This article is contributed by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Exporting opens a literal world of opportunity for Illinois manufacturers as 95% of global consumers are outside of the United States. Despite this fact, only 1% of America’s small businesses are active exporters.

 “The idea of selling products outside of the U.S. can be daunting for many companies that may have negative perceptions about foreign market opportunities, the export process, and funding resources,” said Margo Markopoulos, Director of the Illinois Office of Trade & Investment. “Fortunately, the State of Illinois has a robust international trade network that companies can tap into for confidential, customized, and complimentary services created to help Illinois manufacturers successfully promote and sell their products overseas.”

International trade currently dominates news headlines, and the stakes are high for small and medium-sized manufacturers in Illinois to sell overseas.

To learn how to mitigate risk and prepare for global opportunities, IMEC and the Chicago Regional Growth Corporation (CRGC) partner to offer an intensive training program called ExporTech. ExporTech is a nationwide program that provides personalized coaching to a small group of manufacturers with their development of a strategic plan for international sales. Over the course of three months, each company receives custom market research to narrow down their target markets. The course covers

• export best practices
• payment options
• market entry and sales channels
• logistics and shipping

ExporTech includes one-on-one sessions with relevant service providers. ExporTech is held 3-4 times per year.  27 area companies have successfully graduated from the ExporTech program since 2016.

CRGC and IMEC talked to Larry Siegal, Sales Manager at Vogel Tool & Die in Addison, to hear firsthand about his company’s participation in ExporTech.