Small businesses wanting a global footprint are getting help from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Daniel Goff is the DCEO’s deputy director for trade and investment. He says his staff puts its marketing expertise with companies’ manufacturing or services knowhow.
“Say we’re organizing a trade mission to Widgetfest 2015 in Germany,” Goff says, citing a hypothetical. “I’d make a bet that many of the world’s best widgetmakers are making widgets in Germany, but a lot of them are here in Illinois. We’d organize a delegation of, typically, between six and fifteen small businesses, offer them booth space and some technical assistance, and help them find buyers and investors.”
Exports make up almost ten percent of the state’s gross product annually, about $60 billion worth a year. Goff’s office recently honored fifteen Illinois businesses for their accomplishments in exporting.