Idaho Department of Commerce Now Accepting Applications for STEP Grants

12/14/2012

Idaho Department of Commerce Now Accepting Applications for State Trade & Export Promotion (STEP) Grants

Grant Funds Support Export Market Development, International Promotion Activities

BOISE, Idaho—Friday, December 14, 2012— The Idaho Department of Commerce is proud to announce that it is now accepting applications for State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) grants, administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA).  This is the second year that these grants have been available to qualifying Idaho companies that export products internationally.  

Grants are available on a competitive basis to companies that meet small business standards established by the SBA.  The grants are designed to support companies in any industry already exporting internationally to assist with export market development and promotion activities.  Businesses looking to increase their exports, find new markets, or get involved in exporting for the first time also are encouraged to apply.  

 Idaho companies previously awarded STEP grants have seen great success in their trade and export efforts.  Ground Force Manufacturing, a mining support equipment manufacturing company based in Post Falls, was awarded a $7,000 International Market Access grant in 2012 to support market expansion efforts in Latin America.   

Ron Nilson, Ground Force Manufacturing President and CEO, said:  “This matching grant, in combination with a superbly timed Lieutenant Governor’s Trade Mission to Brazil and Mexico, gave our growing company the perfect opportunity to conduct key market development in these two nations and also in three additional countries in the immediate region.”  

Nilson added, “Brazil is one of the world’s largest growth markets for mining, but several factors had previously kept us from taking on this huge challenge and opportunity.   However, the grant funds were the tipping point and the ‘dangling carrot’ we needed to get off the sidelines and take the plunge. As a result, Ground Force’s sales to the five countries that were targeted increased in excess of USD $4 million over the previous year.  Opportunities like these grants are greatly appreciated and are helping Ground Force to continue to grow and bring more manufacturing jobs to Idaho.”  

The first STEP grant application deadline for 2013 is January 25, 2013.   The second application deadline is July 9, 2013.Grant dollars received for this grant must be used by September 29, 2013. 

 Detailed information and application for the STEP grant is available here.

News tag(s): Business International "Trade & Export" Idaho STEP