Export Assistance

Overview on Exporting

Nearly 96 percent of consumers live outside the U.S. Two-thirds of the world’s purchasing power takes place in foreign countries.

It makes good business sense to go where the customers are. Exporting presents a significant opportunity for Michigan small businesses to increase sales and profits.

Michigan is the nation’s eighth largest exporting state and global trade is responsible for thousands of jobs here. MEDC is committed to increasing Michigan's exporting opportunities by providing resources for businesses to help them identify and enter key emerging global markets.

Why Consider Exporting?

• Increased sales and profits
• Creates new jobs
• U.S. competitive edge for high quality, innovative goods and services
• Increased purchasing power resulting from declining exchange rates
• Reduction in trade barriers 
• Today’s technology allows companies to sell to anyone, anywhere, expanding market potential

Pure Michigan Export Program Can:

• Provide strategic business growth solutions to consumer goods companies by helping them reach an international consumer base; 
• Increase the number of small business exporters in Michigan;
• Increase the value and volume of exports from Michigan;
• Expand Michigan exports to new markets raising competitiveness in the global marketplace;
• Help small businesses effectively compete in the marketplace, generate increased sales, expand workforce;
• Strengthen the overall U.S. economy.

Benefits of Working with the Pure Michigan Export Program:

• Expertise – in-depth knowledge needed to assist small businesses in identifying and maximizing opportunities to enter emerging global markets.
• Connections – to experts in all areas of the export process such as financing, distribution, channels, markets, regulations, logistics and more.
• Communication – with local, regional, national and international entities, to ensure an efficient and successful entry into global sales.
• Tools – to assess export opportunities, from developing a plan, identifying the market, preparing to sell, managing logistics, securing financing and implementation.
• Services – to access resources.
• Funding – through grant programs like STEP (State Trade Export Program), subsidized programs like Export Now, or working capital to launch your global expansion.
• Collaboration – with key partners at MEDC export offices in China, Regional Export Network (REN) partners conveniently located throughout Michigan, and other strategic partner networks at the state and national level.

Components of the Pure Michigan Export Program:

MEDC through the Pure Michigan Export Program directly administers two component programs to assist companies with their exporting needs: STEP (State Trade Export Program) and Export Now.

The STEP program was launched to help small and medium-sized businesses launch, expand and enhance exporting opportunities. Click here to learn more. 

MEDC, through our partnership with the Council of Great Lakes Governors (CGLG), headquartered in Chicago, has established foreign offices. These foreign offices are shared by CGLG member states’ leveraged resources. To date, Michigan now shares CGLG offices in China and Canada. For more information about CGLG, click here: http://www.cglg.org/.

The Pure Michigan Export Now program is a business to consumer e-commerce selling solution in partnership with China that offers consumer goods businesses a one-stop, online solution to make selling internationally easy. It also provides the opportunity to reach 1.3 billion new customers in the fastest growing economy in the world.

• “The MEDC State Trade Export Program has been a great partner for the U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce. Our organizations have counseled hundreds of small to medium sized Michigan companies on how to expand their sales internationally. Michigan exporters can utilize these valuable STEP grants to facilitate the Commercial Service Gold Key program and meet with prescreened international representatives around the world.”
  Kendra Kuo, Acting Grand Rapids Office Director
  U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce
  
  
• "One of the major challenges facing SMEs today is that even though their products, services and technologies are in high demand overseas many of them cannot afford the costs associated with international travel to meet with potential buyers and end users around the world. However, funding from the STEP Program goes a long way in helping them defray some of these costs thereby enabling them to export overseas for the first time and stimulate new job creation at home. Thanks to STEP, one of the major hurdles impeding companies from launching into the global marketplace has been overcome resulting in $15m in new export sales so far this year."
  Noel Nevshehir, Director, International Business Services
  Automation Alley

MEDC's Strategic Partner Network

1. U.S. Export Assistance Centers (USEACs); www.export.gov 
2. U.S. Small Business Administration; www.sba.gov 
3. Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD); www.michigan.gov/agexport 
4. Michigan State University International Business Center-CIBER; www.global.broad.msu.edu/ibc 
5. Michigan Small Business Technology & Development Center (SBTDC); www.misbtdc.org 
6. Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC); http://www.mmtc.org/ 
7. Ex-Im Bank; www.exim.gov 
8. Michigan District Export Council (MDEC); http://www.exportwestmichigan.com and http://www.exportmichigan.biz 
9. Council of Great Lakes Governors (CGLG); http://www.cglg.org/
    

Pure Michigan Export's Regional Export Networks (RENs)

1. Automation Alley; www.automationalley.com 
2. Van Andel Global Trade Center; http://www.gvsu.edu/vagtc/ 
3. Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce; http://www.lansingchamber.org/chamber 
4. Northwest Michigan Council of Governments; http://nwm.org/main-site/