Press Release

Senior Bush Administration Official Honors Evansville Company for Export Achievement

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary David Sampson today presented the U.S. Commerce Department's Export Achievement Certificate to Escalade Sports Company of Evansville, Indiana. The award is presented to businesses that have benefited from the Department's Commercial Service export assistance to make their first export sale or open new foreign markets.

"There has never been a better time for exporting, and Escalade Sports is an outstanding example of how U.S. firms are increasing their bottom-line by making new sales abroad," Sampson said. "The Bush administration will continue to give companies all the tools they need to increase exports that support jobs in Indiana and across America."

Escalade Sports manufactures a line of sports equipment ranging from basketball goals and table tennis tables to playground equipment. When Escalade Sports was looking for new export opportunities for its products, it turned to the U.S. Commercial Service for assistance.

A long-term client of the Indianapolis U.S. Export Assistance Center, the company received export counseling and market research, and was soon encouraged to participate in the Commercial Service Gold Key Service Program. Utilizing the Gold Key, Escalade business representatives flew to Mexico and met with close to a dozen prospective partners and upon return to the United States, engaged the Commercial Service to help follow up on leads. As a result of these efforts, in 2005, Escalade was able to identify a distributor in Mexico that resulted in initial sales worth several thousand dollars with the potential for much more.

"The Commercial Service helped us navigate uncharted territory," says Marla Fredrich, Escalade's international sales manager. "Not only did the Commercial Services save me time and resources, but now I have the opportunity to expand my sales into Latin America."

With its network of offices across the U.S. and in more than 80 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. In 2005, the U.S. Commercial Service helped generate nearly 12,500 export successes worth billions of dollars in U.S. export sales. For more information on the Indianapolis U.S. Export Assistance Center, visit www.export.gov.