Export Delaware, the State’s official export resource for Delaware’s small and medium-sized businesses, is now accepting State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Grant applications from qualified businesses. STEP Grants offer eligible Delaware businesses assistance to help launch or expand export activity. Grant funds can be used to reimburse Delaware businesses for up to 50 percent of all pre-approved, eligible, export marketing expenses, up to a maximum of $7,000 per fiscal year, per company. Funds now can be used on several marketing/sales initiatives without ever leaving Delaware.

“The global marketplace holds real promise for Delaware companies, and their success in pursuing opportunities abroad will be one of the key factors in our state’s ability to thrive in the 21st century economy,” said Delaware Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “Businesses around the world have an appetite for U.S. products, especially those from the manufacturing, bioscience and technology industries, where Delaware’s small businesses excel.”

Eligible, export marketing expenses include international business travel, website translation and global optimization, design of international marketing material, export education and training, CE Mark and compliance testing, translation of product information/user manuals, and exhibiting at international trade shows to name a few.

In its history, the STEP Grant Program has supported 96 Delaware small businesses with over $1 million in grant funds. As a result of the activity, the participants have achieved $148 million in export sales and 52 Delaware jobs have been created.

“We encourage Delaware small businesses to take advantage of the STEP Grant Program to help offset the costs of their export marketing efforts,” said Export Trade Director Beth Pomper. “Export Delaware programming does all the heavy lifting for you. We identify potential customers and distributors for our Delaware companies and organize business meetings for you to meet clients overseas in their markets. These grants make international travel affordable. If you meet with a potential customer who goes on to generate $1 million in business for your organization, it’s clearly worth the investment.”

Delaware small businesses who have been in business longer than one year and have an export plan are encouraged to apply. Interested applicants are encouraged to download the application here and apply now. Contact the Export Delaware team with any questions at 302-577-8464 or via email at export@delaware.gov.

As we approach November 14^th, we join with our Indian neighbors and friends in celebrating Diwali.  It is the celebration of lights with deep cultural significance, celebrating the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.  “I especially wish a Happy Diwali to our sister state of Gujarat,” says Secretary Jeff Bullock, “and wish everyone endless joy, prosperity, health and wealth forever.”

WILMINGTON, Del. – Global supply chains will be forever changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. No company or organization will have one sole source of supply in any one country again. Sourcing is already shifting away from China and toward other markets. This offers a bright side for Delaware businesses, as exports could ultimately increase.

Local businesses can learn more about how international markets and exports will be affected by this pandemic from a new webinar series presented by Export Delaware: “Global Conversations….With Our Export Delaware Family Worldwide”.

“For business professionals, now is the time to be proactive and assess which countries and markets are best for you to focus on,” said Beth Pomper, director of Export Delaware, a division of the Delaware Department of State. “While we are all working from home, it is important to maintain relationships with those clients you have or new ones you met on business trips, and learn what you can do proactively now to relaunch when borders open.”

The Export Delaware foreign trade office family will be featured in each session, providing details of their current market situation and opportunities in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, South America, Canada, South Korea and Southeast Asia.

The sessions will be interactive, with an opportunity to ask questions live from home. Exporters already doing business in the region and businesses just curious to learn more are encouraged to join. Registration is complimentary.

Opportunities for Delaware Exporters in Australia & New Zealand
Live from Brisbane, Australia
April 21, 2020 at 4:00 PM
Register Here

Join us for a free webinar addressing the current state of play in the Australian and New Zealand markets, the future outlook, and tips for conducting international business in this challenging time.

European Market Overview and Forecast
Live from Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
April 28, 2020 at 11:00 AM
Register Here

Join us for this webinar to learn first-hand about the current business situation and future outlook in the United Kingdom and Ireland from Delaware’s trade representative, Declan Barry. Declan will share how suppliers will be diversifying, and outline opportunities for Delaware exporters.

Mexico and South America Market Overview and Forecast
Live from Mexico City
Friday, May 8, 2020 at 10:00 AM
Register Here

Join us on this webinar to learn first-hand about what’s going on in South America, specifically, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru. Delaware’s trade representative in Latin America, Miguel de Regil will share his intel on the ground from Mexico.

Opportunities for Delaware Exporters in South Korea and Southeast Asia
Live from Seoul and Singapore
Monday, May 12, 8:00 AM
Register Here

Join us for a free webinar addressing the current state of business in South Korea and Southeast Asia. Delaware’s trade representatives, Ken Yang and Sarath Menon will provide a future outlook in their markets and share tips for conducting international business during this challenging time.

Proactive Strategies for Increasing your Business in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria
Live from Frankfurt, Germany
Tuesday, May 19, 10:00 AM
Register Here 

Join us for a free Zoom meeting addressing the current business situation and opportunities for Delaware businesses in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. As Germany will likely be the first country in Europe to open its borders, learn what you can proactively be doing now to expand and launch your products. Delaware’s trade representatives, Anette Hass, Sebastian Hass, Markus Wellman, and Fred Glickman from PM&P partners will share their perspectives from Germany.

About Export Delaware

If you are a new exporter, or want to explore new markets, we can help you get started! Export Delaware is an initiative of the Delaware Department of State. Our experienced staff provides on-site guidance to businesses that are looking to explore export opportunities or to expand their current export activities to new markets. We are the official global division of the State of Delaware; with a network of State foreign trade offices worldwide and funding assistance to help Delaware businesses. To connect with our team, contact Export@delaware.gov or go to www.export.delaware.gov.

DOVER – For the fifth year in a row, the Delaware Department of State has received a State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) award from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA.) This year’s award totals $268,096 and will be used to support the state’s efforts to assist small Delaware companies in entering and developing markets overseas.

The program’s objectives are to increase the number of U.S. small businesses that export, increasing sales and ultimately generating jobs in Delaware. The STEP Grant program makes matching-fund awards to states to assist small businesses in the international marketplace. Delaware will match the SBA grant with $89,365, bringing the total available for export efforts to $357,461.

To date, 96 Delaware small businesses have participated in the program. As a result, these small businesses report $48 million in new export sales, and project over $180 million in additional export sales in the next two years. In addition, 27 Delaware jobs have been created.

“The STEP Grant funds from the SBA have proven instrumental to Delaware entrepreneurs in yielding new international business. This program is a direct source of new growth for our state’s economy,” said Delaware Secretary of State Jeff Bullock.

As with previous STEP grants, a significant portion of the grant will be used to directly reimburse small- and medium-sized companies for eligible, pre-approved export expenses such as international travel, trade show activities, translation of international marketing materials, and overseas interpreters. Without STEP grant funds, the costs of these services would otherwise prohibit many Delaware small businesses from entering certain international markets.

Export Delaware, the state’s official export resource for small businesses, will use the grant to finance export-related marketing activities. Delaware small businesses that are interested in applying may learn more about the program at export.delaware.gov.

“We are thrilled to continue to support Delaware’s small businesses as they begin to export and grow through increased international sales. We expect to build upon the success of this tremendous SBA program in 2020 and the years to come,” said Beth Pomper, head of Export Delaware.

This year, Export Delaware is offering business trips to Israel, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Chile, Peru, and the Philippines. These trade missions are designed specifically for Delaware small businesses and provide the opportunity for their teams to meet one-on-one with potential customers and distributors overseas.

Delaware’s international trade representatives work with Export Delaware to organize meetings with targeted customers tailored to each participant’s needs. Delaware’s trade representatives abroad have wide networks in their countries, enabling them to secure meetings with high-level decision makers. Export Delaware staff accompany Delaware businesses in their meetings to help facilitate discussion and work toward deals.

Delaware small businesses that have joined Export Delaware trips in the past have successfully identified new distributors and partners. Export Delaware has helped small businesses achieve significant growth. Recent highlights include:

● $4.2 million purchase order as a result of a grant-funded business trip to the UK
● $3.5 million in sales as result of a trip to Germany
● $3.5 million in sales as a result of trips to Canada and Mexico

To learn more about the STEP Grant and how to apply, visit export.delaware.gov or contact Beth Pomper at beth.pomper@delaware.gov

DOVER – For the fourth year in a row, the Delaware Department of State has received a State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) award from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA.) This year’s award totals $268,096 and will be used to support the state’s efforts to assist small Delaware companies in entering and developing markets overseas.

The program’s objectives are to increase the number of U.S. small businesses that export and to increase the value of exports from small businesses. The STEP Grant program makes matching-fund awards to states to assist small businesses in the international marketplace. Delaware will match the SBA grant with $89,365, bringing the total available for export efforts to $357,461.

As with previous STEP grants, a significant portion of the grant will be used to directly reimburse small- and medium-sized companies for eligible, pre-approved export expenses such as international travel, trade show activities, international marketing materials and overseas interpreters.

Companies that have participated in the program in previous years report $16 million in new export sales, and project over $109 million in additional export sales in the next two years.

“The STEP Grant funds from the SBA make our strategic export program possible. It’s proven to be a tremendous asset to our small businesses and a significant new source of growth for Delaware’s economy,” said Delaware Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock.

Export Delaware, the state’s official export resource for small businesses, will use the grant to finance export-related marketing activities. Delaware small businesses that are interested in applying may learn more about the program at export.delaware.gov.

This year, Export Delaware is offering business trips to Colombia, Ireland and the UK, Australia, Southeast Asia and South Korea. These trade missions are designed specifically for Delaware small businesspersons, and provide the opportunity for them to meet one-on-one with potential customers and distributors overseas.

Delaware’s international trade representatives work with Export Delaware to organize meetings with targeted customers. Delaware’s trade reps have wide networks in their countries, enabling them to secure meetings with high-level decision makers. Often, the trade reps accompany Delaware businesses in their meetings to help facilitate discussion and overcome any cultural barriers.

The STEP Grant covers professional fees for trade reps, translation costs for presentations (if needed) and in-country transportation and interpreters. In addition, Delaware businesses may apply for STEP Grant funds to cover a portion of their travel costs.

“We are excited to continue to build upon our past success and continue to support Delaware’s small businesses as they grow through exporting,” said Beth Pomper, director of Export Delaware.

To date, 50 companies have participated in export events offered by Export Delaware, 40% of which were minority- or women-owned business.

To learn more about the STEP Grant and how to apply, visit export.delaware.gov or contact Beth Pomper at beth.pomper@delaware.gov.