After spending the majority of her career working with the United States Export-Import Sharyn Koenig knew she was committed to the bank’s mission to boost US exports but decided she wanted to do it among South Florida’s palm trees.
She was born, raised and began her career working for an agent of Exim Bank in New Jersey. The agency, which she called one of Washington’s “best kept secrets,” offers loan guarantees and working capital to manufacturers and exporters of US-made goods and services.
The agency isn’t a shielded titan housed inside impenetrable federal buildings.
Ms. Koenig is one of three Exim representatives, who are joined by an assistant, responsible for promoting the bank’s products throughout the Southeast US and Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and they do it by working with business on an individual basis.
“By in large [our job] is to help small business exporters to understand their needs and how we can help them through the application process,” she said. “If they decide that they want credit insurance it's our job to help them through the application process, explain the different policies and products, which one of those would best suit their needs and then to bring that business in.”
And beyond working with individual exporters the Southeast regional office is continually reaching out to business and banks in hopes of partnering with them to help fulfill President Obama’s goal of doubling US exports over the next five years.
Ms. Koenig was interviewed my Miami Today staff writer Zachary S. Fagenson in bank’s offices overlooking Miami International Airport.