If you talk with Mike McDonald, VP of Operations at Cleveland-based RAD-CON Inc., he would probably say that “E” also stands for Essential. International exporting has been essential to the industrial furnace supplier’s success. In fact, according to Christopher J. Messina, Vice President of Sales and Projects at RAD-CON, “We would have been out of business if it weren’t for exporting, or a much smaller company.” The U.S. Commercial Service reports that RAD-CON’s exports have increased by more than 45% since 2006. RAD-CON has recently been recognized as one of the top performers in U.S. exporting, receiving both the Ohio Governor’s E-Award and one of the most prestigious awards that the government affords to a U.S. business – the Presidential “E” Award.

Let me take a moment to throw out a couple of stats:

• According to the National Small Business Administration, 57% of small businesses in the U.S. would NOT export, even if their concerns about trade were addressed.
• If you’re not exporting, you are missing out on selling to 95% of the world’s consumers.
• Less than 1% of U.S. businesses export — the president’s goal is to double exports over the next five years.

So, given these facts and the struggling domestic economy, what are you waiting for? What is your excuse for not exporting?

This week, the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), Northeast Ohio’s largest small business support organization, will hold its 5th annual COSE Small Business Conference at the Cleveland I-X Center. And by the way, RAD-CON happens to be a 28-year COSE member. 

At the conference, UPS will host the Growth through Global Trade Seminars on Thursday, October 21. Jim Beach and Chris Hanks, founders of theentrepreneurschool.com, will cover the basics of exporting, such as:

• Selecting an export market
• Choosing the right products to sell
• Finding safe and reputable foreign partners in your industry
• Maximizing your global sales 

Come and see how easy and profitable exporting can be for your business. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be a future ”E” Award winner.