International Marketing

The Northwest Commission serves as the Regional Coordinator for the Center for Trade Development. The CTD consists of a team of international economic specialists that contribute to the growth and strength of the Commonwealth's economy through the promotion of Pennsylvania businesses in the international marketplace. To access the CTD website click here.

The Northwest Commission also has an International Marketing Program outreach office in Erie County with staff located in the Erie Regional Chamber. This is a cooperative venture between the County of Erie, the Erie Regional Chamber, and the Northwest Commission. In addition, the Northwest Commission has a trade specialist located on a part-time basis in Mercer County, in partnership with the Penn-Northwest Development Corporation.

Global Access Program (GAP)

This program is designed to enhance the capability of small and mid-sized Pennsylvania companies to increase export sales. The Global Access Program (GAP) is a valuable tool available to qualifying companies seeking financial assistance and foreign market entry support. GAP will provide up to $5,000.00 in 1:1 matching funds per year to qualifying Pennsylvania companies to offset a portion of the qualifying expenses associated with export promotion activities. This program is funded in part through a grant award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

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Pennsylvania International Trade Guide (exportingPA.org)

The Pennsylvania International Trade Guide is available to teach the basics of exporting to Pennsylvania companies. The site provides export tutorials, frequently asked questions, an Export Readiness Assessment, a statewide calendar of export-related events, and an easy way to get in contact with your Regional Export Network (REN) representative designated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

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The "Expert Hotline" is just a call or click away!

Are you currently exporting and have questions such as:

Does my product need CE mark?
Which method of payment to choose for my international transaction?
Does my product need an export license?
Have I selected the best INCOTERMS for my transaction?

The Commonwealth’s Center for Trade Development has contracted with Team Worldwide and TÜV Rheinland to offer free-of-charge, confidential, export counseling and compliance advice to Pennsylvania exporters! Services of The Expert Hotline are available free-of-charge to Pennsylvania exporters and are funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). These experts are available for one-on-one consulting via phone or email. Contact us at exportcompliance@nwcommission.org or at 814.677.4800 x110 to receive prompt answers or advice to your questions and concerns.

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Northwest Export Express

The international program publishes this newsletter reporting on activities, success stories, client testimonials, export regulations, and more! Please contact Dorte Heffernan if you would like to be added to the mailing list. Comments are also appreciated!

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Forms

Overseas Office Request Form ~ DOC
Global Access Program Application ~ PDF

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Export Sales Collection

Please support our program and report to us!

It is the time of the year again for us to reach out to our active clients and ask them to report export sales achieved with the help of our international marketing program.

Assistance provided may have been in receiving export technical assistance via training events or counseling, or by receiving a Market Access Grant to help offset expenses while traveling overseas. Perhaps, the client participated in one of the Commonwealth’s trade missions, or exhibited in an international trade show organized by the Center for Trade Development. Maybe the client utilized one, or several, of the Commonwealth’s 20 foreign trade offices for an agent/distributor search, to receive a market research report, or a foreign company background check.

All the above listed services are at no, or subsidized cost to the client. In order to measure our program’s effectiveness and to ensure the continuation of these valuable services funded by World Trade Pa, our program is required to report on performance measurement metrics. One metric is export sales resulting out of the assistance provided by our program.

During the last week of September, we will start forwarding the Export Sales Confirmation forms. We will distribute the forms electronically and ask our clients to complete the requested information and return to us. With this collection, we ask clients to report on export sales which occurred during the timeframe of April 1, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2011. For a copy of the Export Sales Confirmation Form, please click here.

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Pennsylvania Trade Representatives

• Australia/New Zealand
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• China, Beijing
• China, Shanghai
• Eastern Arabian Gulf (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates & Yemen)
• Eastern Mediterranean Region (Israel, Egypt, Jordan & Turkey)
• France
• Germany (Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland)
• India
• Japan
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• Saudi Arabia
• South Korea
• South Africa
• Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand & the Philippines
• Taiwan
• United Kingdom (UK, Ireland & Scandinavia)
• Vietnam

Please click here for a detailed list of Pennsylvania's Authorized Trade Representatives.

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