Ohio Offers Export Assistance to Qualifying Companies
Published on by Scott Cress in International Business, Wholesale / Distribution
Ohio companies exported greater than $52 billion worth of goods to 216 countries and territories in 2014. The Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) offers many programs that create competitive advantages for Ohio businesses in the global marketplace. The exporting assistance programs offer numerous resources including export counseling and education, market research, trade missions and export-focused interns as aids. The ODSA gives individual support through International Program Directors who provide expertise in several areas including:
- Export readiness assessments
- International business planning
- Market prioritization
- Country and product research
- Compliance and documentation
- Logistics
- Trade mission preparation
- Education and promotional programs
The state maintains a network of international offices in Canada, Brazil, China, Mexico, Europe, India and Japan to promote the export of Ohio goods and services. The international office support provides customized market research, international partner searches and customer due diligence in order to help an Ohio company expand internationally. Another helpful tool is the opportunity for executives to go on a trade mission, an international trip lead by government officials that help CEO’s explore possible international relations. Trade missions involve one-on-one meetings with foreign industry executives, networking events, roundtables and site visits. Through the help of international offices and trade missions, a company gains a better understanding of what each country has to offer.
The ODSA also provides the opportunity for young individuals to intern at companies that are aiming to go abroad. The internship program matches companies with export-trained interns that will spend their summer helping a company develop internationally. Lastly, in order to make exporting possible, Ohio offers financial assistance since the cost of building a company internationally is expensive.
The Ohio International Market Access Grant for Exporters (IMAGE), reimburses companies up to $10,000 for international trade shows, trade missions, international advertising and web translation. A second option is the Appalachia Export Grant (AEG), which refunds companies a maximum of $5,000 for international trade shows and international advertising.
To learn more about the various export assistance programs offered by Ohio contact a Barnes Dennig representative today by clicking here, or call 513-241-8313 to speak with a member of our team.
