DeWITT — The Central New York International Business Alliance (CNYIBA), an organization formed to enhance global sales of companies in the 12-county region, relaunched on Oct. 24 with the announcement of new programs and services to support growth through exporting. “We are a group of local business, government, and community leaders, who’ve come together in […]
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DeWITT — The Central New York International Business Alliance (CNYIBA), an organization formed to enhance global sales of companies in the 12-county region, relaunched on Oct. 24 with the announcement of new programs and services to support growth through exporting.
“We are a group of local business, government, and community leaders, who’ve come together in this nonprofit organization to create a local, one-stop shop for all export-related advice and assistance for other local companies,” said Peter Maier, president of Switzerland–based Inficon, Inc., who spoke at an Oct. 24 press event at the Inficon location at 2 Technology Place in DeWitt.
Inficon is a manufacturer of scientific instrumentation, sensor technologies, and advanced process-control software for the high-tech sector and other industries, said Maier, who serves on the CNYIBA board.
The CNYIBA held its inaugural event later in the day at the Crowne Plaza Syracuse hotel.
The CNYIBA provides mentoring and consulting services, educational programs, and will offer trips to international trade shows in places such as South Africa and Singapore, Steven King, export director of the CNYIBA, said during his remarks at the press event.
“There’s a lot of opportunity out there. There are many, many markets in the world that haven’t been tapped by the regional companies,” King said.
King has been exporting for more than 25 years and has significant international sales and marketing experience, according to the CNYIBA website.
He served more than 10 years with New York City–based Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) from its offices in London and Paris, the CNYIBA website says.
President Barack Obama in his 2010 State of the Union address called for a doubling of exports by 2015. Inficon “doubled” its exports by the end of 2012, Maier said.
As a result, the U.S. Department of Commerce on May 20 awarded Inficon the President’s “E” Award for Exports, the “highest recognition any U.S. entity may receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports,” according to the Inficon website.
CNYIBA is looking for regional small and medium-sized businesses that want to expand their efforts in exporting, David Mankiewicz, senior vice president and director of infrastructure and urban activities at CenterState CEO, said in his remarks at the event.
“Collectively, this region right now has $8.7 billion worth of exports. Even with that number, we’re an underperformer,” Mankiewicz said.
To capture more of that global market, the region must boost its international orientation and become more globally engaged. To do that, the CNYIBA needs “buy in” from the business community, Mankiewicz added.
“And that’s why we encourage businesses of all sizes to make exporting a strategic priority and to get involved with the new CNYIBA,” he said.
The relaunch of CNYIBA follows the 2011 development of the CenterState Export Plan, which a group of regional partners devised with the Brookings Institution, a private, Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit organization that focuses on independent research.
The plan called for a lead agency to provide export services and guidance to local companies, and the CNYIBA holds the designation, the organization said.
The CNYIBA dates back to the mid-1990s, and, in assuming its new role in guiding local companies in the exporting process, the organization has “transitioned,” Mankiewicz said.
“The IBA before was a great effort, but it was an all volunteer effort,” Mankiewicz said in answering a reporter’s question.
Several of its programs, such as Export New York, will continue, he said. Export New York trains companies on how to export their products.
When another reporter asked how this CNYIBA is different from the original organization, Maier replied that one of the “significant” differences is that board membership includes “a number” of companies that are involved in exporting.
“I would say it’s a more balanced board … as experienced exporters, we believe that we can bring something to the table and that’s experience,” Maier said.
Membership in the CNYIBA is open to any business or individual located in the CenterState region with an interest in learning about, assisting with, or participating in international- business activities, according to the CNYIBA website.
CNYIBA offers four distinct levels of membership; price is determined by business size and affiliation with its economic-development partners, the website says.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com