Areas of Concentration:

Foreign Trade Zone

Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ’s) were created in the United States to provide special customs procedures to U.S. plants engaged in international trade-related activities. Duty-free treatment is accorded items that are processed in FTZ’s and then re-exported, and duty payment is deferred on items until they are brought out of the FTZ for sale in the U.S. market. This helps to offset customs advantages available to overseas producers who compete with domestic industry.

FTZ’s are secure areas approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce and under the supervision of the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP). FTZ’s are considered to be outside of U.S. Customs Territory for purposes of duty payment. Located at or near (60 miles max) customs ports of entry, they are the United States version of what are known internationally as “free trade zones.”

Foreign Trade Zone 260 (FTZ-260) is strategically located in the South Plains area in order to provide a central United States location for businesses looking to meet increasing trade demands. The Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (LBB) is this region’s United States Customs and Border Protection designated international port of entry and houses a resident CBP Port Director who offices at the airport. The Lubbock FTZ-260 was approved by the Foreign Trade Zones Board on January 14, 2004 and covers 693 acres on the Lubbock International Airport and 2,000 acres on the deactivated Reese USAF base.

Feel free to check out additional information on the Benefits of FTZs: for communities, businesses, and many other additional benefits.

• Areas of Concentration
• Business Retention
• Business Recruitment
• Foreign Trade Zone
• Workforce Development
• Marketing
• Young Professionals