UPS and US Department of Commerce strike export partnership

US Commerce secretary Gary Locke and UPS CEO and Chairman Scott Davis have announced an expanded partnership between UPS and the Department of Commerce that is designed to increase US exports among small- and medium-sized businesses. Locke and Davis also met with local business leaders to discuss President Obama’s National Export Initiative (NEI) and how it will help American companies become more competitive while supporting job creation here at home.

In the coming weeks, UPS will identify small- and medium-sized companies that currently export to just one market. UPS will then analyse data about the companies and suggest new markets based on factors including industry, geography, currency, and market access opportunities.

From there, the US companies will be directly connected with trade specialists from the US Commercial Service (USCS), a division of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. The trade experts, who are stationed in 77 countries around the world, will design targeted strategies to help identify new market opportunities and find additional buyers in existing markets to expand the companies’ ability to sell their products and services.

“Increasing the export of American products and services to global markets can help revive the fortunes of US companies, spur future economic growth and support jobs here at home,” Locke said. “The Commerce Department, with its network of trade specialists posted around the world, and UPS, with its global reach, can be a significant resource for these companies. Together, we’ve helped thousands of American companies expand their share in existing markets and break into new ones.”

Since 2007, UPS has been a partner with Commerce’s export-promotion arm, USCS. The public-private partnership is focused on engaging US companies and informing them of exporting opportunities through export education events, compliance seminars and joint client counseling sessions. UPS has counseled more than 18,000 customers on how the USCS can help them export, and together, they have convened more than 70 export-related customer seminars.

“UPS has been working with the Commerce Department’s US Commercial Service since 2007 to provide export assistance to smaller firms,” Davis said. “Our experience shows us that once these firms pursue international expansion, they grow and they create jobs. We look forward to working with the President’s team in any way we can on this new, important endeavor.”