CLEVELAND: Carlos M. Gutiérrez, secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, will speak about igniting our entrepreneurial spirit, ensuring the workforce of the future, and creating an export culture at noon on Friday, April 27, 2007, at The City Club of Cleveland.

The voice of business in government, Gutiérrez is former chairman of the board and CEO of Kellogg Company and a core member of President Bush’s economic team. 

Gutiérrez oversees a diverse Cabinet agency with some 38,000 workers and a $6.5 billion budget focused on promoting American business at home and abroad. His department gathers economic and demographic data to measure the health and vitality of the economy, promotes U.S. exports, enforces international trade agreements, regulates the export of sensitive goods and technologies, issues patents and trademarks, protects intellectual property, forecasts the weather, conducts oceanic and atmospheric research, provides stewardship over living marine resources, develops and applies technology, measurements and standards, formulates telecommunications and technology policy, fosters minority business development and promotes economic growth in distressed communities.

Gutiérrez was sworn into office on February 7, 2005. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1953, he came to the United States with his family in 1960. In 1975, he joined Kellogg as a sales representative. Rising to president and CEO in 1999, he was the youngest CEO in the company’s nearly 100-year history. In April 2000, he was named chairman of the board of Kellogg Company.

Tickets for this City Club Friday Forum are $18 for members and $30 for non-members. Lunch is included. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance of the event. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.