MO exports hit record level in 2011

Missouri exported a record $14.1 billion in goods during 2011, topping the previous state record set in 2007.

“Selling more Missouri-made goods overseas means more jobs here at home,” Gov. Jay Nixon said in a news release. “I applaud the incredible work of Missouri businesses, farmers and workers for their successful efforts to increase Missouri exports to this record level.”

Expanding exports to create jobs is one of the pillars of Nixon's Missouri Works plan, a five-year blueprint that also calls for attracting next-generation automotive supplier jobs; training more workers for high-tech careers; hiring more Missouri military veterans; creating more science and technology jobs; targeting high-growth industries; and creating jobs in rural communities, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. Nixon has been touring the state to promote the economic plan, with a stop in Springfield Jan. 10 at Customer Powder Solutions LLC.

In October, Nixon led a trade mission to China with more than 60 Missouri business and agriculture leaders. During the trip, the Missouri government and businesses closed more than $4.6 billion in trade agreements, increasing Missouri's exports to the country by more than $1 billion during the next three years, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]