BREINIGSVILLE, PA – U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), in conjunction with the Philadelphia U.S. Export Assistance Center, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation and the Greater Reading Berks Economic Partnership today presented an export development workshop in Breinigsville.
“The Lehigh Valley and Greater Reading areas host a variety of rich and diverse manufacturers,” said Senator Casey. “I strongly encourage Pennsylvania companies to take advantage of federal programs that have already boosted exports by 17% this year.”
The workshop, presented by Senator Casey, ran through the morning and offered local businesses guidance on increasing exports as a way to increase sales and boost revenue. With over 95% of the world’s consumers living outside of the United States, increasing sales abroad can be a tool to help businesses grow and create jobs. While tapping into international markets may seem difficult, this conference was designed to provide small businesses with the export resources available.
The workshop also included presentations with speakers from export development agencies at the local, state and federal levels, such as the Small Business Administration and Export-Import Bank, as well as local exporters sharing their international business experiences.
The topics discussed at the workshop included planning a successful export marketing strategy, identifying and qualifying international business partners, international market research, export payment methods and financing programs, mitigating risk through export insurance, buyer financing and loan guarantees, pre-export financing and working capital guarantees and success stories.
Senator Casey addressed the workshop and presented Penn Stainless Products Inc. of Quakertown with the Export Achievement Certificate from the Department of Commerce. Export Achievement Certificates are presented to U.S. businesses that have benefited from the Department of Commerce’s export assistance to make their first export sale or to expand their international sales into new foreign markets.
Eligible firms are new to the market, haven’t exported in the previous 24 months or are expanding exports to new countries. It is a one-time award.
Penn Stainless Products Inc. employs 130 workers and is a full-line stainless steel service center, supplying all metal forms, including flat rolled, bar products, tubular products and fittings and structural forms.
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