New Hampshire fostering export sales growth

8/12/2011

New Hampshire small businesses are doing well with exports, and a couple of state senators are making strides to keep the trend going.

The Granite State experienced a record increase in export sales from 2009 through the first quarter of 2010, with bigger gains than the rest of the northeast and the fourth highest nationwide. Some of the largest export numbers were attributed to the electronics and medical manufacturing industries.

"Your state is truly leading the way," noted Marie Johns, deputy director of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The SBA, which provides resources and backing for small businesses looking for commercial funding as well as offering entrepreneurial programs, attended a committee meeting hosted by New Hampshire senators Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte. The event, called "The Role of Exports in Small Business Growth and Job Creation," focused on the benefit of fostering small business exports by removing regulatory hurdles and providing resources for interested companies.

"The little guy is just stunned" by the sometimes daunting exports regulatory system, said Richard Friedman of the President's Export Council.

With the help of the state's two senators, in addition to its close proximity to the Canadian border and advantageous location along the Atlantic coast, New Hampshire may become an example of exporting success for U.S. small businesses.