COD's International Trade Center manager brings ExporTech to Illinois

GLEN ELLYN - Local companies are gaining knowledge to create strong export plans through ExporTech, a national assistance program offered for the first time in Illinois through the College of DuPage.

Zach Person, program manager of the College of DuPage SBDC International Trade Center and Metro Chicago Exports, spearheaded the effort and currently serves as a coach and content expert for the program. The three-month pilot workshop, which began in May at the Choose DuPage office in Lisle, combines hands-on work, individualized attention and expert advice to help businesses identify its target markets and proactively reach customers in the global marketplace.

"If companies don't know where to look for this help, they won't find it on their own," Person said. "From startups to multimillion dollar companies, this structure combined with the right expertise at the right time is critical. ExporTech partners with all of these important players and brings them into one room."

ExporTech, which is offered in more than 30 states, helps companies enter or expand into global markets and is jointly offered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the U.S. Export Assistance Centers of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Person worked with Metro Chicago Exports to bring the program to Illinois, and other collaborators include the Illinois Department of Commerce and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center.

Through the SBDC International Trade Center at College of DuPage, which is part of the Center for Entrepreneurship, businesses receive specialized assistance and expert advice that supports export readiness and cross-border business development. The ExporTech program will be offered two to three times each year.

For more information, call Joe Moore, vice president for marketing and communications, at (630) 942-2370.