Alexandria — In support of the president’s Made in Rural America Export and Investment initiative, the Alexandria Post Office will host a small business educational event on international shipping and mailing, entitled Grow Your Business Day. This one-day symposium is scheduled from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., on July 27, at the Alexandria Post Office, located at 1715 Odom Street.

Made in Rural America (MIRA) will bring together federal resources to help rural businesses access new customers and markets abroad and take advantage of international trade assistance. This cooperative interagency program allows the USPS to lend online tools, supplies and international shipping expertise to help rural businesses reach new customers and markets abroad, while supporting economic growth and jobs here in the United States.

Pursuant to the Made in Rural America Export and Investment initiative, the USPS is working collaboratively with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Commerce and and New Orleans-based Advantage Mailing Services. Together, they support the importance of small businesses, by helping them to grow and expand into new markets.

Alexandria Postmaster Abel Garza said, “We are excited to take part in the Made in Rural America initiative and look forward to showcasing USPS products and services, in our Grow Your Business day workshop. Shipping options such as International Express and Priority Mail, and Global shipping as a whole, are just a few components of our educational plan. We will also demonstrate online tools that make it easy to create shipping labels, pay for postage and even create Customs forms,” Garza added.

USPS Sales Manager Susy Carcamo-Rowe will also play an integral role in this one-day event by co-hosting Grow Your Business day.  “With any national awareness campaign, we want to reach out to small and medium-sized businesses, that are within a 2-hour radius of Alexandria,” says Carcamo-Rowe. “We intend to be a part of this initiative, which will improve international trade, from a local platform.”

Joining Garza and Carcamo-Rowe during this one-day Postal symposium will be John Henry Jackson, a representative from the U.S. Department of Commerce, USPS International Liaison and Retail Manager Cynthia Dean and Rob Reidenauer, owner of New Orleans-based Advantage Mailing Services. Interested business owners should register at usps.com/alexandria.   

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

Follow us on twitter.com/USPS and like us at facebook.com/USPS. For more information about the Postal Service, go to usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.