San Diego & Imperial DEC was named as the “2016 DEC of the Year” by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Congratulations, thank you for your hard work and contributions to the exporting community!!! Judie Reinke, Deputy Director General, US and Foreign Commercial Service – ITA, has presented the “DEC of the Year” award to the representatives of the San Diego & Imperial DEC at the National DEC Forum in Washington, DC.
In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the 2016 National DEC Forum provided an update on the latest trends impacting exports and your DEC. This year’s Forum activities included the following:
– Trade and Legislative by Dr. Robert Brown (KY DEC), Chair – Communications & Outreach by Philip Pittsford (IL DEC) – Social Media/website by Dr. Oz Erdem (North-Central West FL DEC)
– Dr. Robert Brown – moderator – John Andersen, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere, U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce – Philip Pittsford – Dr. Oz Erdem
Jordan Haas, Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
National District Export Council launches the “Americas Outreach Initiative” program. This program is designed to counter the wave of protectionism regarding existing and proposed Free Trade Agreements, particularly for the Americas region. Main objective of this initiative is to build support for our trade policies and trade agreements specifically within our Hispanic community country-wide. NDEC considers the following actions as part of the Americas Outreach Initiative roadmap:
– Communication of the good news of how our SME exporters and their Latin American partners have benefited from these Free Trade Agreements, and
– Communication of our many trade agreement successes to the public and our large exporting community, but with the addition of new partners to develop export sales in these markets.
In order to pursue these goals, NDEC plans to organize and promote the organization through the DECs seminars, webinars and meetings focusing on TTP, success of exporters in utilization of the existing FTAs in Americas, as well as export opportunities in Latin America for the U.S. exporters. Key partners of the National DEC in this initiative will include the following organizations:
– U.S. Export Assistance Centers (USEAC),
– U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC),
– American Association Chambers of Commerce in Latin America and the Caribbean (AACCLA), and
– American Chambers of Commerce (AmCham).
For further information, please see the charter at NDEC_AmericasInitiative_7_1_16, or contact NDEC Steering Committee members Tom Norwalk (tomnorwalk@usaexporter.org) and Ozkan Erdem (oerdem@usaexporter.org)
Learn more about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Its Importance to You and How You Can Be Engaged.
September 22, 2016 – Thursday, Washington, DC
• Morning Session: International Trade Symposium. Organized in cooperation with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to be held at the Vietnam House in D.C. Vietnam is a key player in TPP Negotiations.
• Afternoon Session: Meetings on Capitol Hill with our respective elected officials and/or staff to discuss TPP.
• Evening: Reception on Capitol Hill.
To register, go to Fourth Annual International Trade Symposium registration
September 23, 2016 – Friday, Washington, DC
Organized in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce, to be held at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center building. Come learn about the latest trends impacting exports and your DEC.
To register, go to 2016 National DEC Forum registration.
Join us at these important events. Details and an agenda will be available as we move closer to the event.
By Tammy Marquez-Oldham
Director, OSBDCN Global Trade Center and the Portland Community College SBDC
President of NASBITE International
Oregon DEC
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Making the decision to take a step into the global marketplace can be daunting and mysterious. So many rules and regulations. How do I know what I do not know? What if I do something wrong?
According to the Small Business Administration, only one percent of the United States’ 30 million businesses export their products. This percentage is lower than any other developed country in the world, yet, 95% of all customers are found outside the US. Wow, really?
What this means is that there is a relatively untapped market place available to those who are in a position to take advantage of the opportunity to sell globally. Especially for those who are able to expand into multiple countries. Only 58 percent of the companies that export goods do so to one country. If making the move into the global market is right for your business, there is the potential for improving your sales by going global.
Questions to Ask Before You Go Global
Is your company profitable and strong at home?
Key things to consider: operations, finance, management, marketing strategy, and staff. You must be confident with where your business stands on a day-to-day operating basis as well as trust that your staff is knowledgeable and capable of maintaining operations and expansion before you begin selling globally. Do you have management commitment? Is there an export plan? Does your product need modification?
Can you financially afford to go global?
Any time a business expands, the preexisting location may have to take on part of the burden of that expansion. What additional financial resources are needed? Will your company be able to not only survive but continue to thrive during this transition? Answering this question to the best of your abilities will give you a much-needed perspective on whether or not to proceed. An export plan will test your assumptions.
Should you expand your online presence instead?
Also considered in your export plan: is there enough of a demand for your products or services to warrant a physical expansion of your business globally or would you be better off improving your website to cater to global customers. This may be a good interim-step to test out the new global marketplace before considering more advanced stages of exporting.
Do Your Global Market Research
Global Market Research will help you identify which country, how many customers, what are the customer’s preferences, how much of a product similar to yours is being consumed and so much more. If you identify data which indicates a possible global market place there are resources able to confirm your assumptions.
