Enterprise Florida Grants Help Small Businesses Participate in Global Tradeshows, Trade Missions

28 Mar, 2010

---

A year ago, Enterprise Florida announced the availability of grants created to help small and medium-sized companies increase sales and promotional opportunities through participation in international trade missions and tradeshows. Now, 24 companies have received a Target Sector Trade Grant, which can total up to $4,000.

“These are market diversification grants that support companies’ efforts to expand their markets. The objective is to aid them in finding new markets and diversify their exports,” explained Manny Mencía, who oversees Enterprise Florida’s international trade division.

The grants are provided on a reimbursable basis, meaning a company receives funds following its participation in an event. Qualifying activities are those for which Enterprise Florida sponsors either delegations or select U.S.-certified trade exhibitions representing a target industry for the state’s economic growth and diversification. They include aviation & aerospace; clean energy; financial & professional services; homeland security & defense; information technology; life sciences; and targeted manufacturing, including the boating/marine sector.

“Essentially, we’re enabling smaller companies to take part in major international product exhibitions worldwide that they otherwise might not be able to afford,” said Mencía.

M. Catherine Burney, president of Scar Heal, a skin therapy business based in Madeira Beach, acknowledged in a thank-you letter that “without the financial assistance of Enterprise Florida we would not have been in a position to absorb the full financial costs of the [Hospitalar] show. Having received the grant, we were able to attend Hospitalar and move forward with expanding our international distribution network to Central and South America.”

Grant-eligible organizations are Florida manufacturers, research and development companies and technology services providers within one of the target industries. Enterprise Florida collaborates with an applicant’s local economic development organization in the selection process, which requires a company to:

• Be legally registered in Florida

• Have in-state-produced products or services that would exhibited

• Staffed at 500 or fewer employees

• Be “new to show” or “new to market,” or a new or infrequent exporter.

For more information about eligibility and the application process for Target Sector Trade, businesses can contact Fred Glickman at (305) 808-3588 or fglickman@eflorida.com.

Target Sector Trade Grant Recipients

Company	Approved Grant		INDUSTRY	CITY
Air Technology, Inc.		$2,800	Aviation	Naples
Airon Corporation		$4,000	Life Sciences	Melbourne
Associated Aircraft Mfg. & Sales, Inc.		$3,150	Aviation	Fort Lauderdale
Awareness Technology, Inc.		$1,553.53	Life Sciences: Medical	Palm City
Bennett Marine		$2,250	Marine Industry	Deerfield Beach
Biopsy Sciences		$3,550	Life Sciences	Clearwater
Bobs Machine Shop		$2,495	Marine Industry	Tampa
Capital Avionics, Inc.		$1,688	Aviation	Tallahassee
Endoscopy Replacement Parts		$2,850	Life Sciences: Medical	Newberry
Epic Aviation		$2,750	Aviation	New Smyrna Beach
Hudson Technologies		$1,800	Aviation / Homeland Security	Ormond Beach
Knight's Armament Company		$2,800	Aviation	Titusville
Loos & Co, Inc.		$3,800	Aviation	Naples
Mercury Medical		$4,000	Life Sciences: Medical	Clearwater
MSGI Corporation		$2,850	Information Technology (IT)	Tampa
Nautical Structures Industries		$2,250	Marine Industry	Largo
Oscor, Inc.		$2,850	Life Sciences	Palm Harbor
Pan American Tool Corp.		$4,000	Aviation / Homeland Security	Fort Lauderdale
Professional Systems Associates, Inc.		$1,688	IT	Panama City
Scar Heal, Inc.		$2,850	Life Sciences	Madeira Beach
The DISTI Corporation		$3,300	Aviation/ IT/ Homeland Security	Orlando
The IEA Group, Inc.		$2,250	Marine Industry	Fort Lauderdale
Ultroid Technologies		$3,550	Life Sciences	St. Petersburg
Vallery Industries, Inc. Armstrong Nautical		$2,495	Marine Industry	Stuart