The World is Open for Your Business.Let the U.S. Commercial Service connect you to a world of opportunity.

Website: www.export.govMinneapolis Office: 612-348-1638

Our Global Network of Trade Professionals Opens Doors that No One Else Can.

The U.S. Commercial Service provides U.S. companies unparalleled access to business opportunities around the world.

As a U.S. Government agency, we have relationships with foreign government and business leaders in every key global market.

Our trade professionals provide expertise across most major industry sectors.

Every year, we help thousands of U.S. companies export goods and services worth billions of dollars.

Our Network & What it can do for you

Trade specialists in over 100 U.S. cities and 130 offices in 76 countries worldwide...

We can...

Locate international buyers, distributors & agents Provide expert help at every stage of the export process Help you to enter new markets faster and more profitably

U.S. Commercial ServiceInternational Office Locations

AlgeriaAlgiersArgentinaBuenos AiresAustraliaMelbourneSydneyAustriaViennaBelgiumBrusselsBrazil Belo HorizonteBrasiliaRecifeRio de JaneiroSao PauloBulgariaSofiaCanadaCalgaryMontrealOttawaTorontoVancouverChileSantiago

ChinaBeijingChengduGuangzhouShanghaiShenyangColombiaBogotaCosta RicaSan JoseCroatiaZagrebCzech RepublicPragueDenmarkCopenhagenDominican RepublicSanto DomingoEcuadorQuitoEgyptAlexandriaCairoEl SalvadorSan SalvadorFinlandHelsinkiFranceParis

GermanyBerlinDusseldorfFrankfurtMunichGhanaAccraGreeceAthensGuatemalaGuatemala CityHondurasTegucigalpaHong KongHong KongHungaryBudapestIndiaAhmedabadBangaloreCalcuttaChennaiHyderabadMumbaiNew DelhiIndonesiaJakartaIraqBaghdad

IrelandDublinIsraelJerusalemTel AvivItalyFlorenceMilanRomeJapanNagoyaOsaka-KobeSapporoTokyoJordanAmmanKazakhstanAlmatyKenyaNairobiKorea (South)SeoulKuwaitKuwait CityLebanonBeirutLibyaTripoli

MalaysiaKuala LumpurMexicoGuadalajaraMexico CityMonterreyTijuanaMoroccoCasablancaNetherlandsThe HagueNew ZealandWellingtonNigeriaLagosNorwayOsloPakistanIslamabadKarachiLahorePanamaPanama CityPeruLimaPhilippinesManilaPolandWarsaw

PortugalLisbonQatarDohaRomaniaBucharestRussiaMoscowSt. PetersburgVladivostokSaudi ArabiaDhahranJeddahRiyadhSenegalDakarSerbia & MontenegroBelgradeSingaporeSingaporeSlovak RepublicBratislavaSouth AfricaCape TownJohannesburgSpainMadrid

SwedenStockholmSwitzerlandBernTaiwanKaohsiungTaipeiThailandBangkokTurkeyAnkaraIstanbulIzmirUkraineKievUnited Arab EmiratesAbu DhabiDubaiUnited KingdomLondonUruguayMontevideoVenezuelaCaracasVietnam HanoiHo Chi Minh City

U.S. Commercial ServiceInternational Partner Offices

Albania Angola Azerbaijan Bahrain Barbados Benin Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi CameroonCape Verde Central African Republic Chad Congo Kinshasa CyprusIvory Coast Djibouti Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Guinea

Guinea-Bissau Iceland Jamaica Kosovo Latvia Lesotho Liberia Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mozambique Namibia NepalNicaraguaNigerOmanPalestinian TerritoryRwandaSeychelles

Sierra LeoneSloveniaSomaliaSudanSwazilandTanzaniaTogoTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaUgandaYemenZambia

Services provided by the U.S. Commercial Service

Consulting and Advocacy

Market Intelligence

Business Matchmaking

Trade Events

International Trade Community and Support

* Indicates a fee for service

Export Counseling

Our trade specialists in the U.S. work directly with our team of experts overseas in getting you all the information and advice that you need. – Conference calls with global offices– Determine the best markets for your products & services

– Evaluate international competitors

– Identify and comply with legal and regulatory issues

– Settle disputes

– Learn about cultural issues and business protocol

– Assist with export document requirements

Consulting and Advocacy

Country Commercial Guides (CCG)

- Leverage reports, prepared annually by U.S. Embassy staff, containing information on the business and economic situation of foreign countries and the political climate as it affects U.S. business and investments.

Trade Data and Analysis

- Obtain the latest annual and quarterly trade data by country, state, commodity, and year.

- Find industry-specific trade data and analysis.

- Get country-specific tariff and trade agreement information.

Customized Market Research*

- Get specific answers to your specific international business questions.

Market Intelligence

Market Intelligence

* Cost vary depending on research preformed

International Company Profile (ICP)*

Determine whether an overseas company or individual is a suitable partner:

- Management details

- Business activities

- Product/service lines

- Financial condition

- Credit-worthiness

- Trading experience

- Market coverage

- Business connections in the target country.

- Lead time: 15 business days

Business Matchmaking

* SME: $600; Large Company: $900

International Partner Search (IPS)*

You provide your marketing materials and background on your company

Then we use our network of international contacts to interview potential partners and provide you with a list of pre-qualified candidates.

Save valuable time and money by working only with pre-qualified international candidates that are interested in selling your products and services.

Obtain high-quality market information on the marketability and sales potential for your products and services.

Lead time: 30 business days

Business Matchmaking

* SME: $550; Large Company: $1,400

Gold Key Matching Service*

Pre-screened appointment schedule arranged for you before you travel overseas

Customized market and industry briefings with our local trade specialists

Timely and relevant market research

Post-meeting debriefing with our trade specialists and assistance in developing appropriate follow-up strategies

Help with travel, accommodations, interpreter service, and clerical support

Lead Time: 4-6 weeks

Business Matchmaking

SME: $700 first day, $300 each additional day; Large Company: $2,300 first day, $1,000 each additional day

Single Company Promotion*

The Single Company Promotion service offers support and event facilities which will allow you to engage your target audience through:

– Product launches

– Sales seminars

– Staff training

– Networking receptions

Facilities available include: exhibition halls, auditoriums, meeting rooms, hotels and even the residences of some US Ambassadors.

Trade Events

* Cost vary depending on event and market

Platinum Key Service*

A comprehensive, customized way to achieve business goals through long-term sustained support (typically 6 months to 1 year).

Created to help achieve complex market development or goals such as; launching new products, reducing market access barriers, overcoming regulatory or standards issues.

Tailored to the needs of small, medium or large businesses

Commercial Service Officers and Specialists are ready to work with you to identify your requirements and establish a detailed plan to help you achieve your specific objectives within your target market.

Consulting and AdvocacyMarket Intelligence

Business MatchmakingTrade Events

* Cost vary depending on services rendered

Trade Shows/Trade Missions

International Trade Shows– U.S. pavilions put you in the best int’l trade shows with access to

thousands of buyers. – Our team of Commercial Specialists arrange one-on-one meetings with

potential buyers.

International Buyer Program (IBP)– U.S. Department of Commerce selects leading domestic trade shows to

promote through its global network of offices and contacts.– U.S. Commercial Service staff in our Embassies and Consulates abroad

recruit and bring delegations of qualified buyers, prospective representatives and distributors to domestic trade shows. U.S. Commercial Service staff then facilitates meetings between buyers and exhibitors.

International Trade Missions*– Opportunity to meet with distributors, government and industry officials,

prospective customers, and U.S. Embassy officials.

Trade Events

* Costs vary depending on the mission

Trade Compliance Center

Ensures that:

- Trade agreements entered into by the U.S. are properly monitored

- Compliance issues are addressed promptly

- U.S. exporters are provided access to information on the opportunities created by U.S. government market opening initiatives

Two Main Functions:

- Data Systems Management - Use the information superhighway to provide data and government assistance directly to businesses

- Compliance Analysis - Analyzes foreign compliance with trade agreements by reviewing legal, economic and policy issues

http://www.tcc.mac.doc.gov

Consulting and Advocacy

Advocacy Center

Exporting today means more than just selling a good product at competitive prices, it can also mean dealing with foreign governments and complex regulations. The Advocacy center helps companies by putting the resources and authority of 19 U.S. government agencies behind your company to help resolve problems such as:

Contracts pursued by foreign firms who receive assistance from their own governments to pressure a customer into buying their product or service

Unfair treatment by government decision makers, preventing a U.S. company from competing for a project

Tenders tied up with bureaucratic red tape, resulting in lost opportunities and unfair advantage to other competitors

http://export.gov/advocacy/

Consulting and Advocacy

Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) Programs

Export Credit Insurance: If you have an international buyer or new distributor that wants up to one year to repay, but you are hesitant to extend open account terms on your own, then perhaps insuring the receivable is the solution. Our insurance programs can insure the receivable from 90-100 percent of the total invoice, thereby taking the risk on nonpayment off the U.S. company and putting it on the Export-Import Bank.

Guarantees of Commercial Loans facilitate the financing of your goods/services to overseas buyers when an end user needs more than 1 year to pay (limited to capital equipment sales). The loan program requires a 15% down payment to the exporter made prior to shipment. At or around time of shipment, the exporter's lender would pay the U.S. exporter the remaining 85% of the contract value.

The Working Capital Guarantee allows lenders to extend loans to small and medium exporters for the production of goods or service for export.

International Trade Community and Support

District Export Councils

District Export Councils (DECs) are organizations of leaders from the local business community, appointed by U.S. Secretaries of Commerce, whose knowledge of international business provides a source of professional advice for local firms. Currently there are 58

The MN DEC

- International Networking Events

- www.exportassistance.com

- Counseling companies

Other Partners– Minnesota Trade Office – Midwest Global Trade Association– Minnesota International Center

International Trade Community and Support

Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC)

Commerce-chaired interagency task force: Establishes priorities. Coordinate new programs and initiatives Improves service delivery Leverage resources/avoid duplication Reports to Congress

Established mechanisms: U.S. Export Assistance Centers Trade Information Center (TIC) Advocacy Center Export.gov

Core Trade Promotion Agencies

SBA: Helps small firms become “export ready”; working capital programs. Commerce (ITA): Market entry services to “export ready” firms; advocacy

for major projects; market access Ex-Im Bank: Loans guarantees, export credit insurance, and direct loans

(to buyer). Official Export Credit Agency. OPIC: U.S. investment in emerging economies: guarantees, finance,

insurance. USTDA: Orientation visits, feasibility studies, conferences. Agriculture (FAS): Complete menu of services for agricultural goods,

including finance; reliance on states. State: Advocacy; Commercial function in Posts with no Commerce

presence. Energy: Assistance to renewable Energy companies policy guidance.

U.S. Commercial Service Staff Covering Minnesota

Andrea Staebler BertonInternational Trade Specialist(612) 348-1639Andrea.Berton@trade.gov

Dean MatlackCommercial Officer(612) 348-1641Dean.Matlack@trade.gov

Mathew WoodleeSenior International Trade Specialist(612) 348-1640Mathew.Woodlee@trade.gov

Ryan KanneDirector(612) 348-1637Ryan.Kanne@trade.gov

Doug JacobsonSenior International Trade Specialist(612) 348-1643Doug.Jacobson@trade.gov

David EdmistonInternational Trade Specialist(612) 348-1644David.Edmiston@trade.gov

Minneapolis office: 100 North 6th St., Suite 210-C; Minneapolis, MN 55403; Tel: (612) 348-1638; Fax: (612) 348-1650; Email: minneapolis.office.box@mail.doc.gov

Fargo, North DakotaHeather RanckSenior International Trade Specialist(701) 239-5080Heather.Ranck@trade.gov

Sioux Falls, South DakotaCinnamon KingDirector(605) 330-4265Cinnamon.King@trade.gov