President Trump Announces Intention to Appoint NCTO Vice Chairman Don Bockoven to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
WASHINGTON, DC – On September 25, President Trump announced his intention to appoint 2018-19 National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) Vice Chairman Don Bockoven to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN) for a four-year term. Bockoven is the President & CEO of Leigh Fibers and ICE Recycling, companies based in Wellford and Lake City, South Carolina respectively.
“NCTO is very appreciative of this announcement. Don Bockoven is highly respected leader in the U.S. textile sector,” said NCTO President & CEO Auggie Tantillo as he thanked President Trump for his appointment of Bockoven to the ACTPN on behalf of the U.S. textile industry.
“Because the textile supply chain from fiber production to finished apparel and sewn products is very trade-sensitive, the U.S. textile industry is grateful for the opportunity to have a voice in formulating America’s trade policy,” Tantillo added, noting that nearly 40 percent of duties collected by the U.S. government are on textile-related goods.
The ACTPN is appointed by the President of the United States and is the principal trade advisory committee which provides overall policy advice on trade matters to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Established by Congress under the Trade Act of 1974, the committee provides information and advice with respect to U.S. negotiating objectives and bargaining positions before entering into trade agreements, on the operation of any trade agreement once entered into, and on other matters arising in connection with U.S. trade policy. The ACTPN considers trade policy issues in the context of the overall national interest.
Leigh Fibers maintains over a million square feet of space dedicated to fiber reprocessing, research and development, quality control, warehousing and administration and is capable of handling over 350 million pounds of recycled fiber annually.
ICE Recycling custom designs plans for businesses to divert their waste products away from landfills, specializing in carbon footprint reduction, bailing, grinding and packaging of recyclable materials for repurposing in future manufacturing projects.
NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fiber producers.
· U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 550,500 in 2017.
· The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $77.9 billion in 2017.
· U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $28.6 billion in 2017.
· Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.4 billion in 2016, the last year for which data is available.
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CONTACT: Lloyd Wood
(202) 822-8028
www.ncto.org
