Government Small Business Network Planned to Boost Exports
The federal government's Small Business Network of the Americas initiative "will connect together the more than 2,000 Small Business Development Centers, and similar SME support centers, located throughout the Hemisphere," said Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez April 18, at the Western Hemisphere Business Opportunities Forum in Miami.
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Sanchez said the initiative "will help small- and medium-sized enterprises gain greater access to markets across the region." On April 13, President Barack Obama, speaking at the Port of Tampa, said the government wants to help big exporters, "but we also want our small and medium-sized businesses to have access to these markets. So this initiative is going to help our small businesses -- Latino-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, African American-owned businesses. ... This initiative will make it easier for them to get financing, it will link them up with foreign buyers who are interested in their products." See full speech here.
Small Business Initiative efforts are to include (here):
- Expanding the successful Small Business Development Center (SBDC) model to other countries in the hemisphere.
- Connecting the more than 2,000 SBDCs and similar SME support centers throughout the hemisphere.
- Providing matchmaking services and export counseling through U.S. Export Assistance Centers (USEACs) and other platforms to SBDC clients.
- Enhancing the use and availability of virtual trade platforms like SBDCglobal.com.