Ron Sorini

Ron Sorini is Principal at Sorini, Samet & Associates LLC. He manages the firm’s business development, consulting, and lobbying practice, which focus on legislation, regulatory affairs and international trade negotiations. He represents a wide range of companies and trade associations before the U.S. Congress and various governments.  Mr. Sorini’s unique combination of government, political, and corporate experience enables him to offer well-rounded strategic advice and international market analysis to multinational corporations and foreign governments.  A recognized expert in the areas of trade negotiations, international politics, and the economy, Mr. Sorini has been featured on NPR including All Things Considered and Planet Money, CNBC, Voice of America, and others.

Prior to founding Sorini, Samet & Associates, Mr. Sorini, ran a successful government affairs practice of an international trade law firm for eight years. Mr. Sorini created and developed this practice into a multi-million dollar business, where he served on the firm’s operating committee and managed the practice’s business development and trade negotiations.

After serving in the administration of President Georges H. W. Bush, Mr. Sorini served as Senior Vice President for International Development & Government Relations at Fruit of the Loom for six years. At Fruit of the Loom, Mr. Sorini conducted an intensive study on the Chinese market, identified potential business partners, and began negotiations on a manufacturing/marketing joint venture. He also analyzed new locations for manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Central America, and developed strategies for hedging in the international cotton market. He developed and advocated company positions on trade, tax, and regulatory issues before the U.S. Government. Mr. Sorini also started and managed the company’s Political Action Committee.

Mr. Sorini has more than thirteen years of experience in high-level positions in the federal government at the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

In 1989, Mr. Sorini was appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the position of Chief Textile Negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), holding the rank of Ambassador.  Mr. Sorini advised the U.S. Trade Representative, the Cabinet, and the President on domestic and international economic issues. He developed and implemented policies to enhance the international competitiveness of the U.S. fiber, textile, and apparel industries. Mr. Sorini chaired U.S. delegations in the negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Uruguay Round, which lead to the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and bilateral agreements with more than fifty nations. He developed U.S. negotiating positions, weighing the views of other government agencies, domestic industry, retailers and broader economic and foreign policy considerations. His successful negotiations opened foreign markets for domestic manufacturers, helped U.S. companies with trademark and design counterfeiting problems, and worked with the U.S. Customs Service to identify and eliminate fraud and circumvention of U.S. trade agreements.