Pictured left to right: Tom Rountree, Director of International Sales, Riverside Pump; Jerry B. Leach, President, Riverside Pump; Congressman John Spratt and Ann Watts, Director, Columbia U.S. Export Assistance Center

Riverside Pump Manufacturing, Inc., located in Cheraw, SC, had received its first order from a Canadian buyer in the summer of 2003 and sought information from the Columbia U.S. Export Assistance. Company President Jerry Leach and International Sales Director Tom Rountree came to the USEAC in June of 2003 with questions regarding insuring the pending sale. USEAC Director Ann Watts arranged for Small Business Administration Export Finance Specialist Dan Holt in Charlotte, and later, Eximbank representatives, to meet with Riverside for consultation. SBA arranged for a working capital loan to restructure Riverside’s term debt and set up both international and domestic lines of credit.

Ms. Watts also referred Riverside to the Eximbank representative for insurance on its export shipments, which allowed the company to qualify for the SBA loans. Then she referred the SC Export Consortium to Riverside for a market research study of potential markets.

Riverside made export sales while availing itself of training opportunities offered by the U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC) and other export assistance providers. USEAC-provided training covered such topics as NAFTA qualifying, CE Mark requirements, and Wood Packaging Regulations.

In early 2006, International Sales Director Rountree reported that distributors had been signed to open new markets in France (R.C.H. France), Italy (PipeTech S.r.l.) and Norway (Oslo Technical Service AS), with increased sales to Belgium, France, Spain and Trinidad. The company also won a government sales contract in Cyprus, and has gained representation in the Caribbean market. Mr. Rountree appreciated the early and continued support given to Riverside Pump Manufacturing in growing its export sales. Riverside Pumps, built in South Carolina, are now a truly international product brand.

Note: The U.S. Commercial Service is a Commerce Department agency that helps small and midsized U.S. businesses sell their products and services globally. The Columbia U.S. Export Assistance Center is part of the agency’s worldwide network, which includes 108 U.S. Export Assistance Centers throughout the United States and more than 150 international offices. Last year, the agency helped U.S. companies generate $34 billion in export sales.