Southern Illinois Small Businesses Invited to Virtual Roundtable on ISTEP and CARES Act Funds  

EDWARDSVILLE – The Illinois Small Business Development International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Southwestern Illinois Trade and Investment Council (SWITIC) invite small businesses in Southern Illinois to participate in a free virtual roundtable discussion on the topic of ISTEP and CARES Act Funds.

The virtual conversation will take place from 10:30 a.m.-Noon on Thursday, Dec. 10 via Zoom. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required by Wednesday, Dec. 9 at https://bit.ly/3ovVCIH. Registered participants will receive a confirmation message with a personal connection link.

Did you know your business could be eligible to receive up to $27,000 (per year) to help start or increase your exports and reach new international buyers? The Illinois State Trade and Export Promotion Program (ISTEP) has been providing financial support to Illinois small businesses and ITC clients for over 10 years.

During this virtual roundtable discussion, hear from successful exporters who have used their ISTEP funds for a variety of business needs, including participation in international trade shows and missions, both in person and virtual; website translation and globalization; product compliance; virtual matchmakings; global distributor/agent search; and a range of other activities.

Additionally, thanks to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress on March 27, financial assistance is available to small business owners, along with additional support from companies’ local Illinois SBDC ITC at SIUE.

“CARES Act funds are now available to help you start or grow your international sales, as your business continues facing challenges resulting from the pandemic,” said ITC at SIUE Director Silvia Torres Bowman. “Exporters in our region are already enjoying initial successes and will be sharing their experiences at the roundtable. Join us to hear their testimonials and to share what your company’s most immediate needs are so these funds can also be made available to you. Any businesses located in the southern Illinois region can have immediate access to these CARES Act-funded resources.”

According to Torres Bowman, now is the ideal time for businesses to consider requesting immediate support through CARES Act funds that could assist in accomplishing the following, and more, to successfully sell products and services to international markets:

• Increase capacity and capability to produce products for exporting
• Connect with domestic and international trade and industry experts to help secure end-users, distributors, agents and partners
• Equip businesses in managing logistics and reporting activities
• Help in honing exporting marketing strategy
• Enable businesses to scale for global success
• Fuel access relevant metrics from reliable data sources
• Receive one-on-one actionable expertise from consultants and mentors with decades of exporting experience

Please contact international-trade-center@siue.edu with any questions.

The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at SIUE serves businesses in Southern Illinois by providing individualized, no-cost export advising, identification of foreign buyers, agents and/or distributors through trade leads, international market analysis and more. The ITC is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as a service to the region’s entrepreneurial and business community.

The ITC has a longtime partnership with the Illinois Office of Trade and Investment (OTI), which maintains a full-time staff of both foreign and domestic-based international trade and marketing experts. OTI also manages six foreign trade offices located in Belgium, Japan, Mainland China, Mexico, Canada and Israel.

As a key member of the Illinois SBDC Network, the International Trade Center delivers these important services to its clients while supporting the goals and objectives of both the SIUE School of Business and the University at large.

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