Q&A with Suzette Nickle, Director of the U.S. Commercial Service in Denver, where her team works to help Colorado and Wyoming companies export.
Q: Why should companies export?
A: Exports are good for business and can help grow a company’s bottom line by diversifying sales. Exporting can also help businesses weather changes and smooth business cycles, helping companies to become more competitive in today’s global economy. Consider also, that 95% of the world’s potential consumers live outside of the United States. So, if a company is not exporting, it’s like leaving money on the table.
Q: What are you seeing in terms of Wyoming exports?
A: In 2023, Wyoming exports reached a two-decade high of $2.1 billion. Small and medium-sized enterprises— some 432 companies —accounted for 83 percent of Wyoming goods exporters in 2022. Altogether the state’s exports support good-paying jobs, contributing to economic growth and prosperity.
As such, many businesses continue to take advantage of opportunities in major export markets such as Canada, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, South Korea, Argentina, and destinations well beyond.
For example, Wyoming Completion Technologies, Inc., of the City of Powell, is a small oil tool and manufacturing design firm. When looking to expand its sales, it turned to our U.S. Commercial Service office in Denver for export counseling and regulatory assistance. It also utilized our business matchmaking services to meet several potential foreign business partners. As a result, the company signed new distribution agreements in Algeria, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Colombia, Mexico and Qatar.
Wyoming also benefits from a rich community of family-owned companies with decades of experience in the agribusiness, mining, and energy industries. The region’s cross-section of industries includes chemicals, minerals and ore, petroleum and coal, fabricated metal products, transportation equipment, machinery, processed food, and more.
Q: What are some challenges that keep more businesses from exporting?
A: Many businesses — particularly small and medium-sized firms — have yet to export proactively. Often, it’s because they believe exporting is too burdensome or their business is too small, or they may be unaware of federal and other export resources to help. Also, most companies that export only sell to 1 or 2 markets and thus may be limiting their full export potential.
Q: What’s your message to businesses that have yet to export, or are not proactively exporting?
A: First, whether large or small, a business that has a good track record of selling in the United States — one of the world’s most open and competitive markets — is also likely a good candidate for selling internationally. Second, through eCommerce, businesses can find a more robust channel than ever for expanding international sales through digital strategies and a globalized web presence; and third, there’s plenty of help available from the U.S. Commercial Service and our partners. So, when it comes to exporting, businesses don’t have to go at it alone
Q: How can the U.S. Commercial Service assist?
A: Businesses planning their export strategy are encouraged to reach out to our U.S. Commercial Service office in Denver, which covers Wyoming as well. As the trade promotion arm of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA), the U.S. Commercial Service has a global network of offices in 100+ locations across the country and more than 80 international markets.
Our in-person and virtual assistance helps businesses navigate the export process through counseling, market intelligence, business matchmaking, trade events, referrals to trade financing, and more. We can also help in vetting international inquiries you may receive through your website and trade shows.
Through our Global Diversity Export Initiative (GDEI), we create and execute export promotion strategies to reach businesses in rural and urban underserved communities — to help them compete and win in global markets, including women, minority, LGBTQI+, veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.
We also have programs and services designed to help rural businesses bring their local products and services to markets worldwide, creating jobs and opportunities for rural communities with the help of our Rural Export Centers.
During World Trade Month, we launched a “New Era of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service” that includes a new suite of tools and services to help U.S. businesses engage in exporting. Among the new web-based tools and services available are the Aspiring Exporter Roadmap and Export Nation podcast series which aim to provide new-to-export businesses with information and resources along their exporting journey. Currently under development is the Global Business Navigator—the U.S. government’s first AI-powered ChatBot for exporter information.
For businesses looking to export, trade.gov/export solutions is a great place to learn everything needed to connect with global opportunities.
Q: Could you expand on your collaboration with partners?
A: First, let me say that Wyoming is proud of its business-friendly environment. The Digital Project Manager ranks Wyoming sixth in its list of the most entrepreneurial states, with 12,357 small businesses per 100,000 people, and a 120 percent increase in applications for business from 2019 to 2022.
Wyoming continually seeks ways to grow and diversify its economy by supporting and attracting new businesses to the state. That makes for a great business ecosystem in which to operate.
To this end, we collaborate closely with local, state, and federal partners, including the Wyoming Small Business Development Center, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the Wyoming Business Council. Together, we look forward to helping more businesses grow their export sales.
Suzette Nickle may be reached at suzette.nickle@trade.gov.
About the U.S. Commercial Service:
U.S. Commercial Service Helps U.S. Businesses Export and Grow Internationally.
The U.S. Commercial Service (CS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, offers companies a full range of expertise in international trade. Companies can find assistance locally in more than 100 U.S. Commercial Service offices nationwide and in more than 70 international offices.
Follow the U.S. Commercial Service on social media channels to stay up to date on news and events that are important to exporters: LinkedIn (@USCommercialService) and Twitter (@exportgov).
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