U.S. Commerce Department Awards Center for International Trade Development at Long Beach City College $300,000 to Increase U.S. Exports

Long Beach, CA – The Center for International Trade Development at Long Beach City College (CITD-LBCC) receives an award of $300,000 from the International Trade Administration’s (ITA) Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) to expand exports of U.S. health and beauty products to Brazil, China and the Persian Gulf Region and support job creation in California.  The MDCP award will be matched by industry partners and participating companies.  The program aims to increase exports by training small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in California to enter three foreign emerging markets and facilitating trade missions.

“Long Beach City College’s dedication to serving the business needs of regional and statewide companies is exemplified by the U.S. Commerce Department’s award to our Center for International Trade Development,” said Lou Anne Bynum, Executive Vice President of College Advancement and Economic Development.  “These funds will take the growth of American health and beauty businesses to the international level.” 

When the award was announced, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Francisco Sánchez, reported that despite a global economic downturn, U.S. exports hit an all-time record of $2.2 trillion last year.

“Our College is privileged to be a part of the economic solution of creating jobs in California through global exports of U.S. goods,” said Cesar Arellanes, CITD Director.  “I applaud the International Trade Administration’s continued commitment to providing financial and technical assistance support to international programs like CITD.”

As part of the project, CITD-LBCC will take 60 SMEs as sponsored delegations to three tradeshows in three different targeted markets that will strengthen global competitiveness and create jobs through exports.  Specifically, the goals are to help these SMEs:

• Understand how to scale operations for international sales,
• Attain exposure and localize products for target markets,
• Develop contractual relationships that are logistically effective and profitable, and
• Navigate Brazilian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern regulatory and intellectual property environments.

To accomplish these goals, CITD-LBCC will provide two primary components as part of their international industry training: 1) a comprehensive industry training program to help a minimum of 80 SMEs enter the Brazilian, Chinese and Persian Gulf region emerging markets, and 2) sponsored tradeshow delegations that build upon the strong brand of the U.S. and California, introducing at least 60 SMEs who have participated in the training programs to three emerging markets during the next three years.

California’s health and beauty industry consists of approximately 600 companies, made up by a large number of SMEs, which produce more than 1,500 cosmetic and toiletry brands and employ 287,750 people in California.  In addition, over 70 percent of all employment in the industry are by businesses with less than 10 employees, thereby classifying the majority of California’s health & beauty manufacturers as SMEs as designated by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) standard.

By engaging and establishing partnerships between tradeshow organizers and U.S. industry associations, CITD-LBCC will provide the framework for long-term sustainability and value-added for all organizations involved to: increase and sustain exports by $82 million over a seven-year period; create a platform that sustains U.S. representation of SMEs at foreign tradeshows; and, engage companies in the program through paid sponsorships and active participation.

CITD-LBCC is a leader in building partnerships between tradeshow organizers and the U.S. health and beauty industry.  Earlier this year, CITD-LBCC led a trade development mission to Cosmoprof Bologna, the world’s largest total beauty event with over 200,000 attendees.  During this mission, CITD-LBCC created “A State of Beauty” pavilion with 23 companies representing 28 brands from California.  A few months later, CITD-LBCC directed another successful trade mission in Dubai at the Beauty World Show where 18 companies participated, representing 22 beauty brands.  CITD-LBCC has also partnered with other organizations to provide support on export policies and procedures so that participants fulfill their international contracts.

About The Center for International Trade Development

The Center for International Trade Development at Long Beach City College (CITD-LBCC) provides a comprehensive portfolio of import and export services to Southern California’s expanding businesses.  Free and low-cost programs and services include: trade leads, seminars, trade missions and trade show assistance.

Whether a client company is starting its international operations or is an experienced firm looking to expand into new global markets, CITD-LBCC provides consulting and market research assistance that will help businesses enter new markets and increase profits.

For more information about CITD-LBCC, please visit www.citd.org

About Long Beach City College

Long Beach City College is one of the largest single college districts in the California Community College System.  LBCC is a comprehensive college which provides quality educational programs and related student services to nearly 30,000 students pursuing a wide range of degrees, certificates, transfer and other courses of study.  LBCC is a driving force in the regional economy as lead host of the Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center Network, serving Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties; and, as the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative site serving Southern California.  In 2012, LBCC supported small businesses in creating 2,736 new jobs, increasing client sales by more than $133 million and helping clients access more than $83 million in new capital.  LBCC’s economic activity generates over $2.12 million daily in the region’s economy.  The College is also in the middle of a $700 million construction bond program that was approved by local voters.

For more information about LBCC, please visit www.lbcc.edu

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Ruthie Retana
(562) 552-6339

Mark Taylor
(562) 254-8816