Area businesses warm to idea of trade with Chile. videoconferences on international trade

tampabay.bizjournals.com Jane Meinhardt Staff Writer

CLEARWATER -- For a mere $15 each, representatives from 21 companies got a glimpse of possibly lucrative business opportunities in Chile.

They tapped into the pool of Chilean business specialists on the public's payroll, got contacts' names and vital information and learned about the country's regulations -- all without leaving the Tampa Bay area.

The business representatives attended the first in a series of videoconferences on international trade spearheaded by George L. Martinez, director of the U.S. Department of Commerce's regional export assistance center in Pinellas County.

The county's economic development technical staff set up the equipment for the conference's satellite link with business specialists in Chile, providing a group and one-on-one session that lasted just more than two hours.

Firms represented included most business segments, especially medical, information technology and construction.

"It was very cost-effective and informative," said Gary French, director of international sales for Clearwater-based Mercury Medical.

Most of the medical supply and equipment company's business is domestic, and it wants to expand its international market. French found the videoconference was a good entry to opportunities in Chile.

He estimated it would have cost him $1,500 to go to Chile and meet business specialists he communicated with during the conference.

"For 15 bucks, you can't beat it," French said. "I could see who I was dealing with and establish a contact. It was a great way to evaluate opportunities and screen perceptions using public professionals. It was clear, and it was understandable."

The videoconference highlighted information provided by officials working for the U.S. Commercial Services, a commerce department agency that has about 1,800 trade specialists in about 260 cities around the world.

Martinez selected Chile for the initial videoconference because Congress is reviewing a free trade agreement with the country, which would increase the country's market growth potential and export potential.

The agreement, similar to the free trade arrangement with Mexico, would eliminate the average 6-percent duty on U.S. products going into the country, Martinez said.

Florida companies already are doing a $1-billion-a-year export business with Chile, Martinez said. Major exports include medical devices, software, health care products and technology and industrial machinery.

Import business, especially wines and seafood, amounts to about $600 million a year, he said.

"Chile is a market that will grow more," Martinez said. "We presented Chile as a market of opportunity for the Tampa Bay area. It's already a stable, open market, and it will be even more open with the free trade agreement."

The videoconference gave area businesses an overview of the Chilean marketplace and a briefing of the country's economic conditions. Later this year, interested companies will be matched with Chilean businesses via one-on-one videoconferences.

But Nicholas Vouris, sales manager of Santech Inc. in Clearwater, is not waiting.

He attended the videoconference and already drafted a letter to a business specialist at an embassy in Chile, seeking more information and possible contacts.

"We want to develop our business," he said. "We'd like to get representation down there."

Santech employs 25 and manufactures standard and customized light-emitting diode display scoreboards and game monitoring equipment, message boards and video-projected displays.

The company's international projects include scoreboards and similar products in Venezuela, Egypt and China and at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico.

"We have sold all over the world, but 95 percent of our business is through ad agencies or on the Internet," Vouris said. "We're passive marketers and want to change that. The video conference was a good start."

Martinez plans to offer a videoconference with commercial service business specialists in China to counteract the reluctance to travel because of severe acute respiratory syndrome.

"We can help companies continue to do business in China," he said. "They can meet and conduct business virtually."

To reach Jane Meinhardt, call (813) 342-2476 or send your e-mail to jmeinhardt@bizjournals.com.