| West Virginia World Trader |
November 2004 |
| Council News | In This Issue Click on sponsor links to learn more
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| Message
from the Chairman The WV Export Council in conjunction with WVU just finished the first Export Manager Program. Thirteen students and Company representatives received the first certificates of completion on May 2, 2003. Each graduate is now certified to be Export Qualified in all aspects of Exporting. Students learned about exporting from a scholastic as well as an experienced point of view. Dr. Cy Logar with assistance from Dr. William Riley led the class from the school’s Center for Chinese Business. The Export Council along with the Department of Commerce provided 13 outside speakers to present students with information from cultural differences to how to get paid for export sells. The class covered practical information like on a broad range of subjects including; selling your product, travel tips, legal, marketing, financing, and cultural issues, to getting help on how to ship product, franchising, what the Federal and State governments have to offer, and what exporters have experienced in over 50 years of combined exporting experience. The class was a resounding success from all respects. Students and company representatives praised the class for what they learned. The educational teaching coupled with real world experiences was a tremendous way to learn and keep everyone’s interest. |
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| Federal Update |  |
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| Middle East Business Forum :
To learn more, please email Kimberly Robinson or call 410-962-4539, or click on the link below. Click here for event details and online registration. South America - Promote your products without leaving your office - at Andean Marketplace 2005! - For only $450 your participation in Andean Marketplace 2005, a U.S. Department of Commerce International Catalog Exhibition, May 9-24, 2005, will get your company valuable market exposure in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia – and more:
Increased demand for U.S. goods and services and the lowering of trade barriers are among the benefits expected from the proposed Andean Free Trade Agreement with Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. Andean Marketplace 2005 will help you make contacts throughout the Andean Community. Questions? Contact Louis Quay, Project Officer, International Catalog Exhibition Program. Tel: 202-482-3973 / Fax: 202-482-2718 / E-mail Canada
Gain access to the United States number one export market in the world for hardware, home improvement, lawn & garden, building products and equipment. Canadian retail sales for this industry were valued at US$25.1 billion in 2003, growing at a 7% annual compounded growth rate. In terms of its size, receptivity, proximity and similarity to the U.S. economy, the Ontario and Quebec markets offer U.S. suppliers the very best prospects for success in exporting to Canada First! For Further Information: CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE AND THE NIS: 2004 SABIT GRANT PROGRAM - $1.5 million in Grant funding available to U.S. companies and organizations. SABIT offers competitive grants to cover a share of the costs of hosting mid- to-senior level Eurasian managers and scientists for three to six months of hands-on professional training in U.S. business, research, and technology development practices. The SABIT Grants Program encourages U.S. exports and investment into Eurasia and assists economic restructuring by facilitating public-private partnerships between the U.S. and Eurasian scientific and business communities. Applications will be available the first week in February. For further information please email Patrick Brennan or call 202.482.2077.
Access U.S. Commercial Service Trade Leads - View announcements from qualified international companies looking to source U.S. products and services and advertise government tender projects through our trade leads database. All of our trade leads are pre-screened by our U.S. embassy or consulate staff overseas and are provided as a free service for U.S. exporters. Click here to access Trade Leads... Trade Matters© is a weekly summary of news and events on the trade policy front for members of the California Council for International Trade, National Foreign Trade Council and subscribers. - CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE EDITION OF TRADE MATTERS -
For more information on advertising in the next issue of Commercial News USA, call your local Export Assistance Center or call 1-800-581-8533. |
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| Exporter Profile | |||||||
These pre-screened and qualified business partners were identified by the U.S. Commercial Service staff in Kiev and Moscow. The rapid modernization and growth in the mining, aerospace and textile markets in Ukraine and Russia could mean additional export sales to these two new markets in the near future for the WV participants. |
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| Featured Market | |||||||
Ukraine The U.S. Government through its Department of Labor and Environmental Protection Agency have begun a technical assistance program with the State Committee on Labor Safety and the Ministry of Fuels and Energy in Ukraine to improve mine safety and increase utilization of CMM. Ukraine's mines are very gassy leading to many methane-related accidents. The new program contains three focus areas to improve the mining conditions: improving the mine ventilation systems to reduce leakages and increase their efficiency; implementing a state-of-the-art in-mine long-hole horizontal drilling and drainage program, and conducting a training program to identify and implement end-use options for the methane emitted. Work on the ventilation and drilling programs, both funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, began in January and July 2004, respectively. The EPA is supporting the downstream, or utilization, aspect of the program, which started at the end of September. Partnership for Energy & Environmental Reform (PEER) with offices in Kyiv and Donetsk, Ukraine is the implementing organization for the U.S. Government agencies. For more information, please contact Jerry Triplett, President of PEER at: trip@public.ua.net. |
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| Global Roundup |  |
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| COMMERCE LAUNCHES STOPFAKES.GOV - As part of the Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP) initiative, on October 29th Commerce launched a website - StopFakes.gov - a one-stop-shop for information to help companies register and protect intellectual property assets. On the website companies can learn how to secure trademarks, patents and copyrights overseas and file an intellectual property rights complaint. |
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| West
Virginia World Trader produced by Capitol City Communications. |
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Each year, the U.S. Small Business Administration recognizes successful small business owners and advocates at its Small Business Week activities throughout the country. The SBA’s West Virginia District Office is now seeking nominations of outstanding West Virginia small business owners. We encourage you to sponsor individuals and businesses for one of our prestigious awards. The nomination submission deadline is Friday, December 3, 2004. If you have any questions about the awards program, please contact Rick Haney at (304) 623-5631 ext. 230 or 
The Middle East Business Forum will take place on November 29 at the Baltimore World Trade Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will also include presentations from the US Department of Commerce (DOC) Iraq and Afghanistan Reconstruction Task Forces, US DOC Commercial Service Officers from Iraq, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia and The Trade Bank of Iraq. You will also hear from private sector executives currently doing business in Iraq and across the Middle East
Export to Canada’s Lucrative Hardware, Home Improvement, Building Products and Lawn & Garden Retail Market Today! Let the U.S. Commercial Service and Hardlines help you connect with Canada’s Hardware/Home Improvement Retail Industry. Join us for an exclusive program in the Meet The Buyers Trade Mission.
CHINA: 2008 Olympic Games-related Trade Leads Available - Beijing 2008 Olympics Hot Sheet: The U.S. Department of Commerce in Beijing publishes an electronic newsletter highlighting business opportunities relating to the 2008 Olympic Games as news becomes available. U.S.-based companies interested in this mailing list should send an email with full contact information and business scope to 
Commercial News USA - The November-December 2004 issue of Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is now available online at: 
Four West Virginia companies, who recently returned from a state-sponsored Trade Mission to Russia and Ukraine, found enormous potential for their respective products in those markets. During two days of business appointments in Kiev, followed by two days of appointments and a networking dinner in Moscow, representatives from A.L. Lee Corporation, Appalachian Electronic Instruments, FCX Systems, and Kanawha Scales & Systems met with potential business partners interested in purchasing their products or acting as an agent/distributor for those products throughout Ukraine and Russia. 
Partnership for Energy and Environmental Reform (PEER) - The US Environmental Protection Agency provides support to