ILMA Compoundings - July 2019 - 25

xpanding global operations can create new opportunities for manufacturers, and there are several resources
that companies can use to find new customers while
also mitigating the risk of working with partners abroad.
"There are a lot of regulatory and legal issues to deal with
when you're exporting, particularly in today's environment,"
said Chuck Decker, president of American Oil. Exporters
must tackle legal issues, language barriers, tariffs and taxes,
as well as cultural differences, he said.
Jim Kudis, owner of Allegheny Petroleum, said a lot
of the challenges that exporters face abroad are the same
issues they face in the U.S., but the issues get compounded.
However, expanding operations has been worth the effort.
"Certainly, there are advantages to and satisfaction in setting
up business in places your competitors aren't," he said,

noting that Allegheny Petroleum does business throughout
the Caribbean.
Sharyn Koenig, managing director, Eastern & Western
Regions for the Export-Import Bank of the United States
(EXIM), said business owners tend to face three primary
initial challenges: finding foreign buyers, extending open
credit terms and collecting payments.

Finding New Customers

It is essential for exporters to determine where to export.
"What product do they have? What countries need that
product? The next logical item to think about is where
you're going to find your buyers," Koenig said.
The U.S. Department of Commerce can assist companies
with developing their international business and identifying
which markets have the best potential for their products
or services, said Tony Michalski, senior international trade
specialist for U.S. Commercial Service, the trade promotion
arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International
Trade Administration.
Michalski said the Commerce Department helps exporters address market selection, which markets may have
good potential and what is needed to get into that market
successfully. "What companies know and appreciate us for
is our ability to connect them with different distributors or
importers, buyers of product and the companies they want
to sell to," Michalski said. "We're in about 75 countries out
of the U.S. embassies and consulates."
Michalski said he is able to pull in his colleagues from the
specific countries that exporters are targeting. "We would
work together to counsel the person on doing business in
that country and evaluating their product more thoroughly,"
he said. "We do an initial check, and if it proves positive,
we have programs where we can meet with potential buyers,
distributors or partners they want to work with."
If the company can't travel to the market, Michalski
says he makes virtual introductions. "There are a number
of ways we can connect the buyer and the seller," he said.
"Our strength is to connect with you and understand where
you're at with the general export process."
Commerce's services and the work it does is intended
for U.S. companies and companies that have at least 51%
U.S. content for their product and services. There are some
nominal fees for the department's services. "We charge when
we line up meetings with specific distributors when only
that company will benefit from [it] and not U.S. industry in
general," Michalski said.
Decker said trade shows are an excellent resource for
finding international partners. "We did a trade show last
year and found a possible partner in Australia. They were
there looking for new products to bring to Australia," he

ILMA Compoundings - July 2019

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