KENT, OHIO, April 14, 2004 – The
Northeast Ohio Trade & Economic Consortium (NEOTEC) has
announced the opening of a regional International Trade
Assistance Center (ITAC) to offer export counseling assistance
to small businesses in Northeast Ohio. The ITAC office, which
will be located within NEOTEC’s offices on the Kent State
University campus, was made possible through a grant awarded
to NEOTEC by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and
the Ohio Department of Development’s Small Business
Development Center (SBDC) program. ITAC will provide the
service in partnership with the local SBDC offices, area
colleges and universities, and the Chambers of Commerce
throughout the NEOTEC region. The service area will include
NEOTEC member counties—Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning,
Portage, Stark, Summit and Trumbull—as well as Wayne and
Medina counties.
“This ITAC office will be a valuable business resource for
our region,” said Ron DeBarr, President & CEO of NEOTEC. “It will serve
as the first point of contact for information, resources, referrals and
counseling for new-to-export small businesses. NEOTEC is pleased to form
this partnership with the Small Business Administration and the Ohio
Department of Development to make this much-needed service available to the
Northeast Ohio business community.”
The ITAC office will provide export counseling assistance
at no cost to small businesses who are interested in developing an
international market and to existing exporters looking to expand markets. In
addition, the office will provide expanded services including training,
market research services, export business plan development and exports
financial packaging. “Companies looking to expand their export sales may
need training to bring their staff up to speed, and the ITAC office will be
able to provide these and many other services,” said DeBarr.
Serving as Director of the new ITAC office is Tanya
Dvorak, who brings many years of international trade experience to the
position. She is experienced in Foreign-Trade Zone administration,
international logistics and trade operations. She also served in an
enforcement capacity with the former U.S. Customs Service, and has knowledge
of Customs law, regulations and enforcement procedures. “I’m excited to
serve in this capacity with ITAC and to play a role in facilitating the
economic growth of our region,” said Ms. Dvorak. “Our mission is to provide
a continuing source of business services, information and advocacy to area
businesses,” Dvorak said.
DeBarr said that the establishment of the ITAC office is a
natural fit for NEOTEC, a regional economic development partnership. “ITAC
is a perfect complement to NEOTEC’s mission to promote international
commerce through the administration of Foreign-Trade Zone 181 and to improve
market access in the region through the development of the Northeast Ohio
Logistics Network.”
For more information, contact the International Trade
Assistance Center at 330-672-4081 or via e-mail at
itac@kent.edu.
Back to NEOTEC News Page
The Northeast Ohio
Trade and Economic Consortium (NEOTEC) is a regional economic development
partnership including Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, Summit and
Trumbull counties, built to improve market access through the development of
the Northeast Ohio Logistics Network and to promote international commerce
through the administration of Foreign Trade Zone 181.
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