Press Releases

January 16, 2009

NEW ORLEANS, LA – More than ever in these changing economic times, small companies need resources to help them find new business and increase their sales. A training program designed for small companies in the southern United States gives these entrepreneurs the skills to sell their food and agricultural products internationally.

The Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) offers free training to qualified businesses through its Minority Export Training (MET) program. "Since 2003, the MET program has introduced over 100 small businesses to exporting. Many of these companies began exporting to new foreign markets around the world thanks to what they have learned through the program," said Jerry Hingle, SUSTA's Executive Director. The association's member states are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico.

Companies may participate in the program in one of two ways: as a series of online seminars, or individual coaching offered at the company's location. Experts educate the firms on such topics as financing, documentation, and government resources. Graduates of the program gain valuable contacts, develop international business plans, and often participate in SUSTA promotions for southern exporters

"This program literally opened the world to us," said Courtenay Carr Russo of Tropical Delight Daiquiris, an MET graduate from Miami, Florida. "Now, we have customers in ten countries and are developing relationships in 12 more."

To learn more about the 2009 Minority Export Training program, visit www.susta.org/services/ert.html. Criteria for qualifying companies and an application are available online, or for more information, contact the SUSTA office at (504) 568-5986 or your state's Department of Agriculture.

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