NEWS FROM COMMERCE

A partnership between the Milwaukee company Global Publishers and the U. S. Department of Commerce is now using the Internet as an essential component of an effort to help American firms expand international trade. Global Publishers and the Department of Commerce have developed "MyExports.com" to complement a printed guide to U. S. products and services intended for foreign buyers.

MyExports.com was established with the goal of providing an exporter referral service to connect U. S. businesses to the global marketplace quickly and easily. U. S. firms use MyExports.com to attract new export business, find trading partners and locate providers of export services. Foreign firms use the site as a resource to identify and connect with suppliers of U. S. goods and services.

The innovative website also helps U. S. providers find export management, trading and consulting firms that can develop trade opportunities, solve export problems and facilitate export deals. These export firms offer an array of services, ranging from product design to serving as the producer’s entire export department. MyExports.com can also identify providers of shipping, translation, advertising and other export related services. Accessible on a state- by- state basis, the website assists U. S. producers in locating export service firms in a region of choice. Additionally, U. S. producers wishing to achieve economies- of- scale in exporting or fill large or complex export sales orders by teaming up with like- minded producers, can easily identify prospective export partners by using MyExports.com.

"The Web element offers a way to provide more current information, and it also extends the reach of the guide and that’s a major advantage," says Paul Churchill, director of the Export Assistance Center of the U. S. Department of Commerce in Milwaukee. The year 2000 printed guide, which had a printing run of 50,000, is distributed through Commerce Department channels in 130 countries around the world. The printed guide was formerly known as the Export Yellow Pages and had been published by various other partnerships since 1991.

The evolution of the guide to the Web only makes sense in today’s economy, notes Jim Meinert, director of marketing for Snider Mold Co. The firm is listed in the guide. Meinert recalled his attendance at a recent plastics trade show in Chicago, and all the printed literature he took along - thinking he would distribute much of it. "Thousands of people are passing you in your booth, but no one wanted the literature; they just wanted to know your website," comments Meinert.

And the new electronic version of the international trade guide runs along those lines, letting a business in whatever part of the world type in a key word, such as molds, and instantly get a list of suppliers that would include Snider Mold. International trade accounts for about a third of the firm’s business.

The MyExports.com website offers more advantage than just an extended reach and the ability to more regularly update data. As of July 1, registered companies have access to foreign buyers through the site, which was recently redesigned with the branding help of Hanson, Dodge and Sutter, a Milwaukee- based marketing and communications firm which holds a financial interest in Global Publishers.

The online process is very user- friendly since the system can conduct a full text, subject/ word search in just seconds. "People appreciate the simplicity of the site," said Chris Larson, general manager of Global Publishers. And that’s the intention of MyExports.com, added Jim Horvat, relationship manager for the operation. There are other Web sites that offer international trade connections, "but they tend to be very busy and complicated," he said.

"MyExports.com helps firms with limited export resources compete in international markets," says Vanessa Bachman of the Office of Export Trading Company Affairs (OETCA). "Cost is often seen as a very big barrier to firms interested in getting into international trade," says Jim Meinert of Snider Mold. "But this is a very lowcost way of entry."

Larson hopes the site will help more firms get into the act of international commerce. "We’re targeting small to medium-sized enterprises; we want to make this as simple as a checklist for them," said Larson. "We want to take the China trade deal, for instance, and bring that down to the level of the small business person; what does the deal mean for that person?"

In addition to small to medium- sized enterprises, MyExports.com is also targeting minority owned businesses. Global Publishers, supplementing its 2001 Buyers Guide, also plans to publish a special directory for minority owned businesses and to specially promote the publication on the MyExports.com website enhancing the visibility of these U. S. firms. The Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency is actively promoting U. S. minority owned businesses to take advantage of the special opportunities being offered by MyExports.com.

The other big advantage for MyExports.com is its partnership with the Commerce Department. "There are credibility issues with sites like this, but the government connection adds credibility to our site," Horvat said. MyExports.com is coordinated by OETCA. Churchill, Director of the Milwaukee Export Assistance Center, likes the partnership, too. "Public/private partnerships are growing," he says. "There is a lot of value in the approach. We have a limited number of people. By partnering, we can take advantage of the expertise of our partners, and thus bring value to our client — the public. This is a win-win situation."

Global Publishers and OETCA will publish the 2001 MyExports Buyers Guide in April and begin distribution during world trade month in May. The guide will include an introduction to the new MyExports.com web site, which also launches in May. The new web site will expand beyond the directory service to include showcases for companies to display products and services. It will also have industry specific channels and a buy and sell exchange that will match U. S. companies with foreign buyers and notify them through email.

For more information on MyExports.com, visit the website at http://www.myexports.com/ or the OETCA website at www.ita.doc.gov/oetca. For additional details, contact OETCA at (202) 482- 5131 or by email at OETCA@ita.doc.gov. To obtain a copy of the 2001 Buyers Guide to U. S. Products and Services contact your nearest Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center. A list of all Export Assistant Centers can be found on the back cover of this publication.