San Antonio, December 10, 2014 – The International Trade Center, a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute for Economic Development, announced today that it is sending a delegation to consult with Argentina business development agencies December 9-10, 2014 to set the stage for an upcoming pilot round of SBDC Director and Advisor Training in Buenos Aires that will begin in early 2015.
SBDCs, established throughout the U.S. by the federal government in partnership with state governments and universities and colleges, assist entrepreneurs and business owners in establishing and growing their businesses through free and confidential advising services. Services include, but are not limited to, feasibility studies, business strategy, financial planning, marketing, production and professional networking. The centers support new and existing businesses.
The goal of the SBDC Advisor and Director Certificate Training is to transfer the SBDC model methodology and train professionals on how to manage and operate an economic impact-producing SBDC and to connect and promote trade between small businesses in both countries and with the rest of the Americas and the Caribbean. This training is part of the International Trade Center and Institute for Economic Development’s International SBDC Global Initiative that since 2003, with the support of the U.S. government, has been helping countries develop U.S.-modeled SBDC networks in the Americas.
Representing UTSA in the consultations is UTSA Associate Vice President for Economic Development, Robert McKinley and International Trade Center International Business Advisor Barbara Mooney.
During the first day of meetings UTSA will meet with the U.S. Embassy, the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Argentinian Institute of Oil and Gas (IAPG), and the Center for Entrepreneurship of Instituto de Altos Estudios Empresariales (IAE). Day two of the consultation will have business development professionals and government officials from Buenos Aires presenting on existing business assistance programs, followed by UTSA presentations on the effectiveness of the US SBDC model and discussions about the process UTSA uses to train countries on implementing US SBDC model.
“We are pleased to begin our pilot SBDC project in Buenos Aires, Argentina,” said Barbara Mooney. “Based on the success of this pilot, Argentina will look to expand the model to the rest of the countries where there are also great opportunities to succeed.”
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 them on Twitter (@TexasTrade) and like them on Facebook (Facebook.com/texastrade).
For more about the International Trade Center, visit https://texastrade.org.
