Selling Alaska to the world.

• Author: Dalby, Ron
• Position: Interview with World Trade Center Alaska director Robin Zerbel - Interview

From an office on the third floor in the old Alaska Railroad station at the edge of the Ship Creek industrial area in Anchorage, Robin Zerbel and her small staff help Alaskans market their products and skills around the world.

Take a moment to visualize the bureaucratic complexities of both Alaska's government and our federal government. Then multiply that by almost any number of countries around the world where Alaskans want to sell goods and services. Only then can you begin to get a feel for the regulatory maze that Robin Zerbel, director of the World Trade Center Alaska, faces every morning when she shows up for work.

Worried about a visa? Zerbel can help. What are local tax laws in other countries? Zerbel can help find an answer. Need a hotel room in Russia? Zerbel can offer a recommendation. The list is endless.

Considering that these are just some of her smaller day-to-day problems, Zerbel's poise and calm self-confidence are somewhat amazing. But it's only when you begin to talk to her that you realize the depth of her commitment to resolving these and other complexities to help Alaskans get on with their work overseas.

ABM: What is the name of your organization?

ZERBEL: World Trade Center Alaska. Technically our name is World Trade Center Anchorage, because licenses are issued to cities and metropolitan areas.

ABM: Who issues a license to the World Trade Center Anchorage?

ZERBEL: The World Trade Center Association in New York, an association with over 300 offices around the world.

ABM: How much does a license cost?

ZERBEL: A license costs about $250,000, and there's an annual license fee of about $10,000 a year to keep it.

ABM: What is the mission of the overall World Trade Center based in New York?

ZERBEL: The World Trade Center Association's mission is to establish facilities and membership organizations that facilitate trade for members. One of the quotes from the president of the organization has to do with "establishing world peace through trade, through economic development."

ABM: Then what, specifically, is the mission of the Alaska/Anchorage center?

ZERBEL: Our mission is to facilitate trade for our members. We do that by understanding our individual companies and what they're trying to attain internationally. We determine how we can best serve them and we do it in five different areas: trade education, trade information, networking, trade leads and by serving as an advocate.

ABM: How many members do you have in Alaska?

ZERBEL: We actually have around 200 members statewide. In 1991 we had 38 paid members. Most of those members (the current 200) have been with us for about four years.

ABM: What are the requirements for membership?

ZERBEL: There are dues, membership fees, but we never address that first. That is of least importance. We sit down with each company to talk about what they are trying to do, and then we tell them what we can do and see if we can make a match that makes business sense for both of us. We don't want to waste their time or money. Sometimes we're not the answer. We have a very significant economic development role, and we put our heart and soul into each company to provide them with the best information and assistance we possibly can.

We do have a fee structure, and it's $300 for individual members. That means that those...