Export Credit Insurance Seminar

Posted by Keith Wiley, Intern

On February 19th the World Trade Center Harrisburg hosted an Export Credit Insurance Seminar. Our speaker, John Strayhorn, President of Global Insurance Services, gave a very informative presentation.  Attendees learned an extensive amount about Export Credit Insurance and how to expand sales as well as borrowing capacity.

The following topics were covered:

• Introduction to Short-Term Export credit Insurance
• Requirements for Short Term Credit Insurance
• Single Sale vs. Multi-Buyer (Portfolio) Approaches
• Permits Expansion of Borrowing Case
• Private Sector Credit Insurance Providers
• U.S. Export Import Bank Credit Insurance Policies
• Agricultural Products 
• How to expand your bank credit line using credit insurance

A note on the Export Import Bank of the United States: 

Ex-Im Bank does not compete with private sector lenders but provides export financing products that fill gaps in trade financing. They will assume credit and country risks that the private sector is unable or unwilling to accept. They also help to level the playing field for U.S. exporters by matching the financing that other governments provide to their exporters. With 80 years of experience, Ex-Im Bank has supported more than $600 billion of U.S. exports, primarily to developing markets worldwide. To contact the Eastern Region Office for more information please visit their website.

For more detailed information regarding the above topics covered at the seminar please feel free to visit the Global Insurance Services Website.

Consider Cultural Differences Before Exporting Your Product

Posted by Luke Stouffer, Intern

If you believe you have a product that can be successfully exported, and you need a primer on exporting know-how, check out the "Pennsylvania International Trade Guide". This useful resource was developed by our sister organization, the WTC Philadelphia, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Office of International Business Development.  The website features a number of export tutorials that provide a great overview and practical solutions for making sales around the world. 

My personal favorite tutorial can be found in the Culture section titled “Business Travel Abroad”.  My experience of a semester abroad truly highlighted how significant variances in culture can affect relationships and communication.  The ability to adapt to these variances was the key for me to successfully navigate Europe, and is the key for you to successfully export your product.  In most countries, there is a preference to conduct business in person before concluding a transaction, therefore, as an exporter you should count on traveling abroad at least once.  This tutorial provides a list of necessary travel documents, pre-departure tips, and the effects cultural differences can play on the ultimate success of a business deal.

Essential travel documents include a passport, visa, and vaccination records.  Allow six to eight weeks to acquire these documents.  Another valuable document for your travels is the ATA Carnet, which is a standardized international customs document that allows duty-free temporary admission of sample goods.

Some pre-departure tips include scheduling meetings prior to leaving the United States and familiarizing yourself with the means of transportation, whether public or private, the area offers in order to allot your time effectively.  Another key point to address is the effects language barriers will have on your negotiations.  If you do not already know the local language and do not have the time to learn it, you may want to consider hiring your own translator for your negotiations as opposed to solely relying on the customer’s translator, which can put you at a disadvantage.  Furthermore, you should print business cards in the local language to exchange with your customers. 

Cultural differences can turn a friendly gesture into one that damages a business relationship.  These differences can also be found in negotiating styles, the meanings of colors and numbers, and attitudes towards punctuality among others.  For example, in German culture one is expected to be highly punctual, whereas in Italian culture it is not unusual for someone to be 15 minutes late to a meeting.  Similar differences can be seen in greeting styles (handshake, hug, or kiss) and gift giving norms.  The exchange of gifts is routine for the first business meeting in Japanese culture, but not customary in the United Kingdom.  Read up on cultural differences in travel guides or contact us for information.

Tutorials are available for the following topics:

·         Export Basics

·         Culture

·         Finance

·         Legal

·         Logistics

·         Marketing

 For tutorials as well as an Export Readiness Assessment  visit the website

17th Annual Holiday Luncheon and Reception

Posted by Keith Wiley, Intern

On December 6^th, the World Trade Center Harrisburg Team hosted the 17^th annual Holiday Luncheon and Reception. This year we had a particularly interesting luncheon program focused on the Dominican Republic.  WTC member Irma Olivo, Sales Manager for Latin America at Integra Life Sciences was our presenter. 

Check out our photos from the luncheon on Facebook! For more information on traveling and doing business in the Dominican Republic feel free to take a look at the cultural report for the Dominican Republic. These reports are prepared periodically for WTC members traveling to specific countries. 

Below is a brief overview and some fast facts about the Dominican Republic:

Capital City: Santo Domingo

Official Language: Spanish

Currency: Dominican Peso

Land Area: 48,442 km2

Population: 10,219,630

Climate: Tropical

Religions: Catholic 95%, Other 5%

Irma began her presentation with an overview of the various Holidays celebrated in the Dominican Republic and shared cultural  as well as culinary highlights that one can experience while visiting the country. A list of these Holidays are as follows:

January 1st- New Year’s Day/Año Nuevo  

January 6th- Day of the Epiphany/ Three Kings Day

January 21st- The Virgin of Altagracia

January 26th- Duarte’s Birthday

February 27th- Dominican Independence

March 29th- Good Friday

April 29th- Dominican Labor Day

May 30th – Corpus Christi

August 16th- Dominican Restoration Day

September 24th- The Virgin of Mercedes

November 4th- Constitution Day

December 25th- Christmas Day/ Navidad

It is important to understand cultural differences when visiting a foreign country and especially while conducting business. For example, for Navidad, or Christmas, businesses in the Dominican Republic are mostly closed from December 20^th- January 7^th (with limited work hours if not closed). It is customary to  receive and give cards and small gifts (Nothing Personal) such as Gift baskets, Rum, Whiskey and Eggnog (Ponche).

Fast forwarding to Independence Day, which is celebrated on February 27^th, Irma explained that this is arguably the best time to visit and experience the Dominican Republic. Each region has their own carnival while many businesses sponsor dance teams/ floats and operate on limited hours and days.

A final note on Religious Holidays is that during Semana Santa (Holy Week) most businesses are closed while families pack up and go to the beach for the week. During this week do not expect to have many meat dishes because it is customary to not consume meat during Holy Week.

Beyond these Holidays the presentation touched on other important cultural realms, perhaps one of the most important, Dominican cuisine! There are many different options to choose from when concerning food in the Dominican Republic, the various mixtures and blends of recipes stretch across the Globe and can exemplify the deepened history this area has experienced. Just a brief list includes Puerco Asado (roasted pork), Arros/ Morros (rice & beans), Pavo (turkey seasoned with sour oranges), Ensalada Rusia (potato salad with beets), Telera (holiday bread), and Flan (pictured right). 

As always, we give many thanks to our sponsors UPS, FultonBank, MANTEC and all other supporters who helped to make this event possible. The World Trade Center Harrisburg Team wishes you happy holidays!

Oakworks Tour Success!

Posted by Cody Richard, Intern


On October 25, WTC members had the opportunity to tour the manufacturing facility and showroom of Oakworks Inc, Since 1977 Oakworks Inc. has been committed to providing safe, durable, comfortable and ergonomic equipment to industries supporting the health and well being of people all over the globe. Oakworks produces tables for medical, massage, and spa uses and currently sells their products in all 50 States and to distributors in 35 countries worldwide. Oakworks recently received notoriety for their international success as recipients of the "Excellence in International Trade" award at Mantec's 2013 Awards Breakfast.



Thirty one individuals attended the event from seventeen different companies. The event included an introduction of Oakworks' staff, a detailed story of the origins of the company from Oakworks President Jeff Riach, and a brief description of how the company handles business internationally from a financial and marketing standpoint. 

The main portion of the event centered around a detailed tour of the 40,000 square foot manufacturing facility that showed all in attendance the finer details of the creation of their state of the art tables. Members of the tour were granted access to the upholstery, metal working, research and development, marketing, and assembly stations of the manufacturing facility in order to fully grasp the amount of detail and care that goes into the creation of each and every table that leaves Oakworks' facility.

The event concluded with a short tour of Oakworks' showroom that allowed tour members to examine the finished products of the tables they saw being assembled on the manufacturing floor as well as an opportunity to ask their tour guide any questions they might have had.

Overall, the tour was a great success and enjoyed by all those who attended.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank Oakworks for their willingness to host this event and for all their time and effort involved in doing so.

If you missed our tour, you can still enjoy a 

virtual tour of Oakworks on the company website!