Massachusetts Export Center


Business Services
 

Recognizing the need to make export services easily accessible to companies of all sizes, the Massachusetts Export Center was established to serve as the state's one-stop resource for export assistance. The Massachusetts Export Center offers a full range of targeted, customized services to Massachusetts businesses at any stage in the export process.

Whether you are a small business just thinking about exporting or an experienced exporter, the Massachusetts Export Center stands ready to help with services suited to your needs!

  

Export Advising and Technical Assistance

The Massachusetts Export Center provides direct assistance to Massachusetts companies to support their international business development efforts. This is accomplished through advising and technical assistance customized to the client's needs. Some of the areas addressed through the Export Center's one-on-one advisory services include:

  • Export planning and preparation
  • Assessment of export readiness
  • Export strategy and international business plan development
  • Assessment and selection of target export markets international sales, marketing and distribution channel development/management
  • Identification and qualification of overseas customers and partners International payment and financing
  • Export Regulatory Compliance
  • Export logistics, including shipping, documentation, terms, controls, etc.
  • NAFTA compliance and eligibility through our NAFTA First program
  • Working with export service providers, such as international banks, law firms, freight forwarders, etc.

Prior to your first business advisory session, please complete our Request for Advising form. All clients are required to sign the form prior to receiving services. Please note that we cannot accommodate walk-ins. Please call our office at 617-973-6610 to make an appointment with a business advisor.

    

International Business Development Assistance

The Massachusetts Export Center provides customized assistance to help clients expand their business overseas. Some of the Export Center's advising, technical assistance and market research activities help clients in this area.

In addition, through the Export Center's partnership with other state and federal government agencies, companies can take advantage of specific programs to market their products and services internationally.

Below are examples of international business development assistance available to Export Center clients:

  • International business plan development
  • Assessment and selection of target export markets
  • Guidance on international sales, marketing and distribution channel development/management
  • Identification and qualification of overseas customers and partners
  • Overseas trade show identification and facilitation
  • Participation in overseas trade shows and missions
  • Linkages with state and federal overseas offices for in-country support

  

Export Regulatory Compliance

The federal government imposes a variety of restrictions on U.S. export activity. These regulations are carried out by a number of agencies, creating a complex environment for exporters to navigate. The Massachusetts Export Center offers a full range of assistance to help exporters comply with U.S. export regulations. We help businesses to determine which regulations affect their export activities, and we provide technical assistance throughout the entire compliance process. This includes guidance in restricted party screening, jurisdiction determination, sanctions compliance, export control classification, determination of export licensing obligations, and more. We also help exporters to develop export compliance programs to ensure that their export operations are compliant with federal requirements.

Click here to learn about our new Export Compliance Risk Assessment service, a free service that provides an in-depth, customized assessment by analyzing a number of factors.
 

 

Export Training Programs

The Massachusetts Export Center organizes several seminars throughout the year under the Partners for Trade program. Partners for Trade is the official export training initiative of the Commonwealth. The initiative is a regional collaborative between the Massachusetts Export Center, chambers of commerce, trade associations, economic development agencies and the private sector working together to plan and present frequent seminars on international trade. Since its inception, the Partners for Trade program has enabled thousands of Massachusetts companies to learn what they need to know to succeed in global markets.

Partners for Trade programs offer Massachusetts companies an overview of essential issues such as international marketing, legal issues, export logistics, international distribution and many other elements crucial to a successful exporter's international business strategy. In addition, many Partners for Trade programs address country-specific and industry-specific export issues.

In recent years, the Export Center has adapted the Partners for Trade program to keep pace with the increasing sophistication and knowledge Massachusetts companies have about exporting. In addition to basic exporting training programs, the Export Center has designed advanced programs that provide an in-depth look at issues crucial to management of day-to-day export operations. Whenever possible, the Export Center incorporates current export trends, issues or regulatory changes into training programs.

Much of the training for the Partners for Trade program is provided by international trade experts from the private sector. These experts include international business lawyers, export consultants, freight forwarders, international bankers and international business executives from area companies. On average, over 1,000 companies participate in the Partners for Trade program each year.

View calendar of export training programs

  

Compliance Alliance

In 2009 the Massachusetts Export Center created the Compliance Alliance, a forum for exporting firms to network, share best practices and stay current on export regulatory compliance issues. Membership benefits include periodic networking briefings variety of compliance issues, special discounts at compliance-related conferences and training programs, email newsletter containing updates about current trade compliance issues, and online resources.

Visit the Compliance Alliance page

  

Massachusetts Export Resource Center

An exciting initiative started in 2012, the Massachusetts Export Resource Center is a comprehensive, one-stop resource for accessing a wide range of instructional and practical information on exporting to help your business grow and take advantage of international opportunities. The Resource Center addresses the full range of export issues of concern to businesses, including export planning, international business development, global trade finance, global trade logistics and export regulatory compliance. 

The Resource Center also features a wide variety of educational tools, including on-demand training modules, videos, guides, workbooks and templates. Export publications are now available in the Resource Center.

Visit the Export Resource Center

  

Export Expo

Held annually in December or January, the Export Expo is the state’s largest and most important export event of the year that brings together resources, training and information for the local exporting community! The Export Expo provides a forum for exporters to connect with the wide range of export resources available in Massachusetts while learning about issues that impact their day-to-day export operations. The event includes an exhibit area featuring government, non-profit and private sector service providers serving the export community. Coinciding with the exhibition, the Export Center convenes workshops and roundtable discussions throughout the day on a variety of export-related topics. The Export Expo features influential guest speakers, opportunities to connect with experts to answer your specific export questions, networking and fun! Following the event, there is a networking reception.

  

  

Diversity & Inclusion: The MSBDC, as a program of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability, political belief or affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of the access to our services.

By contacting our office at 617-973-6610 and requesting at least two weeks in advance, every attempt will be made to reasonably accommodate persons with disabilities and those who need translation services.