World Trade Center San Diego

With the rest of our region's business community, we're closely watching updates around the new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China. San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation's Chief Strategy Officer Nikia Clarke, Ph.D. shares in a formal statement: “We know that this will be a volatile period for the North American supply chains that enable this region to compete globally. We have been here before. Here in San Diego, from medical devices to semiconductors and consumer goods, our supply chains are so integrated that 40 percent of what we import from Mexico was made by American workers in the first place. Our job in this moment is to be agile and creative in helping firms of every size—who have played by the rules and made significant investments in this country and its neighbors—to navigate uncertainty, continue to reach their customers and suppliers, and maintain jobs and supply chains in our most critical industries.” EDC and World Trade Center San Diego remain a resource and partner to our regional business community, offering free assistance, information, and guidance. Connect with us: https://lnkd.in/gnVtEv6W

?? Meet NanoPharmaSolutions, Inc., a #MetroConnectSD alum and innovative drug solutions provider. A small San Diego-based business, NPS had proven its technology and was looking to scale both domestically and globally. ?? Learn how World Trade Center San Diego's MetroConnect program helped NPS win $17K+ in grants—and how MetroConnect could help your company build resilience through strategic global engagement ?? https://lnkd.in/grn6n4TR

?? San Diego companies: Amid global uncertainty, did you know Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZs) can help you strengthen your supply chain and save on costs? FTZs provide importers, manufacturers, and distributors with opportunities to defer or eliminate U.S. Customs duty payments until the product leaves the FTZ site, helping optimize cash flow and maintain a competitive advantage. ?? Learn how The City of San Diego can help you take advantage of FTZs: https://lnkd.in/gtZ2cW9b ?? Connect with us for free business assistance: https://lnkd.in/gnVtEv6W ??: Port of San Diego

Has your small business considered selling internationally...but you're not sure how to get started? ?? Join us March 27 for a free webinar on launching your export program, with San Diego & Imperial SBDC Network expert Simona Filip Racek, CGBP and a U.S. Commercial Service officer introducing you to export rules and regulations, documentation, foreign trade zones, and more ?? https://lnkd.in/dbXp7xmZ

Boarding soon: Daily flights to Tokyo! ?? After resuming nonstop service out of San Diego nearly four years ago, Japan Airlines will be expanding the flight’s frequency to seven days a week during summer. The reason for the change? The flight's popularity among both business and leisure travelers. San Diego County Regional Airport Authority reported a 25% increase in the number of passengers traveling from San Diego to Asia between 2023 and 2024. Learn more ?? https://lnkd.in/gY2ei3Je ??: San Diego International Airport

?? Export-ready businesses in San Diego: This could be you. ?? Supercharge your international sales with #MetroConnectSD, WTCSD's export assistance accelerator, presented by JPMorganChase and Booz Allen Hamilton. What you'll get when you join the 15-company cohort: → Up to $30,000 in grants → Systran by ChapsVision machine translation software subscription → Mentorship and advising from leaders at multinational corporations → 7 workshops: Market entry, export finance, marketing, & trade shows → Complimentary consulting and support from vetted service providers → Much more! Apply by June 30—and share with a company that should join the program ?? https://lnkd.in/gnPkTsJx

?? Your business is ready to export and sell internationally…now what? ?? San Diego small businesses with little to no experience in exporting: Join us March 27 for a free webinar with San Diego & Imperial SBDC Network expert Simona Filip Racek, CGBP and a U.S. Commercial Service officer to learn how to get started, with an introduction to export rules and regulations, documentation, foreign trade zones, and more ?? https://lnkd.in/dbXp7xmZ

Next stop, Panama! ?? Starting June 25, San Diegans will be able to travel directly to Panama City, Panama via Copa Airlines with the addition of four weekly nonstop flights from San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. Joining the Airport's existing direct flights to Europe and Asia, the new flight will help strengthen San Diego's connections and business opportunities with key markets in Central and South America. https://lnkd.in/g2mpeGtq

What's the latest on global connectivity in San Diego? ?? Japan Airlines expands direct service to Tokyo ? #MetroConnectSD alum Bitchin' Sauce lands Starbucks account ?? San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), Caltrans to begin work on new Otay Mesa East Port of Entry More in our Q1 Global Brief ?? https://lnkd.in/g3mNa_n7

"As tariff threats loom and the country teeters on the brink of an all-out trade war," WTCSD's Executive Director Nikia Clarke, Ph.D. writes, "we all wonder what it means for our binational region, the future of the popular USMCA, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs tied to global commerce in San Diego." This will be a volatile period for the North American supply chains that enable this region to compete globally. We have been here before. In all the economic development work we do in this region, we strive to do it binationally, as a metropolitan region of close to seven million bisected by an international border. We travel together on investment attraction missions to South Korea or Singapore; we advocate together in Washington, D.C. and Mexico City for better infrastructure; and we work every day with counterparts in Tijuana to help companies create deep and resilient binational supply chains in critical industries. ??? Hear more from Nikia on what we know about our region and how we'll support San Diego in the weeks and months ahead ?? https://lnkd.in/gnTbZctt