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UTSA to Host Delegation of Government Officials from Paraguay on a Technical SBDC Training Visit

San Antonio, April 24, 2014 – The International Trade Center, a specialty Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Institute for Economic Development, announced today that it will host a delegation of officials from Paraguay on a visit San Antonio April 27-28, 2014. The visitors will be here to begin the process of adapting and implementing the US SBDC Model in Paraguay.

SBDCs, established throughout the US by the federal government in partnership with universities and colleges, assist entrepreneurs and business owners in establishing and growing their businesses through a free and confidential suite of 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 emerging SBDC Network project in Paraguay is being lead in-country by the Ministerio de Industria y Comercio de Paraguay (Paraguay Ministry of Industry and Commerce) with the support of the the Parque Tecnológico de Itaipu, Paraguay (Itaipu Paraguay Technology Park). Representing the Parque Tecnológico will be Director Myrian Torres de Segovia, and Project Management Coordinator Carolina Echague. Representing UTSA, and leading the visit, will be Associate Vice President for Economic Development Robert McKinley, International Trade Center Director Cliff Paredes, and Senior International Business Advisor and country project lead Monica Alcoz.

Parque Tecnológico de Itaipu, Paraguay is home to one of the world’s largest hydroelectric dams, and as such is a technology and business hub for Paraguay and the region.

This visit is part of the International Trade Center and Institute for Economic Development’s SBDCGlobal program that, with the support of the US Department of State, has been helping countries to develop US modeled SBDC networks in the Americas since 2003.

“We are looking forward to sitting down with our colleagues from Paraguay and getting the basic building blocks in place for transferring the US SBDC methodology to support Paraguay’s SME’s,” said Paredes. “Parque Tecnológico de Itaipu will provide an excellent infrastructure for building SBDCs, and the assistance of the Ministry will make the project a sure success.”

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 information on the project, visit http://www.sbdcglobal.com/index.php/us/international-sbdc.html.

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