International trade week ends in Kent

The City of Kent took center stage last week as the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development’s Trade Week came to a conclusion with a full day of events at the ShoWare Center.

While the governor’s Trader of the Year awards served as the finale for the week of state-wide meetings on Thursday, the day’s main focus in Kent remained on international trade.

The day began with a luncheon for Puget Sound businesses interested in expanding into international markets.

Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke welcomed the state’s foreign trade representatives and business leaders alike and extolled the city’s warehouse space, manufacturing industries and easy connections to the ports of Tacoma and Seattle.

“We in Kent understand the importance of trade to our local economy as we live it and breathe it,” Cooke said, adding that Kent businesses trade with 170 countries. “You name it and it gets imported or exported through Kent.”

Keynote speaker Randy Gardiner, CEO of Red Dot Corporation, told those in attendance about his company’s experiences getting into the international market.

From their humble beginnings, Gardiner said his company, which builds custom heating and air conditioning units for heavy duty equipment, now does approximately $18 million per year in international business.

“Doing business internationally is like 3-D chess,” he said, adding that it’s the same game, only more complicated and more fun.

Gardiner encouraged business owners to see the markets they hope to break into, be cautious with credit and be “pulled, don’t push” into foreign markets.

“The best thing is to build upon where your customers already are and make contact through them,” he said.

Gardiner also warned about knowing local laws and taxes and to beware of corruption.

Following Gardiner’s keynote speech, members of CTED took to the small stage to praise the business owners in attendance for the value of their work, which includes setting up meetings in foreign markets and knowing the local laws.

“A lot of what we do is focus on helping small and medium companies,” said Mark Calhoon, senior managing director at CTED.

Calhoon said making those connections and knowing the laws is the role of CTED and with offices in six countries and representatives in 30 others, CTED can “provide assistance pretty much anywhere in the world.”

Primarily, CTED’s assistance comes in one of four areas: technical assistance, market entry, market research and business matchmaking.

Representatives in the European and Asian markets also spoke briefly, encouraging businesses to explore those areas as possible markets for their products.

“Exporters stand a better chance of survival,” European representative Paul Sinclair told the group.

Tom McLaughlin, executive director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing Puget Sound located in Kent, said the luncheon and the one-on-one meetings that would follow provided great opportunities for local businesses.

“This is all good stuff,” he said. “It’s a matter of knowing these markets are out there.”

City Economic Development Director Ben Wolters said the fact that CTED hosted their final two events of the week at the ShoWare center shows how important Kent is as a business center in the region.

“CTED is coming here to provide their expertise and their resources to help Kent companies become even more successful and competent,” Wolters said. “I was really pleased we were able to host this. It’s the kind of recognition and attention Kent is going to see more of as our city continues to grow.”

During the evening session at ShoWare, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen presented the Trader of the Year award to Bellevue-based Mulvanny G2 Architecture of Bellevue and SonoSite Inc. of Bothell won the Emerging Trader of the Year.

In total, Calhoon said more than 385 people state-wide attended CTED events during the week and said there were 115 one-on-one meetings with representatives from 86 companies.