There are some excellent state and local organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region that can help you develop export business.
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Small Business Development Centers
As part of America’s SBDC network, the most comprehensive small business assistance network in the U.S., these organizations help companies at every stage of their business lifecycle. This includes working with business owners who are interested in expanding their sales to overseas markets. SBDCs in our region include:
Business owners are often unsure about export processes, rules, and regulations. The SBDCs can help them determine if and how exporting fits with their overall business plans, how to find the right markets, establish the right distribution chains, and price effectively to preserve profits.
State Export Programs
Our three States each have departments that can help businesses expand their export sales:
- Export Delaware is in an initiative of the Delaware Department of State, and the official export resource for Delaware’s small businesses.
- Pennsylvania Office of International Business Development (OIBD) offers one of the largest state-sponsored export development programs in the United States.
- New Jersey Office of Export Promotion works with New Jersey’s small and mid-sized companies interested in expanding their products and services through export.
Each group can help companies grow their export sales by providing global insights and connections. They also have international representatives in several strategic world markets to help exporters. Their key services include:
- Export assistance: This includes export counseling, tailored to a company’s specific needs and objectives. State international trade professionals and overseas representatives work one-on-one with companies to provide in-depth analysis and expertise that’s relevant to their export sales goals.
- International shows and missions: This includes participation in international trade events across the globe for key regional industries.
- Research: This includes access to a wide variety of databases to identify leads and evaluate potential markets.
State Departments of Agriculture
The three State Departments of Agriculture serving our region offer a number of excellent programs and services to help food and agricultural product exporters:
These include export training, grants, trade missions, tradeshows, and marketing information. They can also help companies access the USDA “Branded Programs” for cost-share funding to support the overseas promotion of branded and private label food and agricultural products. Access to these and other Federally-funded programs is through Regional Agricultural Trade Groups supported by the USDA. These are the Southern U.S. Trade Association, for Maryland, and the Food Export USA Northeast for Delaware and Pennsylvania.
World Trade Centers
As part of a network of a global network of World Trade Centers, the four serving our region offer a variety of programs and resources to stimulate international trade. Our WTCs include:
All three offer a direct link to over 750,000 international companies through approximately 300 World Trade Centers in close to 100 countries. Whether you are an established corporation already exporting, or a small business interested in global trade, they offer resources that businesses need to compete internationally.