WhiteOptics Hosts Carper, Coons and U.S. Trade Representative Froman

NEW CASTLE, Del. – Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, the chief United States official on international trade, for a tour of WhiteOptics, a New Castle manufacturer that exports its goods to countries around the world.

Founded in 2009, WhiteOptics manufactures and distributes high diffuse, high reflectance white metals, films and advanced coatings to the lighting industry. Carper, Coons and Froman discussed how American exports – like the products made at White Optics – are growing Delaware’s economy and how trade deals that open up new markets to American goods and services can increase wages, boost productivity, and put people back to work. 

“One of my top priorities as a member of Congress is to create a nurturing environment for job creation,” said Sen. Carper. “In Delaware, we know one of the keys to doing that is making sure our small businesses can compete and win in the global economy. We have to look outside our national borders to find 95 percent of the world’s markets, so we must negotiate trade deals that get us there.”

“Manufacturing is a critical part of Delaware’s economy, and I want to thank Ambassador Froman for visiting with one of my favorite Delaware manufacturers, White Optics” said Sen. Coons. “We discussed a number of important issues today from trade and small business development to intellectual property protection. I also want to thank Ambassador Froman for his continued work on AGOA and efforts on opening up markets in Africa to Delaware’s poultry producers.”

“Made-in-America exports, like the energy efficient lighting products that WhiteOptics sells around the world, support over 11 million high-paying jobs across the United States,” said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. “With 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside our borders, it’s imperative that we do as much as we can to help American exporters break through into new, growing economies so that we can sell more exports and support more jobs right here in the United States.  That’s exactly what TPP does – by cutting over 18,000 taxes that make American exports more expensive and establishing the highest labor standards of any trade agreement in history, TPP levels the playing field for Delawareans and for the United States so that we can compete and win in the global economy.”   

International trade supports one in every five jobs in Delaware and contributes billions of dollars to the local economy, but tremendous potential for growth remains untapped. Businesses in the First State face unfair barriers that make it hard to reach foreign markets and compete on a level playing field when they get there. Negotiating trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) can help break these barriers and push Delaware goods and services into some of the fastest growing economies in the world.