— Companies that took part in the latest WEDC trade venture say the connections they formed on the trip will help them reach new export markets in Europe.
The trade mission, which ran Sept. 9-16, included stops in Belgium and the Netherlands. Wisconsin businesses were matched with local buyers and distributors based on their industry and interests in the region, sitting down for a series of meetings throughout the week.
In a recent interview, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes said the effort was “very successful,” calling it a great learning opportunity for participating companies.
“What we’re doing is trying to really help those small and medium-sized businesses be able to seize those opportunities and take advantage of them,” she said.
WEDC often selects trade venture participants from its ExporTech “export acceleration” program, which aims to help mid-sized businesses expand globally, Hughes noted.
While most of the 10 companies on the latest mission manufacture physical products, one Madison-based business called Forward Health joined in hopes of reaching new markets with its health care and medical data analytics services.
According to CEO and founder Michael Barbouche, demand is high in European nations for data solutions like those offered by Forward Health. The solutions are focused on physician burnout and practice efficiency.
“These countries are in a real pickle,” he said. “They’re going to have to deliver more services to their aging population with less staff and less resources, and with other cost pressures coming into play. Sadly, a bit like the U.S. system.”
The company’s team worked with WEDC officials for months before the trip to identify potential business partners in the region, Barbouche said. Last week, the company was engaged in follow-up with its most promising new contacts.
In a video message shared with WisBusiness.com, Barbouche described the experience as “one of the most dynamic weeks” of his professional career. He praised the WEDC team’s work in setting up the curated meetings.
“This was, without question, the most fantastic business experience I’ve ever had in my life,” he said.
Along with the companies on the trip, participants included Hughes, WEDC Vice President of Global Trade and Investment Katy Sinnott and International Market Development Director Rome Rauter, as well as Gov. Tony Evers and first lady Kathy Evers, according to a brochure from the agency.
Each business participant paid $2,500, while the state covered the cost for all officials.
— Other participants also shared positive feedback on the trip, with several company leaders predicting it would lead to new business opportunities overseas in the near future.
Kenneth Murray, president of Hartford-based Huth Ben Pearson International, said the industrial equipment maker has been looking to connect with European distributors.
“We expect to actually get an opening order from one of the companies we met within a few weeks (sooner if we can expedite some components and build more quickly!),” Murray said in an email. “This would be very helpful to us, as US metal fabrication markets have been in a significant downturn since the beginning of this year, and we have been working reduced hours on the plant floor over the summer.”
Jonathan Adam Dudzinski, co-founder for Oshkosh-based lip balm manufacturer BeeBella, applauded WEDC’s matchmaking service for providing “on-the-ground know-how and the ability to open doors” that would have otherwise remained closed.
“We made some very promising contacts that should secure us a quality full-service distributor for the Benelux region,” he told WisBusiness.com. “From this beachhead into the EU, we intend to eventually expand across Europe.”
Another company that joined the trip, Hudson-based Croix Valley Foods, already has a “very passionate customer base” in the region, as it’s been selling products in the Netherlands for nearly three years, owner Damon Holter said. The company’s participation was focused on expanding its reach through additional retail locations, and coordinating a European marketing campaign for the spring.
This was Croix Valley Foods’ second WEDC venture, and Holter said “both have had great benefit for our company.”
Meanwhile, Chaseburg Mfg Inc. CEO Robert Flottmeyer said joining the trade venture “was quite nerve wracking at first,” noting it was the company’s first endeavor outside of North America. But he said the assistance provided by WEDC helped reduce that anxiety. The Coon Valley company has been making shoe and boot brushes in Wisconsin for more than 30 years, according to an info sheet from the agency.
“WEDC set up numerous meetings for us and several of those were a great fit for us and the companies we met with,” Flottmeyer said. “We don’t expect these will produce immediate business, but believe we’ll see some results in the next two years.”
And Doug Ingchen Hwang, president of Waukesha-based water filtration company Corncob, said he’s following up with four different companies he connected with on the trip.
“Each one of them can be a very good partner, or just a customer in the future … I was extremely impressed and happy with what I came back with,” he said.
Two of the companies — Verona-based Gentueri and Milwaukee’s Energy Tech Innovations — participated virtually in the trade venture. Hughes said WEDC learned during the pandemic that a hybrid model for these trips is “really effective,” as initial online connections can help lay the groundwork for future partnerships.
“We will definitely continue doing that,” she said.
WEDC’s next trade venture to Mexico is planned for February, with trips to Canada and China slated to follow, Hughes said.
See more on the companies that joined the trip: https://www.wisbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/WEDC-info-sheet-on-trip-to-Belgium-Netherlands.pdf
–By Alex Moe
