2009 Kansas Exporter of the Year Nominations now being accepted
Each year, the Governor’s Exporter of the Year award is presented to a single Kansas company that has demonstrated excellence in international marketing. In addition to honoring some of our state’s most successful companies, the annual award serves to remind all Kansas businesses that international marketing can benefit virtually any company willing to seek out untapped markets. Governor Sebelius invites you to participate in the selection of the 2009 Exporter of the Year by nominating a deserving Kansas company.
Please download and fill out the nomination form. Applications will be accepted through January 26, 2009.
If you have any questions please contact Greg Call, Int'l Trade Rep. at (316) 771-6808, gcall@kansascommerce.com.
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Kansas International Trade Resource Directory
Are you looking for a resource that will assist you in your business outside of the United States? The Kansas International Trade Resource Directory can help you find the proper service provider.
If you have any questions or have any corrections to the database, please contact Larry Childs, Int'l Trade Rep. at (785) 296-5263 or lchilds@kansascommerce.com.
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Feature Story:
Lieutenant Governor Parkinson hosts Chinese business delegation in Topeka
(Posted on December 15, 2008)
Lieutenant Governor Mark Parkinson and Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary David Kerr hosted a business delegation from China’s Henan Province — Kansas’ long-time sister-state partner — today in Topeka to discuss trade and investment opportunities.
Lieutenant Governor Parkinson welcomed the delegation at 9 a.m. in the Curtis State Office Building, where the group signed a ceremonial Memorandum of Understanding reaffirming the two regions’ 27-year-old sister-state relationship. The delegation then toured Payless ShoeSource in Topeka before attending a luncheon with the Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of Commerce and select Kansas business leaders.
The six-member delegation was headed by Cao Weixin, Lieutenant Governor of the People’s Government of Henan Province, and included Henan government officials and business leaders with ties to Kansas.
“We’re honored that Lieutenant Governor Cao Weixin and the Henan delegation accepted our invitation to visit with us in Topeka,” Lieutenant Governor Parkinson said. “For nearly 30 years, the Kansas-Henan sister-state relationship has fostered dialogue, cultural exchange and profitable business ties between the two regions. This meeting in Topeka was a chance to visit with our friends from Henan and build on this relationship.”
The delegation was the first Chinese group to meet with Kansas Department of Commerce officials since February, when Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Commerce staff hosted the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Zhou Wenzhong, in Topeka. Henan provincial officials visited Kansas twice in 2007.
China was Kansas’ fifth-largest trade partner in 2007, purchasing more than $489 million in Kansas products. Overall, Kansas totaled a record $10.25 billion in exports worldwide in 2007, marking the third straight year Kansas has achieved an all-time high and the fourth straight year of overall export growth. The 2007 total was an 18.8 percent increase from the previous year’s total of $8.6 billion. Kansas exports have increased nearly 139 percent since 1999, which translates to an average annual increase of $660 million.
The Kansas Department of Commerce provides various services to Kansas companies interested in international trade and overseas expansion. Staff works with businesses to assess a company’s export readiness, research potential export markets and explain the export process. The Division also works with foreign companies that are looking to make investments in Kansas.
For more information, contact Joe Monaco, Public Information Officer with the Kansas Department of Commerce, at (785) 296-3760 or
jmonaco@kansascommerce.com.
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