PONTIAC Michigan companies have long recognized the importance of exportingselling more than $33 billion worth of goods and services to about 200 worldwide destinations last year alone. And the U.S. Commercial Service last year facilitated more than $1 billion of those export sales for Michigan companies.

Bit more than 13,000 Michigan small and medium-sized companies export. These exports support jobs across the state, spurring entrepreneurial innovation and ingenuity among Michigans business sector. This is good news, but whats amazing is the true potential of exporting that has yet to be tapped. Consider the following:

Small and medium-sized business account for 97 percent of U.S.
exporters, but only about 30 percent of the total value of U.S. goods exports.

Of the small and medium-sized companies which do export, about
two-thirds of them sell only to one market.

Small and medium-sized businesses account for 98% of growth in new
exporters.

Through a global assistance network of 1,700 trade specialists in 108 domestic offices and nearly 150 posts in 78 countries, we offer export counseling, trade leads, market research, and much more to help small and medium-sized companies get into the export game.

And weve been hard at work in Michigan, where trade specialists at our U.S. Export Assistance Centers in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Pontiac and Ypsilanti are working hand-in-glove with businesses statewide to help them realize export opportunities.

Much of our focus is on educating businesses about exporting. Often smaller firms do not fully understand the benefits of exporting; think exporting is too burdensome or just for larger companies; or may not be aware of the full range of U.S. government assistance available to help them export.

Why get these companies into the export game? Because small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, creating 70 percent of the new jobs in America. And the U.S. Commercial Service offers a wide range of products and services to help exporters through every step of the process. From helping exporters find qualified buyers, partners, agents and distributors, to providing country- and market-specific research, counseling, and much more, the U.S. Commercial Service offers tailored solutions to help companies make international sales.

For more information about how the U.S. Commercial Service helps U.S.
exporters, call us at:

Pontiac U.S. Export Assistance Center: 248-975-9600 Detroit U.S. Export Assistance Center: 313-226-3650 Ypsilanti U.S. Export Assistance Center: 734-487-0259 Grand Rapids U.S. Export Assistance Center: 616-458-3564

Or visit us at export.gov

This guest column was written by Richard Corson, Director,
Pontiac U.S. Export Assistance Center,
U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Dept. of Commerce
Tel: 248-975-9604; Fax: 248-975-9606