Is the Tide Favoring U.S. Wood Industry Exports?

3/25/2020

Bill Esler

ATLANTA - IWF 2020 offers two learning opportunities on export for the U.S. wood industry by trade specialist Laurie Wolff, an academic economist with a mission to improve the practice of global business.

On Wednesday, August 26, Wolff presents Identifying New Export Markets and Customers from 3:45 - 5:00 pm. Then on Thursday, August 27, Wolff delivers a one-hour session, Trade Finance: Getting the Funding You Need and Managing Risk for Exporters.

Wolff, who is on the faculty at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is an academic economist who has made it her "mission to improve the practice of global business" in part by bridging the gap between educators, industry, and government business development programs. She is a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) and a Distinguished Fellow for the North American Small Business International Trade Educators.

Learn more about the IWF 2020 Education Conference >>

Wolff says she tries to connect training with business needs, and find available help for businesses that need it but may not know where to find it. Here are more details on her two sessions at IWF 2020:

Identifying New Export Markets and Customers

Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 3:45 - 5:00pm

Do you know the top international markets for your products? Do you know how to find qualified buyers in those markets? In this session we'll identify some of the top export markets for the wood industry. And since hopefully you have international prospects in hand from the show floor, we'll talk about what to do next to qualify buyers. Trade assistance programs at both the federal and state level are waiting to help you, and we'll cover some of what they can do for you. Commercial data sources are also available to help you research prospective buyers and markets. 

Trade Finance: Getting the Funding You Need and Managing Risk for Exporters

Thursday, August 27, 2020, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Now is a great time to grow your business with exports! But expanding international sales requires more production and inventory and adds new payment risks. Since the government wants to increase exports, it has programs to address these challenges. At this session, we'll overview government guaranteed loans available to support exports of U.S. firms as well as resources to address and reduce payment risk.