Department of Commerce Awarded SBA Grant to Further Exports

COLUMBIA, S.C. – September 29, 2011 – The South Carolina Department of Commerce has been awarded a State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in the amount of $202,669. The grant is designed help South Carolina small businesses seize export opportunities.The grant is one of many going out from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which is providing $30 million in grants to states, territories, and the District of Columbia, to help increase exporting by small businesses during the next 12 months. The grants were authorized by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, under the State Trade and Export Promotion Program (STEP).“Small businesses are the backbone of our state’s economy and helping them find success is critically important. This grant will provide ways for those businesses reach new markets around the world and find new customers,” said Bobby Hitt, Secretary of Commerce. Commerce will pursue several avenues with the grant, including helping small S.C. companies increase business opportunities through exporting; help provide more one-on-one counseling; provide more support for rural, minority and disadvantaged companies in helping increase their exports; provide more education for small companies on export opportunities; and developing new targets for potential “new to export” companies.Nationwide, the SBA grants will support participation in foreign trade missions, foreign market sales trips, subscriptions to services provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, website translations fees, design of international marketing media, trade show exhibitions, participation in export training workshops, and other critical export initiatives.For small businesses interested in more information about the grant, please contact Clarke Thompson, international trade director for the S.C. Department of Commerce at 803-737-0438 or by e-mail at [email protected].