For Immediate Release: June 8, 2010
Contact: Cory Churches (202) 482-3809
U.S. Commerce Department Connects Ohio Exporters with Financing Opportunities
CLEVELAND – More than 50 Cleveland-based exporters learned about a variety of financing opportunities available to them during today’s “Finding Financing for Exporters” seminar sponsored by the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA).
“American exporters are facing increasing challenges in obtaining financing that can help them enter and compete in today’s global marketplace,” said Commerce Deputy Assistant Secretary for Services Joel Secundy. “We are arming Cleveland’s exporting community with the tools and know-how to take advantage of services offered by banks and U.S. government agencies to turn exporting opportunities into business deals.”
The seminar brought together trade finance experts from both the public and private sectors, including officials from the U.S. Export-Import Bank, the U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Federal Reserve, to discuss the resources available to Cleveland’s exporters, especially small and medium-sized companies, for their financing needs.
The ITA offers support to businesses of all sizes with a strong focus on small and medium-sized firms. ITA publishes The Trade Finance Guide: A Quick Reference for U.S. Exporters and A Basic Guide to Exporting (10th edition), both of which offer clear concise information to firms regarding the ins and outs of exporting.
Secundy also presented Miller Weldmaster, a Navarre, Ohio-based manufacturing company, with an Export Achievement Certificate. Miller Weldmaster, with 65 employees, makes welding seam machines for industrial fabrics for clients in 80 countries, and estimates that 60 percent of the company’s sales come from customers outside the United States. The Export Achievement Certificate program recognizes small and medium-sized U.S. businesses that have either successfully entered the international marketplace for the first time or have entered a new market.
ITA’s mission is to improve the global business environment and help U.S. companies and workers compete at home and abroad. For more information, please visit www.trade.gov.
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International Trade Administration
The International Trade Administration (ITA) is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. ITA has 2,100 employees assisting U.S. exporters in more than 100 U.S. cities and 77 countries worldwide. For more information on ITA visit www.trade.gov.
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.