Presentation Before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Larry a. Liebenow
June 11, 2002

I'd like to thank the board for this opportunity to serve as your chairman. I'm both proud and excited to work with you in helping the Chamber meet the challenges of what I know will be a very exciting year.

A special thanks also to Steve Van Andel, who did a tremendous job over the past year of advancing the Chamber's message of free enterprise, openness and free trade — both here and overseas.

For those of you who don't know me, let me begin by telling you a little bit about my company, then share with you some of my thoughts about the Chamber's direction

Quaker Fabric is the second largest upholstery fabric manufacturer in the world. We've been in the upholstery fabric business for more than 50 years, and our 3,000 employees make us the largest private employer in Fall River, Massachusetts, a working class city of about 100,000 people located about half way between Boston and Providence.

We market our products in 42 countries, and last year, 15% of our sales were made outside the U.S. We expect overseas markets to account for a significant part of our growth in the next decade.

Like many of you, I keep a busy schedule, with lots of international business travel. But it was very important to me — both personally and professionally — to participate in the important work being done by the Chamber to improve the business and economic climate both here in the U.S. and around the world.

I'm particularly excited about the opportunities ahead of us because the Chamber's strength as an organization provides all of us in the business community with the kind of platform we need to make a real difference in the standard of living and the sense of security enjoyed by literally hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. The efforts all of you have made to build the Chamber into the strong, dynamic institution it is today has made it a real player in both the political and business arenas, allowing our views and our collective voice to be heard clearly by those whose decisions and actions we hope to shape and influence — in Washington and in the offices of heads of state and business leaders everywhere. That's a testament to all of you, our president Tom Donohue, the entire Chamber staff and the entire Chamber Federation.

And a strong voice is exactly what is needed — now more than ever — because we have moved into a very different environment — and we're living in a world that is profoundly changed from the world most of us expected to be living in when we began our business careers. Among other things, this means that those who continue to look backward, yearning for the comfort that goes along with doing things the way they've always done them, need to be encouraged to turn around, face forward, and squarely confront today's realities — because the status quo just doesn't exist. And that's why we at the Chamber are so incredibly well positioned to make a difference. Because the real strength of the private sector lies in its agility, its flexibility, its openness to new ideas and new ways of doing things — and its commitment to the basic values we all treasure — openness, justice, freedom and the well being of every American and every citizen of every other country.

But just as the Chamber has grown stronger, so too have the challenges that we must overcome. Change is the only constant in the global economy. The world is shrinking, borders are blurring, and people, products and services are moving around the globe at record speed and in record quantities. These changes force us to stay on our toes, but they also offer tremendous opportunities for our constituents – and for the people whose well-being, livelihoods and ability to support their families depend on the prosperity and economic strength of the businesses we serve.

At the same time, while the opportunities inherent in all of this change are huge — the forces of negativism, isolationism, nationalism, populism, anti-globalization, anti-openness, anti-foreigner, anti-anyone different from "us" and anti-any way of doing things different from today's, have become more powerful. The proponents of these movements are determined to halt precisely the changes we at the Chamber embrace and are equally determined to send us back in time. Their position on the removal of trade barriers is a case in point. The "no free trade" faction is obviously committed to persuading anyone who is willing to listen to them that globalization oppresses workers and pollutes the environment.

We know that nothing could be further from the truth. Business creates the wealth that cleans the environment, eliminates poverty and provides opportunities for today's workers to secure an even better future for their children. But how effectively are we countering the messages of the anti-globalization crowd?

We must do a better job of spreading the message that free enterprise and free trade foster openness, justice, multiculturalism, and democracy, and help to eliminate oppression and human rights offenses. And one of the reasons why I know that is so is because I also know it is . And I know it is because I understand that the economic well-being and security of every global citizen depends on the strength of the global economy — and the strength of the individual national economies it reflects. But not everyone knows this — because unlike "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," this truth is not self-evident. Yes, the linkage between a sound economy and the standard of living of the individuals fortunate enough to enjoy it is a truism for the people in this room. But this is an unusually sophisticated and economically-savvy group. Those with a less well-developed understanding of the role that the creation of wealth plays in all of our lives find themselves pulled toward isolationism, protectionism, nationalism and all the other "ism's" that hold such sway over the nay-sayers - and for them, "business" is frequently a dirty word — at best, a necessary evil — but certainly not a force for good. And that's one of the things that we at the Chamber can do – and do exceedingly well — help those who would disparage free enterprise and the importance of capitalism to a truly democratic form of government see business, free trade, and the profit motive in a new light.

We can also help our political leaders do the same. Because we must have a government with the political will to provide the global economic leadership needed to protect U.S. interests, promote wealth, promote justice and promote democracy and the protection of human rights everywhere. And, of course, that means that we have to give the executive branch the tools it needs to do that — beginning with Trade Promotion Authority — and we should all be ashamed of the extent to which our government has neglected its basic obligations to our people in this area.

So as your chairman, I will work to refocus our country's global commitments, urge government to offer a clearer, more coherent trade agenda, push for a reform of our immigration laws to increase security while addressing national workforce issues, strive to tear down trade and other barriers to opportunity wherever they exist, and create a level playing field for all. Because no matter what the anti-business factions have to say — the business interests we serve are the engine that drives the economies that will provide the next generation occupying this planet with a standard of living that can only be enjoyed by those who live in a peaceful, safe, free, mutually respectful and economically-interdependent world.