The Foreign Service Journal, May 2003

ports American pavilions at those events. FAS also organizes overseas trade missions for U.S. firms, and does retail trade promotions and menu promotions overseas. In addition, it actively pursues “matchmaking,” find- ing potential U.S. exporters and for- eign purchasers and bringing them together. Unlike the Foreign Commercial Service, FAS almost never charges fees for its services. Another difference from FCS is the fact that FAS does not have export promotion offices in the United States. Instead, it has partnerships with four regional marketing associations — in the Northeast, South, Midwest andWest — that offer marketing counseling to businesses seeking to export. In recent years, FAS has put most of its energy into helping small- and medium-sized enterprises, but that doesn’t mean it won’t help a large U.S. firm when the need is there. Berman recalls that when Hershey’s Chocolate “needed our help in Japan, we helped open doors for them.” How well does FAS do its export promotion job? Chris Schlect is the president of the Northwest Horticultural Council, which repre- sents fruit growers in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The council has had a “cooperator agreement” with FAS since the 1960s, and Schlect says it works quite well. (Cooperators are trade organizations that work closely with FAS on market access and development; most receive some fund- ing from FAS.) Northwest growers and packing houses are generally rather small operations. “A small firm can’t send someone over to break into a market,” Schlect notes. “But FAS F O C U S 28 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A Y 2 0 0 3 Tension between Foreign and Civil Service employees has sometimes been a problem at FAS, but recently relations have improved. T HE R EMINGTON