Posted: 3:33 pm Mon, September 24, 2012
By Chris?Newmarker
Tags: Arden Hills Gateway Center, Brookings Institution, Delkor Systems, International Trade Administration, Karen Mills, Katharine Tinucci, Katie Clark, Mark Dayton, Minnesota Trade Office, Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, State Trade and Export Promotion, U.S. Small Business Administration
Dayton so far has led trade missions to South Korea in 2011 and China in June, but a statement from the SBA included mention of five additional countries. (File photo)
Did the U.S. Small Business Administration accidentally tip Gov. Mark Dayton?s hand when it comes to future trade mission destinations?
In announcing a $493,086 grant related to improving exports among Minnesota businesses, the SBA mentioned that the state?s export-increasing initiatives included ?governor-led missions to Germany, Sweden, Norway, Brazil and Chile.?
When asked about the statement, Minnesota Trade Office executive director Katie Clark said the governor ?has not announced any trade missions for the remainder of 2012 or 2013 at this point.?
?The SBA has incorrect information listed on the webpage, and we?ve asked them to remove this to minimize confusion,? Clark said in an email statement. Dayton?s spokeswoman Katharine Tinucci had nothing to add, and an SBA spokeswoman referred questions back to the Minnesota Trade Office.
Dayton so far has led trade missions to South Korea in 2011 and China in June.
The $493,086 was part of $30 million-worth of State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) grants that the SBA has awarded to states and territories this year. In last year?s original $29 million round, Minnesota received $454,000.
Congress authorized the spending through the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010.
?With the assistance of these grant funds, small companies in Minnesota are attending trade missions in foreign markets, developing an export strategy to launch their product in new markets and translating their websites and marketing materials into new languages to attract new customers,? Clark said.
To announce the latest $30 million round, SBA administrator Karen Mills was in Circle Pines on Monday to visit Delkor Systems, a packaging machinery company that received STEP funding to participate in the Packaging Machine Manufacturing Institute?s Pack Expo in Mexico City earlier this year.
The fast-growing company has been rapidly exporting its exports to Latin America, and next month will consolidate its three Circle Pines locations into the nearly 115,000 square feet that it is leasing at the Arden Hills Gateway Center at 4300 Round Lake Road W. in Arden Hills.
With the latest round of STEP, Minnesota officials expect to provide assistance to 210 small businesses, with $25 million-worth of exports generated as a result, according to the SBA. STEP will also provide outreach to make another 150 businesses in the state aware of export-related resources available to them.
Many of Minnesota?s largest companies ? from Wayzata-based Cargill to Fridley-based Medtronic to Maplewood-based 3M Co. ? are heavily involved in overseas business. But many small- and medium-sized businesses still aren?t engaged.
Companies in the state exported $10.3 billion in merchandise during the first six months of 2012, up 1.7 percent from the first half of 2011. The rate of growth was much lower than in previous years, with exports dropping year-over-year to six of the state?s 10 largest export markets, according to the International Trade Administration. Top trading partners include Canada, China, Mexico and Japan.
Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of four metro areas nationwide where officials and business leaders worked with the Brookings Institution?s Metropolitan Policy Program to assemble strategies to double exports by 2017 ? a goal similar to President Barack Obama?s National Exports Initiative.
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