LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Advantage Kentucky Alliance (AKA) in partnership with Greater Louisville Inc., the Kentucky Export Initiative, and support from several planning partners and sponsors, is offering sessions this fall in a proven program designed to help small- and mid-sized Kentucky manufacturers and other interested companies boost their sales through profitable exports.
Developed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, ExporTech™ is a national export technical assistance program that provides companies with a systematic process for entering or expanding in global markets and connects them with the best international business experts in the region.
Training and individualized mentoring are provided in a wide range of topics, including financing, payment risk, compliance, sales and distribution, country selection, and more.
The program assists participants in developing a peer-reviewed export growth plan and features three day-long workshops spanning 10 weeks. Many companies move from planning to closing export sales in as little as three to six months.
“With 95 percent of the world’s consumers currently living outside our nation’s borders, for many Kentucky companies, capturing and accelerating profitable new sales and customers abroad can be a very effective growth strategy.
On average, companies that participate in ExporTech™ generate between $500,000 to $700,000 in new export sales and create about five additional jobs that will boost Kentucky’s economy,” said Gordon Garrett, Business Development Platform Manager for AKA.
In addition to AKA, the primary ExporTech™ planning partners include its federal partner, National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST/MEP), the U.S. Commercial Service, FedEx, Small Business Development Center, and the University of Louisville.
Also, as part of the program, participants receive access and exposure to trade-related grants and resources such as the Small Business Administration’s STEP Grants and the U.S. Commercial Service’s Gold Key Matching Service.
The program is limited to 8 companies at a time – ideally with 2 or 3 leaders from each company attending. Registration for eligible companies will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.
The start date for the three training sessions is September 14, 2021, with the remainder of the sessions being held on October 27 and November 17 at GLI, in downtown Louisville. For more information and to register go to http://advantageky.org/
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