In 2004, the Northeast Ohio Trade & Economic Consortium was awarded the grant of authority to host a regional International Trade Assistance Center at its office on the Kent State University campus. The grants were awarded by the Ohio Department of Development’s Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). As the host site of ITAC in Northeast Ohio, NEOTEC provides matching funds for grant monies allocated by the SBDC and SBA.

The ITAC program is a collaborative effort with local SBDC offices, area colleges and universities, the chambers of commerce throughout the region, and the 10 member counties of NEOTEC.

According to NEOTEC president and CEO Ron DeBarr, the establishment of the ITAC office was a natural fit for NEOTEC, meant to complement NEOTEC’s mission to promote international commerce through the administration of Foreign-Trade Zone 181 and improve market access in the region through the development of the Northeast Ohio Logistics Network.

Initially, ITAC covered the regions including Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties, but the program was expanded in 2007 to also include Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties.

Collaboration has become the key to the successful expansion and growth of the ITAC program. In addition to working closely with the Ohio Department of Development’s Global Markets Division, ITAC has forged a number of partnerships to better serve the international trade needs of Northeast Ohio businesses, including the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) / World Trade Center Cleveland (WTCC), the U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC), and the Global Business Center at Cleveland State University’s Nance College of Business.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Ohio SBDC program is also funded in part by the Ohio Department of Development. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. For arrangements, call ITAC at 330-672-4087.