Six Utah Small Businesses Find Success at Global Health Trade Show with World Trade Center Utah STEP Grant
Each year, healthcare and trade professionals from all over the world meet in Dubai for the Arab Health Trade Show – the largest gathering of its kind globally. The 2018 show in January boasted more than 4,200 exhibiting companies and 103,00 attendees from 150+ countries.
Representing Utah at the trade show were six local businesses who, for the first time, had the chance to showcase their products and services in Dubai. Just a year ago, an opportunity of this magnitude might have seemed unreachable for the following companies: CommGap International Language Services, KORR Medical Technologies Inc., Maxtec, Millennial Medical LLC, TruClinic Inc., and Vitalpax. However, after being awarded a grant from the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), which is funded through the U.S. Small Business Administration, these companies were able to positively alter the course of their business.
While this is the sixth year that the STEP Grant has been offered in Utah, it is the first year that it is being administered by World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah). WTC Utah’s mission is to expand prosperity across the state by attracting investment and increasing exports. One of the ways WTC Utah accomplishes this mission is by helping Utah companies add customers, increase revenue and create jobs by selling internationally.
Last October Dalyon Ruesch from Vitalpax saw a post regarding STEP Grant applications on the WTC Utah Facebook page. After a competitive review process, Vitalpax was awarded the grant and selected to travel to Dubai with WTC Utah and the five other Utah businesses. “It was a fantastic opportunity! Since returning home from the show, we have experienced growth and are in the process of acquiring more employees and equipment.”
Another company in attendance was CommGap International Language Services. Lelani Craig, President of CommGap, stated that “attending Arab Health opened our eyes to the possibilities available internationally. We made contact with several international companies with whom we are currently discussing potential work. It was a unique and ideal conference for us to attend since we do a lot of work in the medical field with localization, transcreation and general translation. We are excited for the upcoming possibilities!”
In addition to making connections, the trade show offered valuable training opportunities. While in Dubai, Maxtec was able to train hospital staff and sales reps on why it is important to monitor oxygen and how their devices work. Carl Luft, Director of Business Development for Maxtec, informed us that “this training is mandatory for dealers when applying for a government-issued tender.”
To support the Utah companies and further enhance international relationships for our state, WTC Utah team members also attended the trade show. Suzette Alles, WTC Utah International Business Director, gave an presentation on Foreign Direct Investment which highlighted the strengths and opportunities of doing business in Utah. Alles represented Utah as one of only nine states selected to present at the seminar.
We look forward to seeing how these six businesses continue to grow and how other Utah companies will benefit from the STEP Grant. In 2018, Utah companies have already received STEP grants to attend trade missions and trade shows in Mexico, Paris, London, Germany, Taiwan and South Korea. The STEP Grant helps small businesses enter and expand into export markets. To learn more about the STEP grant opportunities and how WTC Utah can help your business grow please visit our grants page.
