The export experts.

Gary Crawford's first exporting endeavors went poorly. He knew there was an overseas market for his cinematic special effects, but his initial attempts to penetrate the international markets were discouraging.

Then Crawford turned to the Export Small Business Development Center for guidance. He attended a seminar sponsored by the center, which convinced him to take full advantage of the agency's other services. Today Crawford's international business is thriving and he estimates that up to 40 percent of his company's revenue this year will come from export sales.

The Export Small Business Development Center is a rare partnership between the public and private sectors. The center was created to meet the needs of small and medium size companies that want to take advantage of the opportunities available to California businesses to grow through global expansion. The center is the only one of the 700 small business development centers nationwide to provide export assistance exclusively. It is funded by a grant from the Small Business Administration and the Export Managers Association of California, and it is administered by the state of California.

Primary mission

The center's primary mission is to increase exports by providing consulting services to companies needing assistance. A pool of private consultants paid by the center, with expertise in all aspects of international trade, guides the exporter to the completion of each transaction. The same experts assist the staff to answer specific, technical questions exporters may have. The center also conducts seminars and makes available appropriate reference materials. The working library and computer center can be utilized by clients to retrieve market research reports, foreign contacts and trade leads.

At the core of the center's operation is a network of 200 knowledgeable export and world trade professionals. Clients are furnished with targeted technical assistance and export counseling. The consultant's professional, industry and geographic expertise are matched with a client's specific need or problem to provide individually tailored counseling.

How it works

Here is how it works: If company A is trying to penetrate the telecommunications market in Mexico, the center will assign a consultant who has hands-on experience in the particular industry, world region and business discipline. At no cost to the client, company A will receive immediate, professional direction on how to market its products in that region. The center can also provide direction on financing opportunities, legal issues and transportation questions surrounding company's A's recent expansion efforts.

The center hosts training programs specifically designed to cover relevant topics not addressed in sessions offered by other organizations or unavailable in a particular area of the Southern California community. Recent seminars have covered such diverse topics as evaluating an export management or trading company and women in international business. An upcoming seminar in August will cover the areas of exporting related to international price quotations and small business in aerospace.

Training workshops

For those individuals or companies who are new to exporting or are just getting started in business, twice-weekly training workshops are held in the center. The purpose of these small group sessions is to give a general overview of the issues that confront today's exporters and inform the participants of the many resources that are available through the private and governmental sectors to help guide them through the often confusing maze of international trade.

The center offices are working resource centers for Southern California. The client can gain ready access to the best printed matter, covering over 100 international business subjects and 43 countries. There are approximately 1,000 individual publications in the collection.

The center also offers a number of the most used reference works in electronic form. Databases are available containing detailed information for market research on foreign growth industries, trade leads and pertinent government reports. With assistance from trained personnel, the public computer in the main lobby gives exporters admission into the latest international trade data from such sources as the National Trade Data Bank and the Thomas Register for those seeking to find manufacturers to represent overseas.

Top trader

California was the No. 1 export state in the nation last year, posting $63 billion in export sales. Large, established companies like Apple Computer, Mattel and Lockheed have led the way for small and medium size firms that are now enjoying significant export sales.

Canada was by far the United States' leading foreign market for exports in 1991, followed by Japan and Mexico. California's location near the mushrooming markets of the Pacific Rim and Mexico is certainly a key to its leadership position in international trade. Opportunities for U.S. firms in these markets will only increase with the upcoming North American Free Trade Agreement, which will create the world's largest free trade zone, including more than 360 million people with a combined annual output of $6 trillion.

Gladys Moreau is director of the Export Small Business Development Center of Southern California.