From here to there: opening foreign markets to your products.

• Author: Haraldsen, Tom
• Position: Focus

Even though 2009 was an economic disaster for businesses pretty much nationwide, Utah led the United States in a very important category--export growth. The Brookings Institute reported that in goods alone (not counting services), Utah surpassed the nation in export growth when compared to export totals from 2008.

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There's a reason for that surprising piece of news. Getting products into foreign markets doesn't happen easily or accidentally. It takes a strong commodity, proper marketing plan, sufficient capital--and patience. It also often takes some help. Fortunately for Utah entrepreneurs, that help is available very close to home.

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The World Trade Center of Utah (WTCU) is a nonprofit funded by a number of local companies whose mission, since its inception in 2006, is to help products made in the Beehive State get into the global marketplace. Those companies have a vested interest in international business--firms such as USANA, Xango, O.C. Tanner and GPS Capital Markets. The WTCU has three goals, "to motivate, facilitate and educate," says President and CEO Lew Cramer.

"We're a 'first stop' support organization and information hub," he says. "When we get a call from someone who wants to take their product into another country, they generally ask two questions--how do I ship it and how do I get paid? We usually ask what they know about international business, what experience if any they have (and often don't). The issue usually arises when they start to get orders over the Internet from abroad and don't know what to do with them."

Cramer helps businesses overcome "the fear of the unknown, which is generally their biggest challenge," he says. "I liken it to a first kiss--everyone is scared of those. Taking the first step to do business internationally is the same type of fear. We know that exporting goods means more jobs for Utah, so we really push that--we help put an end to their fears."

The center brings together the private and public sectors, working in conjunction with its partner agencies. The collaborative effort produces trade leads, market analysis, strategy development and access to foreign trade missions. Cramer says nearly 1,000 businesses throughout Utah have been assisted with some sort of help from the WTCU, including through classes and seminars.

While taking a product into a foreign market clearly has more challenges, it also provides much greater opportunities. After all, as Cramer...