OPIC Selects North Carolina's Small Business & Technology Development Center for Partners Program
January 9, 2013
(OPIC)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – North Carolina’s Small Business & Technology Development
Center (SBTDC) has been named the newest member of the Overseas Private
Investment Corporation’s Partners Program, a public diplomacy initiative
designed to create a greater understanding within the U.S. business community of
OPIC’s role as the U.S. Government’s development finance institution.
The SBTDC, which supports economic growth and job creation in North Carolina by
providing management counseling and business advice to SMEs, served as
co-sponsor of OPIC’s Expanding Horizons seminar in Raleigh last March, which
educated 64 SME owners from across the state about how OPIC products can help
them take advantage of lucrative investment opportunities in emerging markets.
Through the Partners Program, OPIC works with selected trade, business and
foreign policy organizations nationwide to increase public knowledge of OPIC’s
work. By utilizing the resources of geographically-diverse organizations with
different memberships, information about OPIC is disseminated to a larger
audience.
“OPIC is extremely pleased to add North Carolina’s SBTDC to our Partners
Program,” said OPIC Director of Outreach Dr. Lawrence Spinelli. “OPIC and the
SBTDC share the same goal – helping North Carolina SMEs grow and create jobs. As
a vital informational resource for North Carolina companies looking to expand,
the SBTDC will serve as an ideal point of contact for companies which could
benefit from OPIC’s products and services. We look forward to a mutually
beneficial relationship.”
OPIC has enjoyed a close relationship with North Carolina businesses, enabling
many of them to invest successfully in emerging markets. Since 1971, OPIC has
provided $816 million in financing and political risk insurance commitments to
projects sponsored by North Carolinian companies, which in turn have generated
$910 million in U.S. exports and 2,819 U.S. jobs. Moreover, North Carolinian
suppliers, half of which are small businesses, are expected to provide $172
million worth of goods and services to OPIC-committed projects, supporting 445
jobs in North Carolina.
The SBTDC is the business and technology extension service of the University of
North Carolina system and is administered by North Carolina State University and
operated in partnership with U.S. Small Business Administration.
The SBTDC’s International Business Development (IBD) unit assists small and
mid-sized businesses with exporting. Their IBD specialists are highly trained,
Certified Global Business Professionals (CGBP) with extensive experience in
international business development. Their goal is to provide export-related
guidance and assistance to SMEs.
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