Small Business Administration's Trade Symposium Highlights

The Small Business Administration (SBA) hosted the first ever trade symposium in the Miami area on April 7th, 2008. The Jay Malina International Trade Consortium of Miami-Dade County was one of the sponsors, and the event drew hundreds of small business owners and entrepreneurs to a sold out event at Hialeah's Milander Auditorium. "Exports now account for a larger percentage of the U.S. GDP than at any other time in history, and small businesses are important contributors to that growth" said SBA Administrator Steve Preston. "Expanding free trade is crucial for America's long-term economic health because it will enable America's entrepreneurs to enter new markets, allowing them to invest in their companies, create new jobs, and develop innovative products and services." he added.

Department of Commerce Secretary, Carlos Gutierrez, held a town hall meeting to discuss ways to motivate businesses to recognize that the time is right for exporting and to let them know that there are many programs available to help. A top priority for Secretary Gutierrez is prying open global markets for U.S. companies so they can continue innovating and competing to build a stronger American economy. He also emphasized the importance of the Colombian Free Trade Promotion Agreement that would "level the playing field for U.S. industry and agriculture by replacing one-way trade preferences with fair, two-way free trade that will boost U.S. exports made by American workers and farmers."

In addition to hearing about how business can benefit from free trade agreements, the attendees also learned how to successfully enter global markets from exporting experts. Small businesses interested in expanding their businesses through international trade also had valuable networking and counseling opportunities. For more tools and information, refer to the following resources:
http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/internationaltrade/index.html
http://www.smetoolkit.org/smetoolkit/en
http://www.myownbusiness.org/