The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the demand for the biotechnological applications of human tissue for regenerative medical application far exceeds the supply. The greatest impediments to commercializing this technology stem from immature regulatory regimes in many regions of the world, ill equip to manage the sensitive activity in this industry. Developed countries have taken a largely sterile, sober, and scientific approach. However, much of the developing world has seen black markets, human trafficking, and “transplant tourism” manifest where institutional and cultural hesitancy and discomfort have impeded the development of modernized regulatory regimes.

CellRight Technologies® executive leadership team has over 120 years of combined experience in healthcare and biologics.  In 2017, SBDC: SBDC International Trade Center Sr. Advisor Peter Grabiec began working with CellRight CEO Jesus Hernandez to assist in implementing an ambitious global expansion plan. Peter assisted CellRight by providing an industry overview of international markets, a framework of global and regional regulatory regimes, and an assessment of the state of and progress made in international standardization in the industry.

In early 2018 CellRight Technologies® participated in the first round of a pilot international business matchmaking program implemented by SBDCGlobal – a part of the SBDC International Trade Center– in partnership with our international SBDC’s across Latin America and the Caribbean.

“The assistance that we have received from SBDC has been instrumental to our ability to expand into global markets.” -Jesus Hernandez

With quality advising from the SBDC International Trade Center, the experienced and ambitious team of entrepreneurs at CellRight barrel ahead with their international expansion plans. Pioneering in the cutting-edge field of biotechnology, CellRight Technologies® works on the front lines in setting the standards for their industry on a global stage, as they reflect the excellence and innovation of the San Antonio community, the state of Texas, and our Nation as a whole.

To learn more about CellRight Technologies, please visit https://www.tissueregenix.com/

SpeedTech Lights is a Texas-based manufacturer of emergency vehicle lighting and sound signaling equipment, such as LED light bars and sirens and speakers.  The company produces a full range of emergency signaling equipment and recently moved into a new, large headquarters and production facility, reflecting the company’s rapid growth and anticipated future growth. High quality products and a focus on customer service are key to the company’s success.

The company was founded in 2004 and began to export in 2007, initially to Central America.

Today, SpeedTech Lights views exporting as a key factor in company growth, and its products can be found in over 40 countries. The company hopes to move well beyond this number, eventually reaching all countries where U.S. regulations permit emergency vehicle light and sound signaling equipment to be shipped. Challenges remain, particularly concerning educating customers on logistics costs and customs clearance. The company works with new customers to ensure products arrive by the most affordable and quickest transportation method.

The SBDC UTSA International Trade Center began working with SpeedTech Lights in 2016 to extend its reach globally and has focused on identifying potential distributors in Central, South America, and the Caribbean. Company Vice President Ferdous Deyaf notes, ”The data that the International Trade Center compiles allows us to pinpoint potential customers.  This resource is something that all small businesses looking to export should use.  Anything that takes the world and puts it in the palm of your hands is a resource well worth using.  That’s how we view the International Trade Center”.

To learn more about SpeedTech Lights, visit www.speedtechlights.com/

Domos Water Technologies is a subsidiary of a well-known Mexican public works and construction company called Grupo Oneo, which was founded 27 years ago under their previous name, Grupo Domos. One of their business lines, which is focused on the design, construction and operation of municipal water treatment plants, conducts its activities under the name Domos Agua.

As Domos Agua decided to expand its services to the United States, they established a new business in Dallas, Texas called Domos Water Technologies. The goal is to use that location to manage sales and projects for water treatment plants that will be manufactured in Mexico and readied for distribution in the U.S.
Francisco Arias, Domos Water Technologies’ President, thus found himself in need of an investment business plan to guide the company throughout this implementation process. He was referred to the Texas International Business Accelerator program by the City of San Antonio’s Casa program, which promotes investment and trade to San Antonio and Texas out of Mexico City.

The TIBA staff worked closely with Domos Water Technologies’ executives and offered business planning expertise, business advice and an investment plan among other resources that the company was able to utilize as valuable tools. With TIBA’s assistance, Domos Water Technologies created three U.S. jobs and is now working towards reaching $900,000 in sales during their first year of operations.

To learn more about McMillan Control Flow, visit www.domoswater.com/

The McMillan Company is a leading manufacturer of compact flow sensors, switches, and controllers that are used in multiple industries, including semiconductor manufacturing equipment, automotive fuel consumption research, pharmaceutical research, water quality monitoring, and scientific research. With less than 50 employees, the Georgetown, Texas-based company is considered a leader in its field.
Exporting is key for its business as McMillan products are found on nearly every continent and account for above 40 percent of the sales. The company faces various common problems for small manufacturing exporters, including timely payments by foreign buyers, cultural and language issues, and finding distributors interested in selling solutions, rather than simply adding their product line.

Currently, McMillan’s major export markets include Japan, Taiwan, and Germany. The International Trade Center has been working with McMillan to grow their export sales by identifying new customers in the United Kingdom and Canadian markets and will shortly undertake a study of opportunities in Australia. Mariann Jones, the company’s point of contact with the ITC notes:
“The ITC has been of assistance in helping us identify possible sales opportunities as well as possible new distributors. It has also helped us identify who might be our competition and where they are located. This is important to us because we need to know which products we have stiff competition for and which ones we don’t, so we can focus on finding customers and distributors for the products that we both do best and are most unique to the market.”

To learn more about McMillan Control Flow, visit www.mcmflow.com

El Paso Rubber Recycling, located in El Paso, Texas, is a company dedicated to importing rubber scrap from Mexico, processing the scrap into recycled rubber, and manufacturing rubber products from the recycled rubber. The company’s mission is to be the best at discovering and repurposing materials that would otherwise end up at landfills through specialized technologies and exceptional service.
El Paso Rubber Recycling was founded by UTEP students with a focus on international business activities. Its business model is defined by the ability to import rubber scrap from manufacturing companies in Mexico, and then process this scrap rubber into recycled rubber for different applications such as mulch, chips, decorative bricks for landscaping, etc., which in turn will be sold domestically and also exported.

Thus, they contacted the ITC because they needed international trade advising and training which were provided by one of our senior international business advisors. As a result of the assistance received, El Paso Rubber Recycling has successfully conducted its first importation of two rubber scrap containers from Mexico for $15,000, retaining 3 jobs.

“As a new company, we needed to receive immediate assistance to understand the technicalities of importing, the dos and don’ts, and answers to all our international trade questions to successfully conduct our first import. We contacted El Paso SBDC and they put us in touch with Alberto Rodriguez-Baez at UTSA’s International Trade Center. He has answered our questions and provided invaluable guidance, training and resources”, said Alberto Gonzalez, president of El Paso Rubber Recycling and one of its founders.
“Importing the scrap rubber is a means to an end, not an end in itself. It will allow us to manufacture recycled rubber goods that we will sell in the US and abroad. We will be contacting Alberto again to receive assistance to export our products. I highly recommend the International Trade Center services to anyone involved in international trade.”

The next step is to provide El Paso Rubber Recycling’s staff with international marketing and sales training in order to successfully export their products.

Back in 2011, Philip Gold thought there was a need for incorporating wearable LED lighting that could be attached to safety gear. Existing lights for bicycles, motorcycles, and construction helmets were generally of low intensity that failed to illuminate enough to significantly impact visibility. A mechanical engineer by training, Philip developed an LED lighting system for motorcycle helmets. With a U.S. patent application under review, Lumenflex was born. Supported by strong product reviews, the motorcycle helmets quickly became popular at motorcycle rallies and trade shows, enabling slow but steady company growth. Word of mouth and having the chance to see the superior features of Lumenflex products have been critical to the company’s success. Over time, the initial product evolved into designs for bicycle helmets, baseball caps, construction hard hats and safety lights for runners.

Internet visibility also brought Lumenflex another type of customer. Inquiries began to flow in from potential customers in Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and elsewhere.
With little background in developing and handling exports, Lumenflex began working with Doug Smith of the International Trade Center, who helped Philip understand the logistical issues of selling internationally and providing market research and strategies to more specifically target customers abroad. Currently, the company has customers in Canada and is working on forming distributorships in the U.K.

Lumenflex anticipates continued international growth as additional distributors abroad are identified and put in place.

To learn more about Lumenflex, visit www.lumenflex.com