|
Three local companies receive Export Achievement awards
By Shelia Watson
Contributing Writer
Three Lowcountry businesses were presented the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Achievement award by U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, R-S.C., at a ceremony earlier this month.
Access Customs Brokers Inc., World Packaging Co. and Coastal Technologies received the award, which recognizes U.S. companies that have benefited from the department’s commercial service export assistance to make their first export sale or open new foreign markets.
“Small- and medium-sized companies like these comprise almost 97 percent of U.S. exporters and account for most of the new job growth in America,” said DeMint.
“All these companies are at different points on the export spectrum,” said Phil Minard, international trade specialist with the Department of Commerce’s export assistance office in Charleston. “Companies that seek our services are all across the board in terms of their knowledge of exporting and years in business. In some cases, the company is just starting out; in other cases, it is well established. But in each case, the company is looking to expand its business globally. That’s where we can help.”
Access Customs Brokers Inc.
Access Customs Brokers is a full-service, independently owned import brokerage and freight forwarding company located in Charleston. David Holst, president and owner of the company, is aggressively pursuing foreign business development by working with several South Carolina trade partners.
Holst participated in a trade mission to Chile that was jointly sponsored by the state and U.S. departments of commerce.
As a result of that trip, the firm reported initial sales of its transportation and customs clearing services to the Paulin Cay Co. of Santiago, a manufacturer of interior doors and moldings.
World Packaging Co.
World Packaging Co., located in Summerville, manufactures and refurbishes beverage-filling machines for cans and bottles. President Ken Damon and his staff worked with the commerce department to obtain market research reports and trade leads from several countries.
The company also attended several S.C.-based trade development seminars, and in March, Damon met with a commercial service officer from Singapore. The office provided valuable background on the Singapore market and opportunities in the bottling sector.
The meeting resulted in World Packaging closing a deal with a Singapore Coca-Cola bottling plant.
Coastal Technologies
Hampton-based Coastal Technologies manufactures a product called Airol Mist Eliminators, which are integrated into industrial gas scrubbers, mostly in the pulp/paper industry, with sales beginning to develop in the utility and power industries.
The company’s export sales have grown steadily during the past few years, primarily with Canada and Scandinavia. Today, exports to those countries represent one-third of overall sales.
With the assistance of the Department of Commerce and other federal and state economic development partners, Coastal Technologies recently completed its first sale of equipment to a customer in Hangzhou, China. A key component of this first sale was the financial assistance provided by the EXIM Bank and the Small Business Association.
Norman Mansson, Coastal’s vice president of sales, foresees the sale as the first of a potentially long series to an emerging environmental market in China. The company expects to hire additional employees as a result of the sale and is anticipating significant growth in its export business.
The Department of Commerce, through its U.S. Commercial Service department, helps small- and mid-size U.S. businesses sell their products and services globally.
The Charleston U.S. Export Assistance Center is part of the agency’s worldwide network, which includes 108 U.S. Export Assistance Centers throughout the United States and more than 150 international offices.
|
E-Mail This Article
Printer-Friendly Version