Major meeting pulling into port

Dozens of America's mayors will pull into Jacksonville to talk exports next month.

It's by invitation of Mayor Alvin Brown who leads the Ports and Exports Task Force with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Using our ports as a backdrop, they'll discuss what can be done to get American businesses exporting.

"This meeting is about job creation and keeping our metro economies globally competitive," said Mayor Brown. "Exports are job generators and account for 8.8 percent of our gross domestic product - up from just 6.9 percent a decade ago. To maintain our competitive position, we must modernize our ports, adopt a national freight policy and develop metro-based export strategies."

The value of exports will increase 4.2% this year. Currently, only one percent of U.S. businesses export and 58 percent of those businesses export to only one market. Brown says this could open the flood gates to more jobs across the country.

The meeting will be held Thursday, February 23 to Saturday, February 25 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel.