Ben Ramirez III

Ben has over 25 years of experience assisting the transformation of local companies into global competitors. Ben previously served as the International Economic Development Manager for the City of Austin. His responsibilities in this position included governmental initiatives related to international economic development, foreign direct investment, culture, and education. Ben was also appointed to the U.S. Department of State’s Speaker and Specialist Program where he provided presentations overseas on the economic impact resulting from developing and growing technology industry clusters.

Ben manages Foreign Trade Zone #183 of Central Texas with member companies’ annual exports totaling $250-$500 million.  He was appointed to the Texas Camino Real District Export Council by U.S. Secretary of Commerce and now serves as Vice Chair.  Ben is an entrepreneur advisor with Tech Ranch.   He is a former board member of CleanTX, the economic development and business association for clean technology.  He also serves on the board of Austin Sister Cities International and as the President of the Austin Saltillo Sister Cities Association.  Ben obtained a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Michigan, and a JD from the University of Toledo.