More than $1 million in new export revenue has been achieved by 235 businesses statewide in the year since the Washington Small Business Development Center (WSBDC) export program was started. A partnership of Washington State University and others, the WSBDC has a goal of establishing a “culture of exporting” across the state.
The export program, which started in January 2011 as part of a statewide export initiative sponsored through a grant by the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board, works with new-to-export and new-to-market companies to make each export-ready with a plan for success.
“For many of these businesses, this is the first time they have made a commitment to get serious about exporting,” said Terry Chambers, director of the WSBDC International Trade Program. “Without substantial assistance, including one-on-one advising, many, if not most, would not start the process, let alone be staged to succeed.”
In an effort to share critical information and promote the program, WSBDC trade specialists working with industry experts have presented 17 training workshops and completed a new export portal on the WSBDC website.
The WSBDC is in the process of developing new workshops that address a crucial area of exporting – compliance with laws and regulations. The workshops will help businesses with compliance assessment, processes, procedures, accountability and a compliance manual.
