The Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Minority Business Office of the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT), and Manufacturer's Edge are pleased to announce partnerships with the World Trade Center Denver (WTCD), resulting in grant awards to qualifying companies. If you have been thinking about starting to expand your business through exports, now is time to check out the courses and services offered at the World Trade Center Denver to help you get there. Following are three programs where you may be eligible to earn grants, scholarships and recognition along with the main benefit of growing your business!

1) Leading Edge for International Opportunities - Deadline Mar. 31, 2016 - This international grant and training provided by SBDC and OEDIT's Minority Business Office provides an educational pathway and equips small and medium size minority and women-owned Colorado businesses to develop a strategic plan for conducting international business, thus creating a new revenue stream within your operation. Come to an Informational Session on March 25th, 2016 from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Recipients will receive their Certificate of International Trade from the WTCD. For more details, click here.

2) Small Manufacturer's AdvantEDGE - This program and potential awards brought to you by SBDC, OEDIT and Manufacturer's Edge is intended to help Colorado's small manufacturers under 20 employees to help with operations support, process improvement, export strategies, advising, and more. A manufacturer's initial engagement could be acquiring education with the WTCD if you have never exported before or need a refresher. However, if you are an experienced exporter, a more thorough approach via a Gap Analysis on your international business practices may be what you need. For more details on this program, please email Sumer Sorensen Bain at Manufacturer's Edge.

3) Governor's Award for Excellence in Exporting - Deadline Apr. 15, 2016 - The WTCD is soliciting applications or nominations for the Governor's Exporter of the Year, which will be awarded at this year's World Trade Day on May 19th. Think of this award as an excellent way to share your export success. The Governor's Office, the OEDIT and the WTCD will all promote the winners of this award and you will be recognized at the largest international business conference in the region.

We hope you will take advantage of these opportunities to grow your business!

WORLD TRADE CENTER DENVER
2650 E. 40th Avenue
Denver, CO 80205 USA
t +1 303-592-5760
f +1 303-592-5228
www.wtcdenver.org

Manufacturer's Edge is excited to announce its first sub-recipient agreement with the World Trade Center Denver. The World Trade Center Denver will work closely with Manufacturer's Edge to leverage federal resources to create a unique, comprehensive, and impactful program to support the Colorado manufacturing community. This program will help Colorado manufacturers improve their business while growing through export opportunities.

A manufacturer's initial engagement will be through a thorough gap analysis conducted by Manufacturer's Edge and the World Trade Center Denver. This assessment will lead to the development of a road map that consists of education and technical services that will lead the company to global success. Depending on the company's responses, they will be guided through a customized program that could include everything from basic education and capacity building to market research and strategy execution. Each roadmap could include a variety of services, such as:

Customized Trade Research
Training and Education
Import/Export Assistance
Market Entry Strategies
Trade Missions
Networking Events
Coaching
Or... other custom trade services alongside traditional Manufacturer's Edge programs

This is the first of several sub-recipient agreements that Manufacturer's Edge is excited to be working on to leverage the federal funding that is coming to Colorado through the Federal Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

"The goal of each of these programs will be the internationalization of Colorado's manufacturers that will result in sustainable economic growth, job creation, and ultimately export sales"

- Karen Gerwitz, President, World Trade Center Denver.

The World Trade Center Denver has trained over 30,000 participants on the fundamentals of international business and they provide connections to their local network throughout the Rocky Mountain Region and their global World Trade Center network in 100 countries.

If you would like to take advantage of this new partnership please feel free to contact Karen Gerwitz, President of the World Trade Center Denver or Sumer Sorensen-Bain, Chief of Programs and Operations for Manufacturer's Edge.

International Business