California Community Colleges Facilitating Academic and Business Community Collaboration

Exporting identified as viable growth opportunity for the region’s businesses
Northern California (Oct. 16, 2014) —

A Northern California exporting survey has revealed new opportunities and pathways to nurture the expansion of global trade in Shasta, Mendocino, Humboldt, Butte, Plumas, Tehama, Lassen, Modoc, Siskiyou and Trinity counties.

The survey, spearheaded by Leah Goold-Haws, deputy sector navigator of global trade & logistics for California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, showed that: far more local businesses need to be educated about exporting; those practicing in international trade had little trouble entering foreign markets; and there are several business assistance measures that can be taken to grow exporting in the region.
During a visit to the city of Redding in late September to participate in an export
seminar, which included a review the survey findings, Brian Peck, Deputy Director of
International Affairs & Business Development for the Governor’s Office said, “Global
trade generates roughly $250 billion in revenue for California businesses annually, and is one of the state’s strongest economic opportunities to produce an influx of business activity and job creation.”

“We are working with regional agencies to educate small businesses about the many
state and federal programs that can get them started, and help these companies see that exporting is more of a possibility than they think,” Peck added. “This survey shows that small and medium-sized companies are exporting and the benefits of doing so, and that with a little education more companies can easily grow their business by tapping into foreign markets.”

Survey Findings:

• Northern California businesses export to countries around the world. Canada,
  Australia, Japan, and China are among the top trade countries.
• Export sales augment total revenue by less than 10 percent for the majority of
  Northern California businesses, representing an opportunity for expansion.
• Most businesses reported that they did not have any difficulty entering the
  exporting market, with little up-front development time.
• Expensive shipping and confusing/complex trade regulations are the biggest
  challenges to selling good and services to foreign customers.
• Only a few businesses rely on payment enhancement products, such as Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC) products, Export-Import Bank products or private credit insurance, to support and streamline their export activities. Expansion of these products and how they help could facilitate additional sales and revenue.
• Fewer than 10 percent of non-exporting businesses plan to start exporting in
  the near future. The most prevalent barriers include: dealing with a multitude
  of government agencies; expensive shipping; confusing and complex trade
  regulations; and difficulty finding new customers in foreign markets.
• Local businesses are most interested in services that would help them to (1)
  identify reputable distributers, partners, or other agents in a foreign market to
  work with; (2) identify tax breaks and incentives and (3) build partnerships with
  international customers.

Full Report: https://www.coeccc.net/documents/GlobalTrade_Survey_KeyFindings.pdf

“There is a great deal of potential for far Northern California to translate its strongest
commodities into business opportunities overseas,” said Leah Goold-Haws, who
commissioned the survey.

“With a better understanding of the current exporting activity taking place and the
challenges hindering local businesses from using exporting as a growth opportunity, we now have a roadmap to help companies think more globally,” Goold-Haws added. “This survey is the first step to reopening a Center for International Trade Development (CITD) in the region, and offering the services and resources businesses need to reach borders around the world.”

Almost 300 businesses in Shasta, Mendocino, Humboldt, Butte, Plumas, Tehama,
Lassen, Modoc, Siskiyou and Trinity counties participated in the 30-question survey,
which was sponsored by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and
conducted in partnership with Innovate North State; Superior California Economic
Development; Port of Humboldt; City of Eureka; Siskiyou County Economic
Development Council; and the Economic Development Corporation of Shasta County.
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Download the survey