Page 5 - World Trade Center - 2017

WORLD TRADE CENTER DELAWARE
INVESTING IN A GLOBAL FUTURE
A European company arrived in the United States with five pages of questions in hand – most of them about intellectual property protections – as they began exploring potential manufacturing space in Delaware.
An African company requested a tour of real estate for a new distribution facility.
A third company, this time in the biopharma sector, got a recommendation from a U.S. Embassy to contact the WTC Delaware for assistance and showed up ready to speak with companies in the First State...just two weeks after the initial contact.
All of them made their first stop at World Trade Center Delaware, the state’s premier international business resource.
Whether called upon to provide answers to pressing trade questions or to connect potential clients, suppliers and partners across the international dateline, the staff of World Trade Center Delaware works quickly and efficiently to promote the Delaware business community and prepare local business to take advantage of opportunities when and where they arise.
“Over 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside of the United States,” said Carla Stone, executive director of World Trade Center Delaware. “Yet exports account for only 12 percent of U. S. GDP. We want to help Delaware companies change those numbers.”
World Trade Center Delaware, a nonprofit organization, recently celebrated 30 years of working with small and medium-sized businesses navigate the intricacies of international trade from its offices in Wilmington.
That work is especially critical as the Delaware economy shifts toward a global future. As support for international trade – both in goods
and services – continues to grow in the First State, investments are being made in resources and infrastructure in both public and
private sectors.
World Trade Center Delaware works to connect member businesses to both those local resources and to a world of contacts, with a network of 320 World Trade Centers around the globe, representing 90 countries with the strength of 15,000 employees. World Trade Center Delaware is ideally positioned to provide its members
with the information they need to get moving.
“We help companies prepare to compete globally, from identifying market opportunities and competitors and providing cultural, political, and economic information, to helping companies prepare all the paperwork and secure approvals or accreditations,” Stone said. “A rule of thumb is that companies need to start preparing themselves to export about two years before the bid comes out. And you need to start thinking about global markets before others step in.”
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