Wisdom Shared by Toyota Exec          


Jo Cooper, Group Vice President
at Toyota Motor North America

At the 2008 World Conference in Monterrey, Jo Cooper, Group Vice President at Toyota Motor North America –OWIT’s platinum sponsor—gave an enlightening speech about the state of the global economy, the importance of free trade, and Toyota’s commitment to engaging in and enhancing international trade. She also shared Toyota’s approach to social, economic, and environmental sustainability—the triple bottom line.

Here are some takeaways from her speech:

• Trade is the biggest engine that drives our global economy.
• Greater international trade will strengthen the U.S. economy and economies around the world by creating more jobs, a higher standard of living, more choices for consumers, and a foundation for sustainable growth.
• The company’s business model has been successful because of its access to world markets and its ability to move goods, services, capital, and labor around the world efficiently and cost effectively.
• Toyota believes that international trade has a direct link to technology innovation and greater corporate social responsibility–innovation is key to environmental challenges, such as addressing climate change.
• Toyota is a good example of how NAFTA has better integrated the three economies of North America as studies show that nearly one in five U.S. jobs is linked to exports and imports of goods and services.
• Trade is the cornerstone of Toyota’s growth and the engine that drives world economies. In today’s uncertain economy, if there was ever a time more crucial to promote free trade and its benefits for our global economy…it is now.