In This Edition of the CITD Update

 





 

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CITD Client Recognized at Annual SBA Awards Luncheon

 

The San Diego District Office of the Small Business Administration (SBA) honored small business owners that have persevered or excelled in challenging economic times at its annual SBA Awards Luncheon held on June 12th at the Scottish Rite Center in Mission Valley. In addition to recognizing local businesses for their success, the SBA also acknowledged small business advocates for their contributions to the community.

 

San Diego CITD client, CMF Global, a distributor and exporter of pipes, valves, fittings and other materials for use in irrigation systems, fire suppression systems, oil and gas applications and more, was recognized as the region's "Exporter of the Year". CMF President, Ramon Castillo, accepted the award on behalf of the company. CITD Director, Victor Castillo, also received recognition as this year's "Minority Small Business Champion". 

 

greatbatchGreatbatch Medical Discusses Business Opportunities with Regional Suppliers

Greatbatch Medical, a leading manufacturer of implantable medical devices with facilities in Tijuana, Mexico, was the latest company to participate in the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce's MEXPORT Supplier's Forum. With labor and transportation costs rising in China, many manufacturers have been moving or expanding their operations to Mexico, as the country's proximity to the United States and stable labor costs have made manufacturing operations there more competitive. The forums, hosted in partnership with the San Diego CITD, aim to connect regional suppliers with large manufacturers in the Baja California region.

 

Supply chain managers and buyers from Greatbatch's Tijuana manufacturing facility presented information on the company's products and current sourcing needs. After the presentations, forum participants had the opportunity to meet the Greatbatch buyers individually and discuss potential business opportunities.

 

See additional photos from the event here. 
 
roundtable
California Companies Exhibit at NAMM Musikmesse Russia with Help From CITD

  

The San Diego CITD, in partnership with the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) and the U.S. Department of Commerce assisted California-based companies with exhibiting at the NAMM Musikmesse and ProLight + Sound trade shows in Russia, which took place May 16 - 19th in Moscow.

 

The San Diego CITD was able to arrange discounted booth space and one-on-one meetings with qualified distributors - though a U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Key Service - for California-based music industry-related companies wishing to expand their business by exporting to Russia and the former Soviet Republics. Funding for this assistance was available in part by the California State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) program from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

 

130 companies from 14 countries, including major industry brands, took part in the second edition of NAMM Musikmesse Russia and Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia trade shows. Three of those companies were able to qualify for the assistance provided through the San Diego CITD and exhibit at shows.

 

Read more...

 

suppliersUpcoming Suppliers Opportunities

Join the San Diego CITD at these upcoming suppliers events.

The 4th International Baja Aerospace Supplier Forum, which will take place on August 29th, 2013, will bring together Buyers and Suppliers from the aerospace sector from all over the world and provide attendees with an overview of current and future opportunities within Baja California.
 
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The purpose of the Medical Summit is to develop local and regional supplier base for the medical device manufactures located in the State. Attendees to the event will be medical device manufactures, local and foreign suppliers, regional universities and industrial chambers and associations related to the medical industry.


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Grupo Expo Baja will hold its seventh annual BajaMak trade show on Oct. 24 in Tijuana, Mexico. The trade show and expo emphasizes the maquiladora supply industry in the Baja California border region and will feature five specialized industries exhibiting their current needs for their manufacturing plants in Mexico. These industries include: Aerospace, Automotive, Medical Products, Metal/Mechanical, and Electronics.

  
mexport
Southwestern College Instructor Participates in 10th Biennial International Business Institute

 

Sponsored by the San Diego CITD and CIBER-San Diego State University, Bernardo Andrade - Adjunct Instructor for Southwestern College's Logistics and Transportation Program- attended the 10th Biennial International Business Institute for Community College Faculty at the International Business Center hosted at Michigan State University from June 2nd-5th.

 

The International Business Institute for Community College Faculty is a unique professional development program designed specifically for community and technical college faculty. The aim of the Institute is to provide participants with the knowledge, experience and resources they need to internationalize general business courses and/or develop specialized international business courses at the two-year college level. The program was a success with a total of 44 business faculty from 18 states that attended the institute this year.

 

Southwestern's Logistics and Transportation Certificate/A.S. Degree Program trains the region's workforce in the latest logistics and transportation methodologies, ultimately increasing industrial efficiencies and offering upward mobility options for practitioners and students in this field. The San Diego CITD assisted the college with the program's development and promotion through a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education's Business and International Education Program.

 

 

Aaron Estrada and Victor Cruz, seniors at High Tech High Chula Vista and San Diego CITD Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) participants, recently launched a video game tournament hosting business. Seniors at High Tech High are required to complete a "Senior Project", which is the culmination of the students' personalized academic endeavors. Students are encouraged to select projects that are in harmony with their personal goals and interests. Aaron and Victor, who were both interested in entrepreneurship, decided they wanted to start a business around their affinity for gaming as their senior project. Their senior project advisor, who was familiar with YEP, recommended they enroll in the program and take the online business training to learn how to start the business and write a business plan. After completing all lessons of the online business training, Aaron and Victor wrote a business plan for a video game tournament hosting business they named Green Mist Gaming. Their business model consists of hosting video game tournaments for teams of players of popular role playing and combat strategy video games. Green Mist Gaming charges a fee to players to enter the tournament and also sells food and refreshment. Cash prizes are given to the winning teams. Since they had already written the business plan for their senior project, they decided to use it to enter the YEP Business Plan Competition and their plan was selected as one of the top three plans.

 

As part of the services available to them through YEP, Aaron and Victor were able to meet with a CITD Business Advisor and get assistance with fine tuning their business plan and discuss start-up specifics including permits and licenses needed, business legal structure, marketing, and more. The pair then launched their business shortly after and held their first tournament on May 25th at a venue in their high school that they were able to secure at no cost. Their first event was a success, hosting a tournament centered around the video game League of Legends. Aaron and Victor plan to pursue college degrees while continuing to work on growing their business.


Upcoming Events

 

Access to Capital for Small Businesses" Challenges, Strategies, Solutions 

 

Exportech Corporate Management Program

 

Baja's 4th Annual Aerospace Supplier Forum

 

MedSummit

 

Mujer PyME

 

BajaMak Tradeshow

 

About the CITD

 

Expand your business through International Trade! 

 

The San Diego Center for International Trade Development (CITD) assists small and medium-sized enterprises expand internationally by providing low and no-cost programs and services including, one-on-one technical assistance and consulting, market research, training and educational programs, trade leads and special events.

 

International trade counseling is available by appointment at the following San Diego CITD Locations:

 

Chula Vista

Southwestern College

900 Otay Lakes Road
Building 660

Chula Vista, CA 91910

 

Otay Mesa

SWC Higher Education Center Otay Mesa

8100 Gigantic Street
Building 4500
San Diego, CA 92154

 

Mission Valley

San Diego Contracting Opportunities Center 

4007 Camino del Rio South
Room 210
San Diego, CA 92108

 

East County

East County EDC

1870 Cordell Court, Suite 202

El Cajon, CA 92020

 

For appointments, call
(619) 482-6393 or visit

www.sandiegocitd.org

 

International Trade Counseling
Need assistance with import/export documentation? Want to find foreign buyers for your products/services?
 
Get free assistance with international trade!
 
Request an appointment with one of our International Trade Specialists today!
CalSTEP Border Export Program
Want to increase your sales by supplying to major international manufacturers?

 

Our CalSTEP Border Export Program can help match you with manufacturers looking for your products and services.
Border Export Program

California STEP, funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration, facilitates export promotion activities, serving targeted industries to drive exports for small business.

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Reference in this newsletter to any specific commercial products, brand names, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the San Diego CITD, or its officers, employees or agents.