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President
Tony Livoti
MBITA

Vice President
Shay Adams
AIM Medical Sales

Members:

Dr. Edward Valeau
Hartnell College
Salinas

Marcelo Siero
IdeasSiero

Jim Faith
TradePort.org

Staff:

Cristina Polesel
General Manager

Emi Hirano
Marketing Assistant

Tomoko Takamura
Marketing Assistant

Lidia Thompson
Eastern European Consultant

This newsletter has been created by MBITA's editor
Cristina Polesel
cristina@mbita.org



The Monterey Institute of International Studies announced today that its Fisher Graduate School of International Business has been awarded a two-year, $183,000 grant through the United States Department of Education's Business and International Education (BIE) Program to establish a Center for the Globalization and Localization of Business Exports (GLOBE) that will assist companies to adapt their products and services for foreign markets.

These funds will be matched by funds from a $2 million challenge grant from the Robert and Marilyn Fisher Family Foundation.

"The Department of Education recognized that the Fisher School and its partners are uniquely positioned to undertake this project," said Dr. Ernest Scalberg, Dean of the Fisher Graduate School of International Business, recognized as one of the "Top 100 International MBA Programs" by Financial Times. "The GLOBE Center will provide consulting, education and research to businesses. At the same time, the project provides students with the opportunity to construct business plans for companies needing localization assistance."

Localization involves tailoring a product or marketing strategy to the differences in culture, language or regulations of customers in foreign countries, a service for which more and more U.S. companies are recognizing the need.

The Fisher School, which has been recognized as a premier business education provider by Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2003 and Princeton Review's "Best 147 Business Schools" for cutting-edge curriculum and international perspective, will develop a curriculum for globalization and localization that will be used in their MBA courses and training programs.



The Fisher School will collaborate with the three other graduate schools at the Monterey Institute as well as the Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA), the Marina Technology Cluster, and the U.S. Export Assistance Center of the United States Department of Commerce in Monterey to develop the GLOBE Center. MBITA will develop and deliver a training program on exporting. The U.S. Export Assistance Center and the Marina Technology Cluster will provide clients and assist with consultation. The graduate schools of the Monterey Institute will provide expertise in export policy, software localization, and language issues. They will also help with product development, sourcing procurement, marketing, distribution, and financing.

About the Fisher School and the Monterey Institute of International Studies
For more information about the Fisher School's MBA programs, visit www.miis.edu/fgsib-about-dean.html.

The Monterey Institute of International Studies, a private graduate institution located in Monterey, Calif., is at the forefront of international professional education preparing students for global careers in the private, public, nonprofit and educational sectors. The Institute offers degree programs in international policy, translation and interpretation, international business and language teaching. The Institute's approximately 700 students come from more than 60 countries. Further information about the Monterey Institute of International Studies may be found at www.miis.edu.

'Trade Finance and Online Resources' luncheon was held on April 1, 2005 at the China One International Buffet in Santa Cruz, CA. The event was produced by the Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA), the Silicon Valley Center for International Trade Development (SV CITD) and the U.S. Commercial Service in Monterey Martin T. Goppelt, of Coface U.S.A. discussed credit insurance, credit reporting and international debt collection. The benefits to an exporter are increased sales, risk mitigation and improved banking relationship. Formerly employed in the Banking Industry as an International Trade Finance Officer with Comerica Bank, Mr. Goppelt marketed Letters of Credit, Foreign Exchange, Documentary Collections and EXIM Bank financing. Mr. Goppelt was previously employed in the freight forwarding industry and is a licensed U.S. Customs Broker. Currently, Mr. Goppelt is also President of the Valley International Trade Association (VITA) and a Board Member in the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley.

Ted S. Eastman and Jim Faith of Trade Export Finance Online (TEFO) presented the TEFO trade finance organization. TEFO is a managed financial network of banks, lenders and brokers focused on California's Small and Mid-sized Enterprise (SME) market. The TEFO/TradePort partnership brings together the international trade strengths of TradePort, the California Trade Partnership, a network of California public and private sector trade promotion organizations, banks and lenders, the U.S. Commercial Service, the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) for the benefit of SME international trade development. For Ted S. Eastman and Jim Faith's bios, visit www.tefo.org/about-tefo/management.php

Margarise Correa, the Trade Marketing Manager for GlobalCalifornia.org, a regional online trade promotion model for the Silicon Valley and Monterey Bay regions, spoke about how companies can take advantage of this free online service that will launched in late Spring.

The Global California program is an online solution designed to connect California trade communities, helping exporters, importers and trade promotion service providers to reach new markets and expand business opportunities.

MBITA, managers of TradePort.org, is a partner in GlobalCalifornia.org which is funded through the Chancellor's office of the California Community Colleges, hosted by the Silicon Valley Center for International Trade Development (SVCITD) and West Valley College in partnership with MBITA, the San Jose and Monterey U.S. Export Assistance Centers (EACs), the Silicon Valley and Central Coast Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and the City of San Jose, Office of Economic Development.

From Documentation to Done

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