Export Success Series: Export Sales to Mexico Opening Doors to Latin America

As businesses work to expand their international export networks, they look to the Department of Commerce’s U.S. Commercial Service (CS) to move domestic and foreign economy relations forward. The U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC), a major part of Commerce’s CS, specifically provides key opportunities through counseling, special events and specific business matchmaking. This business matchmaking can broaden opportunities for further export sales with a multitude of countries. Escalade, Inc. of Evansville Indiana, now an international manufacturer and distributor of sporting goods brands, partnered with the USEAC in Indianapolis ten years ago to establish themselves in Latin America.

 

In 2005, Escalade’s National Account and International Sales Manager Marla Fredrich, with the help of USEAC, explored possibilities of opening export sales to Mexico. Soon after connections were made, initial sales to Mexico launched and have increased ever since. Today, Escalade exports their products not only to Mexico, but also to other Latin American countries such as Colombia, as well as CAFTA countries including El Salvador, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. Fredrich explains, “there’s no doubt that learning the ins-and-out of selling to Mexico and working with the Commercial Service gave us more confidence in expanding our sales to other parts of Latin America.” By doing so, Fredrich states that Escalade is “now reaping the fruits of [their] hard work in making new sales to world markets, and Latin America has become a key focus of our international business strategy.” Escalade is just one recent example of how U.S. companies have made much progress in exporting to a wide variety of countries, especially those in Latin America.

 

Establishing a foothold in one reputable export country such as Mexico paves the way for businesses to grow and sustain export networks in similar countries. This global diversification creates opportunities for both U.S. firms as well as foreign countries to strengthen economies and become more internationally competitive. Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker attended the U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Secretary Pritzker emphasized achievements of the High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED), which include new air travel agreements, steps to improve border management. Strengthening people-to-people ties in the near future with these types of forums, Pritzker stated, will continue to play a key role in creating export success stories similar to that of Escalade, Inc.