April 1993, and opened small business development centers in
Yakutsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the fall of 1993.  The partnership conducts
banking, airport management, and business plan training programs in conjunction
with small business development programs.  ARC activities are sponsored in part
by USAID and the U.S. Information Agency.

On the Spot in Vladivostok

The state of Washington has a Trade Promotion Office in Vladivostok, operated by
the state Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development. 
Washington efforts focus on four industry sectors: food products, mining
equipment, forest products equipment, and marine industries (fishing and
transportation).  The Valdivostok office facilitates meetings and the exchange of
information between Washington companies and businesses in the RFE.   

Washington is also the home of the Foundation for Russian- American Economic
Cooperation, one of the foremost Russia-focused trade multiplier organizations in
the United States.  The foundation operates the American Business Center Yuzhno-
Sakhalinsk, under contract to the Department of Commerce.  During the 1994
U.S.-Russia Summit, it sponsored the U.S. West Coast-Russian Far East Pacific
Partnership Conference in Seattle.  A membership-funded organization, the
foundation organizes conferences and trade missions, and offers its members
e-mail and business counseling services.
  
The Oregon Department of Agriculture has conducted meat marketing seminars for
Oregon companies interested in the RFE and trained Russians in food safety
standards through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cochran Program. 
Portland State University's Free Market Business Development Institute, with some
USIA funding, conducts management training programs for Russian business
people and has eight training sites in Russia.  The institute also organizes
industry-specific trade missions from Russia to Oregon.
 
For more information, contact Kathy Beeck of Troika Alaska, at (907) 278-7233;
Steve Odom of the Washington Department of Community, Trade, and Economic
Development, at (206) 464-7143; and Portland State University, Free Market
Development Institute, at (503) 725-3766.

Kathleen Scanlan is an occasional contributor to BISNIS Bulletin.  Tanya Shuster
covers the Russian Far East for BISNIS.
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