Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/312675
w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m May 2014 • /insight on manufacturing | 9 T h e w o rl d i s y o u rs Photograph by Scott Ehlers, Image Studios c o n t i n u e d > B y N i k k i k a l l i o South American trade venture to help boost exports for New North manufacturers I f you're a New North company with a great product or service that could appeal to clients anywhere in the world, economic development officials want you to consider exporting. Yes, you. Global New North, an initiative of New North Inc. and regional economic partnerships, is organizing a trade venture to South America in September. The trip was developed after a study on exporting completed by Newmark Knight Frank (now Newmark Grubb Knight Frank) in 2010. One of the key findings of the study was that New North manufacturers and other companies weren't really talking much about exporting yet. "I think in general this region tends to be somewhat conservative and a little bit risk-averse," says Dani Long, owner of the Chilton-based International Business Development, Inc., which is helping to organize the trip. "I think that leads to the mindset of, 'Well, we haven't conquered all of the U.S. – why would we look outside of the U.S., because we haven't even engaged every single potential market here?'" But programs and initiatives designed to get the word out about exporting are starting to shift that perception, Long says. "I think this is what's changing – the awareness of the potential of those international markets," Long says. "As people become more aware of exporting as an option, their view of it as a risky venture diminishes and they become more willing to try." Global New North hopes to recruit about 10 New North-based companies for the 10-day trade venture in Colombia, Peru and Chile.