Florida News Straight From the Source
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Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) will lead a business delegation of small and mid-sized Florida manufacturers and services providers on an export sales mission to Casablanca, Morocco from April 14-18.
[Read more…] about Registration Closes February 8 for Export Sales Mission to Morocco
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Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) will lead a delegation of small and mid-sized Florida businesses on an export sales mission to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from November 13-16. Registration to attend will end September 21. [Read more…] about Registration Closes September 21 for Export Sales Mission to the Dominican Republic
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Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) will lead a delegation of small and mid-sized Florida businesses on an export sales mission to Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from November 2-9. Registration to attend is now open. [Read more…] about Registration Now Open for Export Sales Mission to Kenya and Tanzania
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The recent Enterprise Florida-led export sales mission to San Jose, Costa Rica produced more than $23 million in total export sales for the 21 small and mid-sized businesses attending. The mission was held February 26 – March 1, 2018.
During the mission, more than 180 meetings were held between Florida businesses and their Costa Rican counterparts to jointly assess the local and, in some instances, Central America sales potential of their products and/or services.
The sales mission included an economic briefing from locally-based U.S. Government officials, providing the Florida delegation with valuable insights about how business is conducted in Costa Rica. Florida companies also had the opportunity to meet with U.S. commercial officers stationed in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
Trade between the U.S. and Costa Rica totaled $10.2 billion in 2016, where Florida was the leading state in two-way trade. Costa Rica ranked as Florida’s 12th largest merchandise trading partner with nearly $3.6 billion in total trade and nearly $2.5 billion in exports alone in 2016.
“This event was extremely helpful for our company to introduce our products to this new market,” said Michael Rogers, president of e-Lifeguard.com in Rockledge. “The quality of leads was exceptional and the future potential prospects appear very promising for future sales to Costa Rica and Central America. This expansion will help us to grow our business in Florida and hire new workers to produce the goods needed for these new sales. We also appreciate the introduction to area professionals in our market industry to help us learn about it locally.”
Kelly Wood, president of Nu-Trend Plastics in Jacksonville, attended the mission as well. The Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network connected the company to Enterprise Florida. “Nu-Trend Plastics is just entering into the export business,” Wood said. “The guidance and knowledge we have received from Enterprise Florida has been phenomenal! We are a small business and could not have been able to gain this exposure without the assistance of the grant. We were well prepared before leaving and the support received during the mission trip was outstanding. Before arriving we had ten appointments set. All clients we met with want to continue conversations and sent samples for Nu-Trend to quote. Thank you!”
“The experience of our first trade mission to Costa Rica has opened our eyes to both the demand for our products and services outside the U.S., as well as the strength of the collaboration between the US Trade offices and Enterprise Florida,” said Helda Rodriguez, president of Oldsmar-based NovaCharge LLC. “As Gold Key participants, both the customer and partner leads provided to us, and the meetings set up on our behalf during the event, far exceeded our expectations. This potential for future business has already caused us to assess the staff we will require and the added services spending we will need to begin a successful export business. While we have yet to determine our final plans, we expect to add sales staff and operational staff to address our expanded reach outside of Florida, as we grow to address the opportunities in Costa Rica and other potential markets.”
EFI maintains an extensive schedule of overseas trade missions and exhibitions worldwide. In Fiscal Year 2016-17, more than 500 small and mid-sized Florida businesses reported $738 million in total export sales following international events.
Companies that attended the Costa Rica mission:
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Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) will lead a delegation of small and mid-sized Florida businesses on an export sales mission to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China from June 1 to June 9. Registration to attend is open.
“Hong Kong and Guangzhou are two strong and vibrant export markets for U.S. companies,” said Manny Mencia, senior vice president of International Trade and Development for Enterprise Florida. “As a result of China’s increasing domestic consumption and growing middle class, significant market potential exists for companies focused on collaboration and mutual benefit. Florida companies are well-positioned to take advantage of these opportunities, and this mission will provide an excellent vehicle to expand trade opportunities.”
According to the US-China Business Council, China ranked as the #5 global export market for the State of Florida and third largest export market for services in 2016. Florida exports to China supported 34,900 American jobs in 2015. U.S. goods exported to China in 2015 were $116.2 billion, and U.S. exports of services to China were an estimated $42.5 billion in 2014 (latest data available).
The industry sectors listed below provide some of the best opportunities for exports for Florida companies. If your industry is not mentioned below, please contact us for a no-obligation assessment.
As part of Enterprise Florida’s Gold Key Package, participants will have the opportunity to take advantage of the unparalleled trade facilitation services provided by the U.S. Commercial Service (USCS) in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The USCS will coordinate all one-on-one Gold Key appointments. The USCS offers a variety of products and services designed to facilitate U.S. exports and foreign direct investment opportunities.
Participation Options:
Option 1: Gold Key Package (Two Full Days)
The U.S. Commercial Service will schedule one-on-one appointments with pre-screened Chinese companies. The price of this service is $1,800 for the first company representative. Gold Key participation will be limited to Florida manufacturers, distributors, and service companies that best meet the participation criteria. Participants will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. This option is limited to twelve (12) Florida companies.
Small and mid-sized Florida manufacturers, eligible high tech companies, and professional service providers may qualify for a Reimbursable Gold Key Grant, which will offset 100% of the Matchmaking Registration fee for the first company representative. A separate application process will be required for this grant.
Option 2: Delegate Package
The delegate option is for individuals interested in participating in mission activities. The price of this option is $800 per person. Delegates will have the opportunity to attend all mission events, have access to airport transfers in country when traveling on official mission flights and ground transportation to all mission events.
The Gold Key registration deadline is April 10 and the delegate registration deadline is April 16.
For questions about itinerary & visa requirements, please contact John Diep at [email protected] or (561) 832-8339.
For questions regarding registration, please contact Andrea Moore at [email protected] or (850) 469-8989.
EFI maintains an extensive schedule of overseas trade missions and exhibitions worldwide. In fiscal year 2016-17, more than 500 small and mid-sized Florida businesses reported $738 million in total export sales following international events.
Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) is a partnership between Florida’s businesses and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for Florida. EFI facilitates job growth through recruitment and retention, international trade and exporting, promotion of sporting events, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses. EFI launched “Florida – The Future is Here” to promote the state as the nation’s premier business destination.
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