Northwest Aerospace News August | September 2020 | Page 56

GROW
YOUR
EXPORT
STRATEGY
PNAA working to bring opportunities to our national and international partners
By Almandine Crabtree; Aerospace International Trade Specialist, Washington State Department of Commerce
Almandine Crabtree
Aerospace International Trade Specialist
56 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS
Over the last eight years, Washington’s State Export Voucher Program
(STEP) has successfully helped more than 1,100 small businesses statewide
create and refine their export strategies, find new markets and generate sales
overseas.
Washington State Department of Commerce With the cancellation of traditional trade shows and business meetings worldwide
due to COVID-19, Washington’s Department of Commerce has adapted the
https://www.commerce.wa.gov
STEP program to meet the evolving needs of businesses interested in expanding
WA DEPT. OF COMMERCE
their reach. Companies can now be reimbursed for up to $6,000 of their international
sales activities.
“IDEA International has been involved in the WA State Department of Commerce STEP Voucher program since 2013.
This program has been a major contribution in enabling IDEA to reach potential customers within Europe, the Far
East and quite frankly, on a global level. Not only did it provide a platform for IDEA to showcase its services and
areas of expertise, but also enabled it to benefit from the tremendous staff at the WA State Department of Commerce
who play such a key role in supporting the contact between Washington companies and potential customers who
attend such key events as the Big Sight, Tokyo, Dubai Air Show and of course, the AIX, Hamburg. As a result of the
Step Export Voucher program, IDEA can attribute 40 percent of its annual business to offshore customers. The IDEA
International team is hugely grateful.”
– Julian Sharpe, President and CEO,
IDEA International Inc.