Distinct Export Councils Bring Network to San Diego

Distinct Export Councils Bring Network to San Diego



Trade: Local Members Behind New Business Group

BY MANDY JACKSON

From San Diego, the military protects the United States and countries around the world, while companies in international trade promote cooperation among nations through business transactions.






It was fitting then that the United States’ 57 District Export Councils started their annual conference last week on the flight deck of the USS John C. Stennis, an aircraft carrier based at Naval Air Station North Island.






Aboard the Stennis, Tim Hauser, the Department of Commerce’s deputy undersecretary for the International Trade Administration, said, “The Navy and international trade have gone together since the founding days of the republic.”






The Navy kept U.S. ports open during the Revolutionary War so goods from Europe could get to American stores. Today, he noted, the U.S. military protects nations around the world, making it safe for American companies to bring business to countries like Iraq and Afghanistan as they rebuild.






The national network of District Export Councils, a program of the Commerce Department’s Commercial Service, has 1,500 members. About 325 DEC members converged on the Coronado Island Marriott from Sept. 16 to 19.






For small and medium-sized companies that don’t know what kind of resources are available to help them expand internationally, DEC volunteers appointed by the Secretary of Commerce link them with business and government contacts that can get them started.






Matt Anderson, director of the Commercial Service in San Diego, said the region has a strong DEC with business leaders from large and small companies. They support small and medium-sized businesses and help put on trade education programs.






Ask The Experts






While in San Diego, local DEC members recruited their colleagues from other cities for a new group of trade experts called the Global Trade Corps.






Charles Robins, a retired businessman and DEC member, is the chairman and founder of the nonprofit Global Trade Corps. Robins is the former chairman of The Robins Group in La Jolla, an investment company specializing in acquisitions and development of manufacturing companies around the world.






Robins said it makes sense to start the Global Trade Corps in California, where more trade is conducted than in any other state.






According to the U.S. Commercial Service, San Diego is the fastest growing export district in the United States. In the last four years, the region’s exports have doubled.






For the Global Trade Corps, DEC members will target mid-sized companies with sales of up to $200 million, and help them become exporters.






“There are a lot of domestic companies that used to be parts of big companies,” Robins said. “Most U.S. businesses in this size range don’t know about the resources available to them.”






He cited resources like the Overseas Private Investment Corp. and the Export-Import Bank, both of which provide loans and insurance for U.S. investors and exporters.






In California, the Global Trade Corps could help make up for the loss of the state’s Technology, Trade, and Commerce Agency.






The state agency closed several regional offices last year, including one in San Diego County. This year, due to the state’s $38 billion budget deficit, funding for the agency was pulled altogether. It will no longer provide financing, research, and other assistance for California companies.






Locally, Poway-based Skate America.com became an exporter without really trying. The mail-order company sells a variety of skateboard products, from equipment, accessory, and clothing manufacturers.






President and CEO Michael Bornstein said many of the 5 percent of Skate America’s customers that are in foreign markets have found the company’s Web site through Internet search engines, or are U.S. citizens stationed on overseas military bases or ships.






The company advertises very little abroad, so far, only in Western Europe. Most of its advertising is in U.S. magazines. Still, Skate America does business in just about every country.






The company is working on expansion plans, focusing on the domestic market first. That focus may shift some since Skate America’s international business is growing by the week. Also, Bornstein said the company doesn’t have a lot of competition that is interested in overseas customers.






“We are the only just-in-time company in our industry,” Bornstein said. “Sometimes it gets out to our customers before it hits our shelves. In some cases, customers in England get their order before customers in New York.”






He said he is interested in working with the District Export Council to help Skate America market the company abroad.






According to the Commercial Service, 97 percent of U.S. exporters are small and medium-sized businesses.






In 2002, the Commercial Service assisted U.S. companies with $23 billion worth of exports. In San Diego County, Export Assistance Centers helped local companies with $92 million in exports last year.