Grant Funding Announced to Help Boost Idaho Exports

9/27/2011

Information Contact: Damien Bard (208) 334-2470

A $292,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will help Idaho businesses sell more of their products and services abroad, boosting exports and creating jobs – especially in rural Idaho.

The State Trade Export Promotion (STEP) grant will help Idaho companies do market research, qualify international buyers, participate in trade shows and trade missions and translate web sites and marketing materials for foreign markets.

Grants will be available, on a competitive basis, to companies with fewer than 500 employees that meet revenue requirements set by the SBA. Companies receiving a STEP grant must provide a dollar-for-dollar match.

Part of the grant also will be used to support the “Idaho Export Circuit,” a targeted effort to recruit international buyers to Idaho and match them with viable suppliers in the building materials, agricultural machinery and food processing equipment industries.

“The STEP program is an excellent resource for Idaho companies who want to increase sales and expand into new markets of opportunity,” said Damien Bard, administrator of the Idaho Department of Commerce’s International Business Division.

The Idaho Department of Commerce is working with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, the Idaho Small Business Development Center – part of the SBA – and the U.S. Commercial Service to promote and deliver Idaho’s STEP program.

Companies interested in learning more about the State Trade Export Promotion (STEP) program, or in applying for a market access grant may contact Jake Klossner at 208-334-2650 ext. 2113, or jake.klossner@commerce.idaho.gov.

The STEP grant program is made available as part of a three-year trade and export promotion pilot initiative authorized by the Small Business Administration Act of 2010.

More information can be found at: http://www.sba.gov/content/state-trade-and-export-promotion-step-fact-sheet

News tag(s): Business International STEP_Grant