U.S. Commerce agency official to visit Acadiana

LAFAYETTE – A high-ranking official with the U.S. Commerce Department will be in the city next week to talk about the export market and regulation problems.

William Lash, assistant secretary of commerce for market access and compliance, will speak at a breakfast 8 a.m. Jan. 10 at A La Carte in the Oil Center.

The host of the breakfast is Le Centre International de Lafayette and the U.S. Export Assistance Center in New Orleans, said Don van de Werken, the center ‘s director. Van de Werken said the Lafayette area is a growing and promising export market.

Admission for the breakfast will be $7 and reservations are required. For reservations call, 337-291-5474. A La Carte is at 301 Heymann Blvd.

Anyone with specific export questions, or anyone with problems regarding commerce regulations can submit their questions to Lash in advance, through Le Centre International. Fax questions to 337-291-5480, or email them to info@lecentre.org.

Before taking on his duties at the Commerce Department, Lash taught at George Mason University School of Law, specializing in international business transactions, international environmental law, foreign trade regulation, corporate acquisitions and mergers.

Lash has been a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for Study of American Business at Washington University. He’s also served on the Board of Advisors for the Cato Institute for Trade Policy Studies and as an adjunct fellow at Citizens for a Sound Economy.

Lash also served as a legal analyst for several television networks and served as counsel to the chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission during the Reagan Administration.