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Department Director:
Lew Villotti
(412) 391-5590 x302


425 Sixth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA
15219-1852
(412) 391-5590 (P)
(412) 391-9160 (F)
comments@
spcregion.org

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Note: Babel Fish is a third-party resource and a computer translation of the original webpage. It is provided for general information only and should not be regarded as complete or accurate.

 
Planning & Development

Export Development

Read about upcoming Export events!

[ About ] [ Services ] [ Partners ] [ 2010 Activities ] [ Why Export? ] [ Success Story ]
[ Testimonialsl ] [ Market Access Grant ] [ Authorized Trade Representatives ]
[ Pennsylvania International Trade Guide ]

Export Development Expo hosted by SPC, 2011
Export Development Expo hosted by SPC, 2011

About Export Development

The goal of SPC’s Export Development Program is to provide assistance and create opportunities for Southwestern Pennsylvania companies to expand their business internationally, thereby increasing export sales and employment prospects in the region. SPC’s Export Development staff offers consultative services to small- and mid-sized businesses located throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. SPC’s Export Development Program also sponsors and co-sponsors educational seminars and training programs designed for exporters and potential exporters in the region.

Services

Our services include:

  • Export-readiness assessment
  • Market identification and access strategies
  • International market and industry research
  • Trade show and event preparation
  • Market Access Grant (MAG)
  • Business etiquette and negotiation tactics
  • Export documentation and other technical assistance
  • Virtual Trade Advisor

Studies indicate that increased exports contribute significantly to economic growth, yet most small- and mid-sized firms don’t consider international business opportunities because they lack trained personnel or have limited access to international marketing resources. Publicly-funded export programs—like SPC’s Export Development Program—provide assistance and afford these companies the opportunity to be internationally successful while contributing to our region’s economic growth.

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Export Development Expo hosted by SPC, 2011
Export Development Expo hosted by SPC, 2011

Partners

As the region’s Local Development District, SPC partners with various state- and federally-funded organizations related to international business development including:

Duquesne University Small Business Development Center
Department of Community and Economic Development,
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Saint Vincent College SBDC, Center for Global Competitiveness
U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service
U.S. Appalachian Regional Commission

In addition, SPC works with a global network of Authorized Trade Representatives representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These representatives provide market research and other services from countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and North and South America.

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2010 Activities

As the nation undertakes efforts to double U.S. exports in the next five years, the growth of Pennsylvania exports during the first half of 2010 outpaced national exports by more than five percent. For Southwestern Pennsylvania, in the second half of 2010, reported export sales from SPC’s clients have increased over 20% from the same period last year. According to a study conducted by the Office of International Business Development of the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), Pennsylvania’s export development program has created or retained10,261 jobs and generated $53.3 million tax revenue for the Commonwealth in the past two years statewide. SPC’s Export Development program has contributed about 14% of that achievement. The program has been acknowledged as having one of the highest return-on-investment ratios in DCED.  

In 2010, SPC’s Export Development program continued to meet the high demand for export assistance services from businesses in the region, many of which are now depending on international sales more than ever before.  SPC’s Export Development program and the hands-on services it offers were vital to the exporters in this region for identifying their export markets and finding overseas distributors. SPC’s Export Development program served 219 companies including 27 new clients by completing over 300 export-related service requests.  In 2010, staff assisted local companies in attending trade events, meeting overseas prospects, and receiving export development grants.  SPC worked closely with our local export network partners to provide various export-related seminars and training events in the region to introduce companies to the export process. In 2010, client businesses reported $51.3 million export sales attributable to SPC’s Export Development services. 

SPC export development staff & PA overseas trade representatives at PIW, September 2010
SPC export development staff & PA overseas trade representatives at PIW, September 2010

With limited resources, SPC’s Export Development program successfully hosted a large-scale PA International Week (PIW) in our region in September 2010. PIW is a signature annual event of DCED to promote Pennsylvania’s exports to the world by bringing overseas trade representatives from 21 countries to provide business counseling services to local companies that are interested in selling their products and services overseas. The event provided 220 appointments for agents from 53 local firms to meet one-on-one with PA trade representatives to discuss their export market potentials and opportunities. Many event attendees told SPC how valuable this program was in terms of assisting their export development needs.  

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Export Development Expo hosted by SPC, 2011
Export Development Expo hosted by SPC, 2011

Why Export?

  1. Many studies and statistics show that exports contribute and often lead to economic growth. Although the Southwestern Pennsylvania region has substantial potential to export, the volume of the region's exports is significantly below the nation's average.  As a result, export development has become an essential component of the region's economic growth.
  2. The average company in Southwestern Pennsylvania employs 16 people.  Small firms often overlook international business opportunities because they lack trained personnel and international marketing knowledge.  Publicly-funded export development programs provide assistance and opportunities to these small businesses, while increasing their chance for success.
  3. Southwestern Pennsylvania has witnessed a shift in industry, from traditional manufacturing to advanced manufacturing, technology and services.  Export development is a crucial component for growth in these new clusters.  Our program offers the necessary resources to companies in these industries, many of whom lack in-house international representation.

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Success Story

Randall Industries LLC, a small, veteran-owned chemical producer, is a new-to-export company. Although the company had over 20 years of production experience, the new owner didn’t have much experience in exporting and ran into difficulties with their pre-existing arrangement in Asia. After the company was referred to SPC by a Small Business Development Center, Export Development staff worked with PA trade offices in Asia to help Randall to establish a reliable distribution channel to Asian markets. After many meetings, conference calls, and emails, SPC staff helped Randall’s executives travel to Asia by obtaining a Market Access Grant from DCED to support the small company’s export development effort. The service helped not only to make Randall’s first trip to Asia easier, but also provided valuable assistance in terms of understanding the market, customers, business culture and practices in Asia.

 Although the trip was less than a week, the result of the trip was significant to the company. During the trip in May 2010, Randall executives had opportunities to meet with several potential distributors and obtained first-hand information about the complex business relationships between new and existing partnerships. By July 2010, two months after the trip, the company awarded the exclusive distributorship to a carefully selected partner in Asia.  In September 2010, Randall’s first export shipment arrived in Asia. 

“This arrangement (exporting to Asia) will lead to additional jobs and opportunities here in Western Pennsylvania. We are looking to purchase new equipment and hiring additional plant workers and engaging contractors.” –Greg Spencer, President, Randall Industries LLC  

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Testimonials

 “SPC is always my first call for export questions and support.  Staff are very quick to respond and always helpful.”  - James Burd, Preservation Technologies,  - Butler County

“Outstanding and invaluable service during tough economic times.” – Ashok Mathur, Pittsburgh Iron Oxides, LLC – Beaver County

“(SPC staff) reach out and do great job assisting us with our distributor search and overall export business.” – Tony Todaro, Arch International Steel Building – Allegheny County

“(SPC staff) have been invaluable in helping us expand our technology company internationally.  It would have not happened without their support and help.” -
Ria David, Cybergenentics Corp.  – Allegheny County

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Market Access Grant

This program is designed to enhance the capability of small and mid-sized Pennsylvania companies to increase export sales. The PA Market Access Grant (MAG) is a valuable tool available to export ready companies seeking financial assistance and foreign market entry support. Through this matching grant program with a maximum annual award of $3,000 provided by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development’s Office of International Business Development (OIBD), the grant can offset a portion of the qualifying expenses associated with international marketing initiatives. For more information and application on the MAG, please contact export@spcregion.org.

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Authorized Trade Representatives

Flag of Australia
AUSTRALIA (New Zealand)

NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA
Flag of Canada
CANADA
Flag of Mexico
MEXICO
Flag of Brazil
BRAZIL
Flag of Chile
CHILE
Flag of South Africa
SOUTH AFRICA

MIDDLE EAST
Flag of Saudi Arabia
SAUDI ARABIA
Flag of the United Arab Emirates
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Yemen)
Flag of Israel
ISRAEL (Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Turkey)

EUROPE
Flaf of the Czech Republic
CZECH REPUBLIC (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia)
Flag of France
FRANCE
Flag of Germany
GERMANY (Italy, Switzerland, Austria)
Flag of the Netherlands
THE NETHERLANDS (Belgium)
Flag of Spain
SPAIN
Flag of the United Kingdom
UNITED KINGDOM (Ireland, Scandinavia)

ASIA
Flag of China
CHINA
Flag of India
INDIA
Flag of Japan
JAPAN
Flag of Singapore
SINGAPORE (Thailand, Malaysia,  Indonesia, Philippines)
Flag of South Korea
SOUTH KOREA
Flag of Taiwan
TAIWAN
Flag of Vietnam
VIETNAM

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Pennsylvania International Trade Guide

The site provides export tutorials, frequently asked questions, an Export Readiness Assessment, a statewide calendar of export-related events, and an easy way to get in contact with your Regional Export Network (REN) representative designated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

This site was funded by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development
and developed by the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia.
www.exportingPA.org.

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For more information on the Export Development Program, contact Rena Liu-Belshe, Manager, at (412) 391-5590 x320 or e-mail export@spcregion.org.

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