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.

Wilmington, DE – For the third year in a row, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has granted a State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) award to Delaware’s Department of State. This year’s award totals $221,713 and will be used to support the state’s efforts to assist Delaware companies in entering and developing markets overseas.

The STEP Program makes matching-fund awards to states to assist small businesses in the international marketplace. The program’s objectives are to increase the number of U.S. small businesses that export and to increase the value of exports by small businesses. Delaware will match the SBA grant with $73,904, bringing the total available for export efforts to $295,617.

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.

“The STEP funds from the SBA make our strategic export program possible, and enable local companies to land key accounts that were unattainable before,” said Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock, noting that Delaware companies are anticipating over $16 million in sales as a result of last year’s export program. “We hope other Delaware businesses will take note and take advantage of this terrific program.”

Global Delaware, the state’s international marketing arm, will also use the grant to finance export-related marketing activities, from working with in-country trade reps to organizing trade missions to connect Delaware businesses with buyers and distributors abroad.

This year, Global Delaware is expanding its Strategic Export Program, adding Colombia, Ireland, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia to its list of target countries. Business trips have already been scheduled for Ireland this fall and additional trips are in the works to the other new countries.

STEP grant funds can be used on these business trips to hire interpreters and cover other costs associated with the business trips, such as translating marketing presentations and paying for in-country transportation.

“Last year, 36 companies participated in export events offered by Global Delaware, and we have seen contracts grow and become more consistent,” said Beth Pomper, Global Delaware’s export advisor. “We are excited to continue to leverage our efforts and explore opportunities in our new target countries. As always, we urge local companies to reach out to us to get their export strategy off the ground.”

Delaware companies can learn more about attending a mission or applying for an export grant on the Global Delaware website at global.delaware.gov.

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Governor will meet with business and government leaders in Munich and Berlin to strengthen economic ties

Wilmington, DE – Having made it a top priority to ensure Delaware fully benefits from the global economy, Governor Markell will be in Germany beginning next Tuesday to strengthen relationships with German companies and business organizations.

The visit follows this year’s launch of the Department of State’s ‘Global Delaware’ initiative  (global.delaware.gov) and focuses on the three goals of the program: paving the way for Delaware companies to increase exports, building on Delaware’s global leadership in corporate governance and as a preferred site of incorporation, and promoting the state as a place for foreign companies to expand.

“Success for our state in the 21^st century means looking beyond our borders for ways to create jobs and economic opportunity for Delawareans,” said Markell. “In a world where businesses have more choices than ever about where to invest and where Delaware companies have more opportunities than ever to sell their products around the globe, we must ensure that leading international business communities appreciate all that Delaware has to offer.”

The primary goal of the mission is to strengthen ties with the prospering small- and medium-sized companies (known as “Mittelstand”) of Bavaria, and its capital city of Munich, by meeting with individual businesses as well as organizations that represent and support them. The State aims to leverage its recently strengthened relationship with German companies, including the research company Fraunhofer and the manufacturer Uzin Utz, which will soon open its first U.S. plant in Dover.

“As a German company that has found Delaware to be a great place to do business, we are excited that the Governor is making this trip not only to our home country, but specifically to build relationships in the South of Germany,” said Philipp Utz, President of Uzin Utz Manufacturing North America Inc., a manufacturer of specialty flooring installation products. “Delaware has a lot to be proud of, with a growing business community, a state-of-the-art infrastructure and the ability to offer a skilled workforce. It will be of great benefit to many other German entrepreneurs to learn about the state and Delaware companies will also have a lot to gain from better ties with Germany’s economy.”

As part of Governor Markell’s new export initiative, he will work to develop a network of trade partners for Delaware companies to build on recent success. Germany was one of four key international markets identified as part of the initiative, which focuses on countries with the most buying potential for the products and services that Delaware has to offer.

Delaware exports to Germany have grown by 28.8 percent in the last 2 years. In 2014, Delaware exported $390.4 million in goods and services to Germany. The German economy represents the world’s fourth largest, accounting for more than one-fifth of the European Union’s GDP, and Germany is the United States’ largest European trading partner, as well as the sixth-largest market for U.S. exports.

The Governor will also take advantage of the opportunity to meet with prominent leaders of Germany’s legal community to promote the advantages of forming Delaware business entities and using Delaware’s courts for dispute resolution. Significant international growth has been a chief reason that Delaware set historic highs in the number of new companies formed last year.

Finally, the Governor will discuss opportunities to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) by Germany in Delaware. Germany invests more than $270 billion per year in the U.S., making it one of the leading sources for FDI. Germany invests the fourth-most of any country in Delaware, investing more than $270 million per year as of 2013.

In addition to connecting with individual companies and entrepreneurs across a variety of industries, Markell will meet with leaders from:

• IHK’s Munich and Upper Bavaria chapter, with about 400,000 member companies;
• The Bavarian Industry Association, which represents more than 100 Bavarian economic and employers’ associations, as well as 30 individual companies from diverse industries;
• BioM, the networking agency for the biotechnology sector in Munich and Bavaria; and
• Factory Berlin, Germany’s largest start-up campus, which supports many thriving new companies, particularly in technology fields.

The State delegation, which arrives in Munich on Tuesday and returns the following Monday, will also include:

• Ian Wright, Board Member of the Delaware Bioscience Association who is a German-speaking former employee of Siemens (headquartered in Munich) and an active member of the Delaware business community;
• Lydia Sarson, Director of the German American Chamber of Commerce in Philadelphia;
• Andrea Tinianow, Director of Global Delaware; and
• Michael Marquardt, global advisor to the Department of State

The trip is estimated to cost less than $50,000 and will be the first foreign trade mission in which the Governor is participating since he visited Israel two years ago.

The launch of Global Delaware provides an opportunity to expand on progress from the Governor’s earlier international efforts and has already produced results. The program helped recruit AB Group Packaging Inc., a 30-year-old paper bag and flexible packaging producer with plants in Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom, which is slated to open its first U.S. plant in Delaware this summer, creating 87 new full-time jobs.

In addition, Global Delaware sponsored a mission to Canada so that Delaware farmers could meet with senior purchasing executives of Canada’s four largest retail chains, giving them unprecedented access to key buyers. The Canadian retailers – none of which had bought from Delaware before – all made commitments to purchase produce from Delaware growers.

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