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The International Trade Center at UTSA Releases Economic Impact Results for Fiscal Year 2012

San Antonio, TX (November 13, 2012) – The UTSA International Trade Center today announced that its clients created 688 new jobs and retained 1,366 jobs as a result of the center’s consulting and market research activities during FY 2012 (Sept. 1, 2011-Aug. 31, 2012). The results come from the nationally recognized Chrisman Survey, which tracks economic impact of all Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) in the United States by measuring client success and growth.

The results are a significant increase from FY 2011, when the International Trade Center created 322 jobs and helped its clients retain 1,106 jobs that would otherwise have been reduced. In addition, the Center reported $117 million in export sales, an increase from $83 million in FY 2011. The most dramatic increase was in new financing, which is an indicator of business infrastructure growth and investment. In 2012, International Trade Center clients reported $45 million in new financing, while in 2011 clients reported $9 million.

Economic impact data is a crucial measurement for the overall performance and effectiveness of the International Trade Center. The results, from companies in South-West Texas, are indicative of the health and direction of the economy of the entire state.

“2012 is our 20th anniversary and we are pleased to celebrate it by also celebrating the impact our assistance to local companies is making in the regional economy. Each year, we aim to be more productive and more effective than the last; the numbers indicate we have been able to achieve that goal consistently,” said Cliff Paredes, director of the International Trade Center.

The International Trade Center at UTSA is one of the largest and most successful trade assistance organizations in Texas. It helps companies become globally competitive through technical trade consulting, customized market research and innovative training programs. The center is a specialty SBDC program in the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network. Follow us on Twitter (@TexasTrade) and like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/texastrade).

Additional economic impact data will be released in the International Trade Center’s forthcoming 2012 annual report, scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2013.

To learn more about the International Trade Center, visit https://texastrade.org.

Pathways to Prosperity Conference and The America’s Competitive Forum in Cali, Colombia

UTSA’S INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN THE PATHWAYS TO PROSPERITY CONFERENCE AND THE AMERICA’S COMPETITIVE FORUM IN CALI, COLOMBIA

San Antonio, TX (October 22nd, 2012) – University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Associate Vice President for Economic Development Robert McKinley, South-West Texas Border SBDC Network Director Al Salgado, International Trade Center Director, Cliff Paredes and Senior International Business Consultant Monica Alcoz, will be participating in the Pathways to Prosperity Ministerial Meeting and the Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) in Cali, Colombia October 23rd – 26, 2012.

During these events, the team from UTSA will be exhibiting work that the Institute has been doing through President Obama’s Small Business Network of the Americas Initiative to expand the successful US Small Business Development Center (SBDC) model in the Americas. They will also be promoting the adoption of SBDCGlobal.com, UTSA’s online trade platform for SBDC clients that connects buyers and sellers in countries throughout the Americas.

Attendees of these events will include high-ranking government executive and ministerial officials, university representatives, and business leaders from Western Hemisphere countries that are committed to democracy and open markets — among them US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. These conferences will highlight and encourage best practices to expand economic opportunities. Economic organizations represented will include: the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia, will present opening remarks at the Americas Competitiveness Forum.

ACF participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge to help the countries in the Americas become more innovative, productive and competitive, to improve the living standards of its inhabitants.

“This conference is a perfect venue for us to meet with other economic development organizations in the Western Hemisphere. Our role in expanding the US model of SBDCs began in 2003 when we started helping Mexico build what has become a network of 108 small business assistance centers. Since that success we have helped to establish 10 centers in El Salvador, and 2 pilot centers in Cali, Colombia. With the support of Pathways and OAS we are now transferring and adapting the SBDC Model in 5 more countries in Central America and 5 in the Caribbean. We have just signed an agreement with SEBRAE, which opens up new opportunities with Brazil, which already has a matured small business assistance network. The long term vision of the Small Business Network of the Americas is to connect the small and medium business network of the whole Western Hemisphere and promote trade among themselves”, said Robert McKinley, Assistant Vice President for Economic Development at UTSA.

UTSA continues to lead the SBDC expansion in the Americas. The next step is connecting small and medium size businesses of this growing network through SBDCGlobal, the online trade platform.

For more information on the development of SBDCs abroad, visit http://sbdcglobal.com/internationalsbdcs.html.

Leading SBDC Model Training in Panama

San Antonio, TX (September 21, 2012) The UTSA Institute for Economic Development and International Trade Center were hosted by the Panamanian economic development organization Autoridad de las Micro, Pequeña y Mediana Empresa (AMPYME) September 19 – 21. The purpose of the event was to initiate a 4 month Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Counselor and Director Certificate Training, intended to guide Panamanian economic development professionals in adapting the US SBDC methodology. The US State Department is promoting UTSA’s Small Business Development Center and International Trade Center as models for Latin American partner countries to help grow small business sector jobs and international trade.

The event drew sixty-five participants from AMPYME, area universities, chambers of commerce, financial service institutions, as well as trade and agricultural development organizations. International Trade Center Director Cliff Paredes and International Business Consultant Minerva Garcia are the primary instructors for this training series, Salvadoran partner Rafael Ortiz and Central America’s regional small business promotion agency CENPROMYPE are lending training assistance.

After the training participants graduate in December, UTSA and AMPYME are planning to launch reciprocal events in Texas and Panama to teach entrepreneurs “How to do Business between the US and Panama” as the US – Panama Free Trade Agreement opens new trade opportunities.

Minister Giselle Burrillo, head of a cabinet level agency in Panama, described this partnership with UTSA as “key to the continued expansion of the Panamanian economy as the US – Panama Free Trade Agreement comes into force very soon.” Making free trade inclusive to benefit small businesses is a shared objective of both our governments.

By creating links between nations in the Western Hemisphere and developing international trade capacity, UTSA is a primary component of President Obama’s “Small Business Network of the Americas” initiative. Since 2003, UTSA has worked with 12 countries to help develop 120 SBDCs at partner universities, chambers of commerce, and municipalities. These centers act as reciprocal infrastructure to the more than 1,000 SBDCs in the US SBDC network.

For more information on the development of SBDCs abroad, visit http://sbdcglobal.com/internationalsbdcs.html.

First SBDC Counselor and Director Certificate Training In Guatemala

San Antonio, TX (September 13, 2012) – Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center and Barbara Mooney, International Business Consultant for the International Trade Center will be conducting the first module of the Counselor and Director Certificate Training in Guatemala City, Guatemala October 3-5, 2012.

The Counselor and Director Certificate Training is part of the International SBDC Expansion Initiative that the Institute for Economic Development and the International Trade Center, with the support of the Department of State, have been involved in since 2003. The Initiative helps countries in the Americas develop Small Business Development Center (SBDC) networks modeled on the US SBDC Network. The training is the first of the certificate training’s four modules.

“We are excited to begin formally working with the Guatemalan government and people to transfer what we know is a very powerful method of economic development – the US Small Business Development Center model. The work we are doing here will help Guatemala’s economy, and will help progress President Obama’s Small Business Network of the Americas (SBNA) Initiative,” said Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center.

Sigfrido Lee, Vice Minister of Economy for Guatemala will be participating, as will Rafael Ortiz from CONAMYPE (Comisión Nacional de la Micro y Pequeña Empresa, El Salvador) who will discuss how they successfully completed the training and developed their own network of SBDCs to assist small and medium-sized businesses. Representatives from the public, private and academic sectors will also participate.

The goal of the SBDC Counselor and Director Certificate Training is to transfer the SBDC model methodology and train professionals on how to manage and operate an economic impact-producing center. For more information on this project, visit http://sbdcglobal.com/internationalsbdcs.html.

UTSA’s Institute for Economic Development Signs Agreement with Brazil and ASBDC

New Orleans, LA (September 11, 2012) – The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute for Economic Development signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Brazil’s economic development agency SEBRAE and the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) to formalize a working relationship and to usher in linking SEBRAE to SBDCGlobal.com, a website that connects SBDC clients with international trade opportunities. The MOU was signed at the Organization of American States (OAS) Conference in New Orleans, LA on September 11, 2012.

This agreement is a step forward in United States – Brazil Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation (ATEC). Under the ATEC, the United States and Brazil have agreed to explore greater cooperation on a variety of issues, including small businesses. At the first ATEC meeting hosted by the Office of the US Trade Representative in March 2012, the US and Brazil discussed the potential for encouraging trade linkages between the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network in the US and the Brazil SEBRAE network, working with interagency partners, universities and the private sector in order to expand mutual international trade opportunities for small businesses in both countries.

President Obama has noted “small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstone of our Nation’s promise.” The same is true throughout the Western Hemisphere, where the small business sector plays a critical role in job creation and broad-based economic growth. The Small Business Network of the Americas (SBNA) will promote business development and entrepreneurship by micro small and medium sized enterprises (MSME) and encourage greater trade among these businesses throughout the Hemisphere, by promoting the expansion of the SBDC model in partner countries; connecting the more than 2,000 SBDCs and similar SME support centers throughout the hemisphere that already serve approximately two million small business clients; and promoting MSME trade through virtual trade platforms like SBDCglobal.com which can help SBDCs and their small business clients expand international partnerships.

UTSA President Ricardo Romo, SEBRAE President Luiz Barretto Filho and ASBDC President/CEO Charles “Tee” Rowe signed the agreement during a reception hosted by UTSA and the ASBDC. Honorary witnesses voicing their support included representatives from the US Small Business Administration, State Department, US Mission to the Organization of American States, US Trade Representative, as well as representatives from the Mexican Association of Small Business Development Centers (AMCDPE), the Central American economic development organization CENPROMYPE, and Caribbean Export Agency.

“We are very excited to be involved in this landmark agreement between economic development organizations in the US and Brazil. This MOU is an important step toward making President Obama’s Small Business Network of the Americas Initiative a reality, and a step that can be replicated with other countries to further this Initiative,” said Robert McKinley, Associate Vice President of Economic Development at UTSA.

Since 2003 the Institute for Economic Development together with the International Trade Center has led initiatives with 12 foreign countries to develop programs based on the proven US model of SBDC networks. These networks will be connected via SBDCGlobal.com to better facilitate hemispheric trade growth among small business sectors. For more information on the trade website SBDCGlobal.com, visit http://sbdcglobal.com.

First SBDC Counselor and Director Certificate Training In Panama

San Antonio, TX (August 31, 2012) – Robert McKinley, Associate Vice President for Economic Development at UTSA, Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center and Minerva Garcia, International Business Consultant for the International Trade Center will be conducting the first module of the Counselor and Director Certificate Training in Panama City, Panama September 19-21, 2012.

The Counselor and Director Certificate Training is part of the International SBDC Expansion Initiative that the Institute for Economic Development and the International Trade Center, with the support of the Department of State, have been involved in since 2003. The Initiative helps countries in the Americas develop Small Business Development Center (SBDC) networks modeled on the US SBDC Network. The training is the first of the certificate training’s four modules.

“The work we are doing with the International SBDC Expansion Initiative dove-tails perfectly with President Obama’s Small Business Network of the Americas (SBNA) initiative, and is helping to make the initiative a reality. Panama is a country that is poised to take advantage of this high-level training, and to create economic impact domestically and internationally”, said Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center.

Giselle Burillo, Minister of the Panamanian AMPYME (Autoridad de la Micro, Pequeña y Mediana Empresa) will be participating, as will a representative from the El Salvadoran SBDC association CONAMYPE (Comisión Nacional de la Micro y Pequeña Empresa, El Salvador) who will discuss how they successfully completed the training and developed their own network of SBDCs to assist small and medium-sized businesses. Representatives from the public, private and academic sectors will also participate.

The goal of the SBDC Counselor and Director Certificate Training is to transfer the SBDC model methodology and train professionals on how to manage and operate an economic impact-producing center. For more information on this project, visit http://sbdcglobal.com/internationalsbdcs.html.

UTSA’s Institute for Economic Development and International Trade Center to Sign MOU with Brazil

San Antonio, TX (August 30, 2012) – The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute for Economic Development and International Trade Center will be attending the Organization of American States (OAS) Conference in New Orleans, LA, September 10-11. Ministerial level authorities from OAS member states will have sessions to discuss public policies that enhance competitiveness and internationalization of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME). This event is a pre-conference for the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) national conference that is taking place later that week in New Orleans.

Robert McKinley, Associate Vice President of Economic Development for UTSA and head of the Institute for Economic Development will be on the panel for “Public policies and support institutions for the development of MSMEs and horizontal cooperation experiences.” He will discuss Small Business Development Center (SBDC) expansion throughout Latin America and Caribbean nations as a network to promote development and trade.

UTSA President Dr. Ricardo Romo will sign an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with Brazil’s economic development agency SEBRAE and the ASBDC. The accord will formalize a working relationship and will usher in linking SEBRAE to SBDCGlobal.com, a website that connects SBDC clients with international trade opportunities.

“Brazil is the dominant economy in South America and an important trade partner with the US. This formalization of relations with SEBRAE has been three years in the making and an important step to linking small business development networks in the Americas,” said Robert McKinley, Associate Vice President of Economic Development at UTSA.

Since 2003 the Institute for Economic Development together with the International Trade Center has been helping 12 foreign countries develop networks of SBDCs to develop MSMEs based on the proven US model of SBDC networks. These networks will be connected via SBDCGlobal.com to better facilitate trade. For more information on the trade website SBDCGlobal.com, visit http://sbdcglobal.com.

First Consultation to Promote SBDC Model Training in Guatemala

UTSA’S INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTER TO PROMOTE SBDC MODEL TRANING IN GUATEMALA

San Antonio, TX (August 29, 2012) – Robert McKinley, Associate Vice President for Economic Development at UTSA and Minerva Garcia, International Business Consultant for the International Trade Center will be having a consultation with officials in the Guatemalan government, higher-education, NGO sector, and business leaders to discuss the benefits of developing a US model Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network in Guatemala. The meeting will take place at the Crown Plaza in Guatemala City, Guatemala on September 05, 2012.

The Institute for Economic Development and the International Trade Center, with support from the US Department of State, have been helping countries to develop SBDC networks since 2003 when they began working with Mexico to develop what has become a network of over 100 centers. This meeting in Guatemala is the result of a dialogue between UTSA, CENPROMYPE (Centro Regional de Promoción de la MIPYME) and the government of Guatemala to begin the four-part process of training professionals to develop and then finally run SBDCs.

“We are going to meet with Guatemalan stakeholders to conduct an SBDC feasibility survey and focus group. This will help us to determine the best way forward. The conversations leading up to this meeting are very positive and we are looking forward the potential of adding Guatemala to the list of countries with SBDC networks,” said Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center.

Among those expected to attend the consultation is Sigfrido Lee, Vice Minister of Economy for Guatemala. A representative from the El Salvadoran SBDC association CONAMYPE (Comisión Nacional de la Micro y Pequeña Empresa, El Salvador) will be present to discuss how they successfully completed the training and developed their own network of SBDCs to assist small and medium-sized businesses.

For more information on the development of SBDCs abroad, visit http://sbdcglobal.com/internationalsbdcs.html.

UTSA’s Institute for Economic Development And International Trade Center to Attend AMCDPE Conference

San Antonio, TX (August 28, 2012) – The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute for Economic Development and International Trade Center will be attending the 13th Annual Mexican Association of Small Business Development Centers (AMCDPE) Conference in Monterrey, Mexico, September 26-28.

The AMCDPE Conference is held annually to provide Mexican Small Business Development Centers and staff with networking and professional development workshops on small business, international trade, government contracting and other small-business related topics presented from a Latin American perspective. Institute for Economic Development staff will be on hand at the conference to support the AMCDPE, a key partner, and to promote SBDCGlobal.com and the Texas International Business Accelerator (TIBA), an International Trade Center program to assist foreign direct investment in Texas.

“Since 2003 the International Trade center and the Institute for Economic Development have been working with Mexico to help develop a network of more than 100 SBDCs throughout the country. The partnership that US SBDCs have with AMCDPE members is a perfect example of the direction and importance of President Obama’s Small Business Network of the Americas Initiative to create a hemisphere-wide network of SBDCs,” said Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center.

The group from UTSA attending the conference will include Robert McKinley, Associate Vice President of Economic Development, Albert Salgado, Director of the South West Texas Border SBDC Network, and Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center. Also in attendance will be International Trade Center consultants Javier Smith, Carla Gonzalez and Julio Garcia de las Mestas.

To learn more about the conference visit http://amcdpe.org/pgs/3_capacitacion/13aconferencia/. For more information on the development of SBDCs abroad, visit www.sbdcglobal.com/internationalsbdcs.html.

UTSA’s International Trade Center to Conduct Fourth SBDC Model Training Module in Mexico

San Antonio, TX (August 13, 2012)– International Trade Center staff will conduct the fourth and final training module on how to successfully run a Small Business Development Center (SBDC). This event will be held at the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico (UAEM) in Toluca, Mexico on August 15-16, 2012.

During this module participants will present the operational plan that the training helped them to develop and the final portion will consist of a graduation ceremony in which 108 attendees from 20 higher education institutions will be presented with certificates of completion. Attendees will be able to start and successfully run an SBDC using the knowledge and training they received over the course of this four part training series.

“Our experience with this group in Toluca has been stellar. Attendees have been working really hard during the last months to absorb the information and be able to graduate. We are looking forward to continue expanding of the SBDC model throughout Mexico and the rest of the Americas,” said Cliff Paredes, Director of the International Trade Center.

Mexico continues to lead the SBDC expansion in the Americas, with 108 SBDC centers operating through the country and with more than a 1,300 staff trained through this customized training.

For more information on the development of SBDCs abroad, visit http://sbdcglobal.com/internationalsbdcs.html.

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