U.S. State Department Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Dilawar Syed traveled to Boise, Idaho from October 24 to 27 for Boise Entrepreneur Week and additional engagements with Idaho business representatives and local government officials. The trip was part of a series of domestic engagements Special Representative Syed is undertaking to expand overseas opportunities for U.S. companies, including small and medium-sized businesses, consistent with President Biden’s Foreign Policy for the Middle-Class agenda.
With Boise Mayor Lauren McLean, Special Representative Syed discussed the upcoming Cities Summit and Cities Forward Initiatives to connect state- and municipal-level stakeholders from throughout the Western Hemisphere on shared challenges and opportunities. He also joined her for a fireside chat at Boise Entrepreneur Week under the theme “Local Solutions to Global Challenges,” where he outlined how the State Department incorporates the U.S. private sector in foreign policy formulation and urged the audience to take advantage of trade-facilitation services offered by the Boise Export Assistance Center and the Idaho Department of Commerce.
Representatives of Micron Technology shared with Special Representative Syed the benefits of the CHIPS and Science act, which enabled the company to add 15,000 local jobs in Idaho. In a meeting with small- and medium-sized businesses, Special Representative Syed joined Amy Benson, Director of the Boise Export Assistance Center, to discuss ways the U.S. government can help alleviate commercial challenges abroad. On the final day of his trip, Special Representative Syed engaged with the Idaho Office for Refugees and spoke to Boise State University students about the Administration’s focus on working with allies to promote a values-based foreign policy.
