Economic Reporter :
USA Export-Import Bank Chairman and President Fred P Hochberg arrived in Dhaka on a two-day visit on Wednesday.
He will engage in discussions with the officials of Bangladesh government and business leaders intended to expand commercial interaction between the USA and Bangladesh.
Hochberg will give remarks on February 4 at a lunch hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce.
In a statement about choosing Bangladesh to visit, he said, “Bangladesh’s growing economy and rising consumer demand make it a place where US businesses want to compete”.
The statement also said US companies are especially interested in helping Bangladesh meet its ambitious infrastructure investment goals with sustainable “Made-in-the-USA” quality goods and services especially aircraft, machinery, satellites and power equipment.
He also mentioned, in 2011 and 2013, the EXIM Bank of the United States financed more than $500-million to allow Biman Airlines to acquire four Boeing 777-300ER long-range passenger aircrafts so that it can meet the demand of safe, cheap, and fuel-efficient long-range flights as part of its economic expansion.
He also expressed his intent in helping US companies to invest in major renewable energy projects as the Bangladesh government has announced serious renewable energy plans, focusing efforts on solar and wind energy technologies.
Over the past six years, chairman Hochberg has worked to increase the global presence of US exporters in fields such as renewable energy, construction and farm machinery, medical technology, and avionics.
From 2004 to 2008, Hochberg was dean of the Milano School of Management and Urban Policy at The New School in New York City.
From 1998 through 2001, he served as deputy, and then acting Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), where he helped quadruple lending to minority-and women-owned small businesses.
He also was the long-time president and chief operating officer of Lillian Vernon Corporation, where he led the transformation of a small, family-owned mail order company into an international and publicly traded direct marketing corporation.
