Kiplinger California Letter features Int'l Trade

Here is the lead article from the March 21, 2007 Kiplinger California Letter:


New exporting opportunities abound for Calif. businesses as the dollar stays cheap
and trading partners’ economies thrive. Expanded trade infrastructure will help
at major ports of Oakland, San Diego, Stockton and L.A./Long Beach. Docks are being overhauled to handle the growth of shipments overseas. They’re adding workers to increase port hours. Warehouses are being built along trade routes. And highways and rails are being upgraded. Additional markets are opening up. Besides mainstays Mexico, Canada, Japan and China, India has huge potential as it tries to imitate China’s success. Brazil’s economy is poised to expand rapidly. And sales will soon grow in Central America and Chile, thanks to recent trade agreements. Figure on a 9% increase in sales abroad from California for 2007, repeating 2006 gains. The state will beef up trade support. After shutting down in the 2003 budget crunch,
the Calif. Trade Technology and Commerce Agency is likely to be revived, sponsoring trade missions and advertising Calif. goods in other nations. Companies can count on local help from World Trade Centers, run by business groups to train business owners and to link companies with foreign trade partners. World Trade Centers are in Sacramento, S.F./Oakland, L.A./Long Beach and San Diego. See www.wtca.org. The centers help line up financial aid, such as loans from banks, from the Small Business Administration and from the Export-Import Bank. Don’t overlook community colleges, which offer classes and advice through California’s Centers for International Trade Development. Products with the best potential are in hard-to-fill niches: Specialty agriculture products such as nuts and citrus. Software.
Environmental technology. Aircraft equipment. Electrical machinery. Popular services: Engineering. Infrastructure development. Architecture. Mold remediation. Security. And home-building expertise. Just getting started? Here’s what the experts recommend: Do plenty of market research on demographics and competition. Consider intermediaries, such as export-trading companies, which buy your products and sell them in the foreign country. Visit trade fairs in the U.S. or abroad to promote your product. The Commerce Dept. has more tips at www.unzco.com/basicguide.