Clients Profiles
The Massachusetts Export Center's client base ranges from small, new-to-export manufacturers to larger exporters seeking to expand their international presence. In the past 10 years, awareness of export opportunities has grown dramatically among the states small businesses. As a result, today, most of the Export Centers client base consists of existing exporters.
With their permission, we have highlighted a few
of our clients.
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Ascent AeroSystems (Wilmington)
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Boston Centerless (Woburn)
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Comida Garifuna (Boston)
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Euro-American Worldwide Logistics (Worcester)
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Flexo Concepts (Plymouth)
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OCEANAIR, Inc. (Revere)
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Optim LLC (Sturbridge)
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Protectowire (Pembroke)
Ascent AeroSystems
Ascent
AeroSystems, a new-to-export developer of unmanned aerial
systems, recently began receiving interest from global markets. The
company turned to the Massachusetts Export Center for support.
Given the military applications of its technology, Ascent faced complex export regulatory requirements. The Export Center provided extensive trade compliance support to Ascent and helped the firm to launch exports to Europe and the Middle East. The Export Center continues to support Ascent in building its export compliance program, which will help its global trade operations to grow and also support the firm’s domestic government contracting requirements.
Thanks to the Export Center’s support, Ascent AeroSystems is on
track to take advantage of growing global markets for its
cutting-edge drone technology.
Boston Centerless
Winner of the 2023 SBA Massachusetts Exporter of the Year
Established
in 1958, Boston Centerless has grown to be a full-service
manufacturer and distributor of precision raw materials and
preparation services for customers in the medical, aerospace &
defense, automotive, and other industries requiring precision
components. The company employs 127 people, with its headquarters
located in Woburn, MA and additional distribution facilities located
in Minneapolis, MN and Fort Wayne, IN.
The company has been exporting for over 20 years and has been receiving support from the Massachusetts Export Center, part of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, for much of that time. The Export Center has helped Boston Centerless over the years with a variety of export-related issues, including export regulatory compliance, export operational concerns, international channel development, international sales and marketing, and more. Through the Export Center, Boston Centerless also took advantage of the STEP Grant program to help support participation in some targeted Asian trade shows. Most recently, the Export Center has been working with Boston Centerless to help the company identify niche distributors serving specific vertical markets in Canada to address increasing demand from end customers in the region. Boston Centerless is well-positioned for continued global expansion, with export sales growth outpacing domestic markets for the company.
"Boston Centerless is a great example of a traditional manufacturing company using innovative means to break into new export markets," said Paula Murphy, Director of the Massachusetts Export Center. "We have had the pleasure of supporting Boston Centerless' global expansion and the company is well-positioned for further advancement, with export growth outpacing domestic sales."
Comida Garifuna
Sendy
Vaughn Suazo [photo], owner of Comida Garifuna,
connected to the Massachusetts Export Center through the City of
Boston Office of Economic Development. Sendy’s business focused on
importing items unique to the Garifuna region of Honduras, such as
bread, coconut oils, coffee and other products, which will be sold
to Latin American specialty stores in the New England region.
When Sendy first approached the Export Center, she was not familiar with the import process and experienced significant Customs delays in bringing in a large shipment. The Export Center educated Sendy on the import process and connected her with a customs broker to help facilitate customs clearance on the shipment.
The Export Center also identified applicable FDA regulations regarding Prior Notice, labelling requirements and the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) requirements. Sendy has since become FSVP-certified and identified a company that will be testing Comida Garifuna’s products for nutrient labelling. She is awaiting another, even larger shipment as soon as labelling is approved and her Honduran suppliers are able to fill orders. Sendy looks forward to further growing her business with the Export Center’s support to bring in more shipments for local Latin American customers.
Euro-American Worldwide Logistics
Worcester-based
Euro-American Worldwide Logistics has been
providing supply chain solutions for the life science industry for
three generations.
The family-owned firm was started in 1966 by Neil Lucey, who began exporting products in the heyday of manufacturing in central Massachusetts. Co-owner and Treasurer Karen Busenburg became the first licensed female customs broker in Massachusetts back in 1972 when it was a male-dominated industry. Today, Lucey’s grandson, Eric Busenburg, is at the helm of the company — leading the company through the next phase of growth with a focus on the life sciences industry.
Pharmaceutical companies can’t simply ship medical products and equipment in typical fashion. It is a highly-regulated industry, major players have come to rely on Euro-American locally as their trusted go-to because of their expertise with international trade compliance and specialized shipping services, such as “cold chain” refrigerated shipping and storage — tailored specifically for life science products and critical supplies.
“Worcester, and Massachusetts in general, is achieving critical mass in the life science industry. We’re doing our part to support that success by providing reliable access to GMP storage, international shipping services and expertise in trade compliance,” said Busenburg. “The SBA has been a great resource for us as we continue to support this sector. We have been working closely with Julia Dvorko at the Massachusetts Export Center for a long time,“ “We’re so thankful for Julia, who once delivered a joint presentation with our team to educate a local biotech company which was preparing to launch a new drug to market.”
Taking over as president, in recent years, after working at the company for over 24 years, Busenburg began by seeking out executive-level resources and support. In 2019, Busenburg found out about the SBA Emerging Leaders Initiative, first learning about the training program from the Worcester Chamber of Commerce CEO Tim Murray and SBA MA District Director Bob Nelson.
Eric was accepted into the half-year program for C-level executives, receiving mentoring and specialized training that helped him develop a strategic growth action plan for the next phase of the company’s development. He was able to uncover strengths and opportunities that his organization could prioritize and invest in to position the company for continued success.
Improving quality and increasing growth
Eyes set on the future, Busenburg is now focused on
building additional infrastructure to match the increased demand for
their turnkey services, growing their logistical support for both
well-established pharmaceutical providers and new biotech startups
preparing to launch new drugs to market.
To ensure regulatory compliance is met, Busenburg obtained ISO-9001 certification for the company and has implemented lean business practices, both of which center on continuous improvement in order to maximize the quality of service delivered to their clientele. The company has also digitized work processes such as automatic shipment tracking, temperature monitoring and 24/7 video monitoring — helping to produce an error-free environment and eliminate delays and unnecessary worry which often come with this industry.
The next phase for Eric is increasing growth, which is evident in his short-term goal to double the amount of refrigeration space for pharmaceuticals and biomanufacturing. The company is also working on obtaining CEIV certification for pharmaceutical excellence from the International Air Transportation Association (IATA); as well as improving its’ branding to communicate that they work with international trade across the world, not just Europe!
The value proposition of the company is clear – life science companies trust working with Euro-American because of the close and direct access to their expertise, a well-established freight forwarder with in-house customs brokerage experts whom have 50+ years’ experience with highly regulated medical industry assets.
article courtesy of SBA
Flexo Concepts
Kevin
McLaughlin, CEO [photo left] and Greg Howell,
President [photo right] of Flexo Concepts
earned the recognition of Exporter of the Year for their innovations
in the printing industry and outstanding growth in export revenue.
The company manufactures an industrial scraper blade called a doctor
blade, used in many industries including: corrugated printing, label
printing, folding carton printing, lithium ion battery production,
food production, and solar film production.
“Exporting empowers small businesses to grow sales boundlessly,” said SBA Massachusetts District Director Robert Nelson. “Since committing in 2001 to expanding their international business portfolio from 17% of total revenue – Flexo Concepts today has grown export revenue surpassing the entire revenue from 2001. “
Flexo Concepts has exported to countries all over the globe including: Cambodia, China, India, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Mexico, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Latvia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Australia, and New Zealand.
The company leveraged the expertise of the Massachusetts Export Center and Massachusetts State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) program to expand their export revenue to approximately 40% of the business in 2018.
“Our entire company is very proud of winning the exporter of the year award. Increasing our exports has been a focus of our company since 2001 and has required effort and commitment from every department and every person at Flexo Concepts. We cannot think of an award that better represents the effort our entire team,” said CEO Kevin McLaughlin. “In addition we have received great support from industry partners and organizations like the SBA, Massachusetts Export Center, MassMEP and others. Making exports such an important part of Flexo Concepts has truly been a team effort.”
The STEP grant was awarded to Flexo Concepts for five consecutive years in a row, and was used to offset the cost of exhibiting at international trade shows that paved the way for new business development relationships.
Flexo Concepts also utilized the SBA 504 program twice to secure financing for their existing factory and an adjacent building that has been expanded due to further growth. The first loan was in March of 2010; and the second loan closed in January of 2015 both with Rockland Trust Bank and CDC New England, an SBA Certified Development Corporation.
OCEANAIR, Inc.
OCEANAIR,
Inc., based in Revere, is a full-service provider of global trade
logistics management and supply chain solutions. The Massachusetts
Export Center has worked with OCEANAIR for over twenty years through
training initiatives, referrals and project work for clients
involved in international trade.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Massachusetts was among the early “hot spots” for infections in the U.S., the global trade experts at the MSBDC Export Center were called upon to assist with desperately-needed imports of personal protective equipment (PPE) and related supplies. The Export Center was tapped by a major area hospital and even healthcare workers unions to help facilitate challenging PPE shipments being imported from China. The Export Center provided extensive global trade technical assistance to these organizations and also linked them with service providers, such as OCEANAIR, that could help to arrange critical support services for the PPE import shipments.
OCEANAIR’s support for this initiative expanded, when the hospital partnered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to help with the Commonwealth’s own efforts to import PPE, which had been through numerous challenging setbacks up until that point. Through those challenges, the Commonwealth realized that it needed to charter its own flights, flown directly into Massachusetts, in order to securely deliver the PPE needed by frontline workers in the state. OCEANAIR arranged and managed the charter, coordinating with multiple suppliers of PPE in China and orchestrating a series of six flights to successfully deliver over 7 million pieces of PPE for this emergency humanitarian airlift mission.
Joseph Wyson, Executive Vice President of OCEANAIR says, “In my 42 years in the global trade industry, this was one of the most memorable, important and meaningful initiatives that I have had the pleasure to be a part of. And it would not have been possible without the support of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network and the Massachusetts Export Center. We truly value their partnership and they play an important role in bringing together the global trade community in Massachusetts.”
“We were delighted and honored to support our hospitals and
front-line workers in obtaining the PPE they needed and deserved,”
said Paula Murphy, director of the Massachusetts Export Center.
“Importation of PPE in the current environment is a complex,
high-stakes undertaking. We are deeply appreciative of the
dedication, skill and initiative employed by OCEANAIR to make it
happen.”
Optim LLC
Optim
LLC earned the recognition for outstanding international sales
activity; and innovations in the medical, security and industrial
markets. The company develops, manufactures and supports
state-of-the-art endoscopy products and accessories that help
medical professionals, law enforcement officers and industrial users
work more effectively and efficiently.
“Export sales have been vital to Optim’s overall increase in revenue and a key ingredient for small businesses sustainability in today’s global marketplace,” said SBA Massachusetts District Director, Robert Nelson. “Leveraging special initiative grants such as the State Trade Expansion Program, allows small businesses to direct resources into other areas of growing their company and connects them with key resources such as our state partners – the Massachusetts Export Center and the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment.“
In the last three years, export sales have grown from approximately 5% of total revenue to over I0% of total revenue. Led by Director of International Sales Grace Preston [photo], Optim experienced a record increase for international sales growth by about 49% from 2016 to 2017. In 2019, exports are forecast to grow by another 20%.
“We are honored to be this year’s recipient of the 2019 Exporter of Year for MA and New England award,” said Doug Hughes, CEO and President. “This award is confirmation of Optim’s focus on global growth, the efforts set forth by our committed team who build by hand a world-class solution to a global client base, and our focus on product innovation and customer satisfaction.”
Starting in 2016, Optim has been awarded STEP grants in consecutive years to assist with overseas business development activities.
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The first grant in the amount of $8,500 was used to provide local translations and Gold Key Matchmaking services to participate in the Arab Health trade show in Dubai.
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In 2017, Optim was awarded a STEP grant in the amount of $10,000 and utilized it to participate in the Security and Counter Terror Expo in London.
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In 2018, Optim was awarded a STEP grant in the amount of $12,000 to participate in the SOFEX Show in Amman, Jordan.
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Most recently in 2019, Optim was awarded the STEP grant in the amount of $12,000 which was used to participate at Medica in Dusseldorf, Germany.
All of these international trade activities would have been beyond Optim’s capacity without the assistance of grant awards and export resource providers.
article courtesy of SBA
Protectowire
Winner of SBA's 2022 Exporter Small Business of the Year
The
Massachusetts Export Center has provided global business development
support to Protectowire of Pembroke, which exports
to over 100 countries, including Russia. In early 2022, the U.S.
tightened sanctions and export controls against Russia. Realizing
that there would be scrutiny of transactions involving Russia,
Protectowire engaged the Export Center to conduct a risk assessment
and review of Protectowire’s export compliance protocols, including
export control classification, screening, end-use/user due
diligence, distributor awareness, and more.
The Export Center’s support enabled Protectowire to provide equipment for a major project in Russia and established an infrastructure to support future exports while ensuring compliance integrity.