County 15th in ’94 Export Sales in Pacific Region

Ventura County businesses posted $698.7 million in export sales in 1994, ranking the region 15th among 34 metropolitan areas in the Pacific region of the United States, according to a study released by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

In the study, Ventura County businesses were ranked 96th in export sales among 256 metropolitan areas throughout the country. Export sales in the Ventura area increased 9.1%, or $58.4 million from 1993 to 1994, the 14th-largest monetary jump in the Pacific region.

“This report was done to provide people in these cities with hard data to help them with their marketing plans, to help them determine what their export needs are and to help them determine how well they are doing in certain areas,” said Pat Woodward, a Commerce Department spokeswoman.

“I don’t think people realize how active these metropolitan cities have been,” she said, “and how exports affect these cities.”

Los Angeles ranked first in the Pacific region with $22.2 billion in export sales in 1994, with the Seattle area second at $21.8 billion and San Jose third at $19.9 billion. Ventura County was followed on the list by Santa Rosa, with $485.2 million in export sales, the Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc area, with $420.1 million and Salinas, with $322 million.

Nationally, Detroit was the top exporting metropolitan area in the United States in 1994 at $27.5 billion in sales, New York was second at $23.5 billion and Los Angeles third. In all, the top 256 exporting areas had sales of $415.2 billion in 1994, an increase of 11.5% from $372.4 billion in 1993.

Woodward said the 1995 statistics are expected to be published by the Commerce Department by the end of summer.

Scott de Ruyter, a trade consultant with the Oxnard-based California Central Coast World Trade Center Assn., said he was not surprised at the 9.1% jump in Ventura County export sales from 1993 to 1994.

“It verifies what we have been sensing and what we have been involved in all along,” de Ruyter said. “The trend is upward. It’s indicative of what is going on around here.”

The reason for increased export activity within Ventura County, he said, is twofold.

“Not only are we getting more companies that are already here realizing that there are opportunities to compete internationally,” he said, “but firms are moving into the area now that have international savvy. We are increasing our base.”