IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 25, 2007

LAEDC Appoints Vance Baugham as President of
World Trade Center Association, LA-Long Beach

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               Los Angeles—The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), the region’s premier business leadership organization, recently appointed Vance Baugham as president of the World Trade Center Association, Los Angeles-Long Beach (WTCA LA-Long Beach).  The WTCA LA-Long Beach is a subsidiary of the LAEDC with a mission to support the international business development of Southern California companies as the leading trade association and international clearing house for the Los Angeles region.

 

             “As our Southern California economy is increasingly being fueled by international trade and foreign investment to the region, LA County is poised to capture much of this critical activity,” said Bill Allen, LAEDC president and CEO.  “Vance’s rich international background will be a tremendous asset to the WTCA and its many partners.”

            Baugham is a 30-year veteran of the international trade industry.  As president of the WTCA LA-Long Beach, he oversees the development of programs and initiatives to foster international trade opportunities.

           "With the Los Angeles region ranked as America's number one business and international trade center, it is vital that the World Trade Center Association work with our industry to keep their competitive edge in a global market," said Vance Baugham, WTCA LA-Long Beach president.

            During his tenure at the LAEDC, he served as the Vice President of Trade Development, WTCA LA-Long Beach where he directed the City of Los Angeles' Office of International Trade in cooperation with numerous public and private organizations. His international trade expertise includes his experiences as Director of the American Institute for Executive Education and International Trade Office of the State of Colorado, General Manager of United Export Trading Company, Inc., and Senior Trade Specialist at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

 

His most recent position was Senior Regional Manager for the LAEDC and Director of Business Assistance at the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership.  He was responsible for managing economic development and providing assistance to the San Gabriel Valley business community in order to promote business retention, expansion and attraction to improve employment rates and the local tax base.

 

Baugham earned his undergraduate degree in Economics and Political Science from Guilford College and did graduate studies in Economics and International Relations at George Washington University and University of Southern California, respectively.

 

About WTCA, LA-LB                                                                                                                               
The mission of the
World Trade Center Association LA-Long Beach is to support the international business development of our members and the community as the leading membership trade association and international clearinghouse for the Los Angeles region.  WTCA membership includes nearly 300 sister WTCs in 100 countries.  Over 750,000 companies are affiliated with WTCA members worldwide.  WTCA LA-Long Beach is a subsidiary of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.  For more information, please visit www.wtcanet.org.

 

About the LAEDC           

The LAEDC, the region’s premier business leadership organization, is a private, non-profit organization established in 1981 under section 501(C) (3).  Our mission is to attract, retain, and grow business and jobs for the regions of Los Angeles County.  Since 1996, the LAEDC has helped retain or create more than 132,300 jobs, providing $5.5 billion in direct economic impact from salaries and $94 million in annual tax revenue benefit to Los Angeles County.  For more information, please visit www.laedc.org or call

(888) 4-LAEDC-1.

 

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