International Trade Center

Message from the ITC:

Dear International Trade Professional,

Is your business establishing or expanding its international trade?  If so, invest five minutes in giving the International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) a call today.

The ITC is a not-for-profit export information center designed to assist Illinois businesses successfully sell their products/services abroad.  We are funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and SIUE to serve exporters in southern Illinois.

Illinois ranks sixth in the nation as a leading exporting state. Last year, our state generated over $64 billion from exports sent to over 218 countries. 

Here are some of the ways we can help to promote your firm in the global marketplace:

• One-on-one free export counseling;
• International  market analysis to identify the most advantageous trading opportunities;
•  Identification of foreign buyers, agents and/or distributors through trade leads;
•  Seminars and conferences on international business practices, export procedures, distribution practices, and methods of payment, as well as the latest exporting trends;
• Incoming and outgoing trade missions, providing you with opportunities to establish valuable international business contacts and prospective customers;
•  Export finance assistance in coordination with the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EX-IM Bank) and SBA’s Export Working Capital Program (EWCP); and
•  Access to extensive export trade reference material and the International Trade Data Bank.

The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at SIUE is one of 11 Illinois trade centers, that altogether contributed to over $1 billion in export sales in 2011-2012.  And with 10 additional ITCs, two NAFTA Opportunity Centers (resource centers specializing in export opportunities to Mexico and Canada) and nine foreign offices, virtually no foreign market or trade related question goes unanswered.

We will be more than happy to explain more in detail how the International Trade Center at SIUE can assist in helping your business grow internationally and answer any questions you may have.  Feel free to contact us at (618) 650-3851 or by e-mail at International-Trade-Center@siue.edu. You can also visit our website at www.siue.edu/business/itc.  We look forward to working with you.

Happy Exporting!

Silvia Torres, Director

Illinois SBDC International Trade Center

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville