Foreign Economy Experts Advise PA Businesses

International trade consultants are meeting with Pennsylvania businesses to promote foreign commerce this March.

Next Wednesday’s Pittsburgh meeting is part of a string of Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) conventions comprising 14 Asian, Australian and European trade envoys with Pennsylvania businesses. The consultants are hired by the state to inform the companies of exportation opportunities overseas.

Pennsylvania Center for Trade Development Executive Director Peter O’Neil says the meetings will build a “comfort level” between the delegates and state companies.

“They will share information with each other in the process of qualifying this foreign market,” says O’Neil, “and really [accept] the advice and the counsel of our trade consultants overseas so that they can reliably, quickly, and with little risk explore and take advantage of a market opportunity that our consultants bring to them.”

O’Neil says in the past, the program has been directly responsible for the exportation of $450 million in state goods and services. He says it’s nationally recognized as the largest and most progressive effort of its kind.

O’Neil says the ultimate goal of the program is to create jobs in the state by producing a global demand for Pennsylvania goods and services.