Courtesy photo.
CENTRAL COAST — World Trade Month is celebrated across the globe each May, and the South Central Coast celebrated by bringing global trade organizations from across the region together on Friday, May 11 to help the local business community understand and enter the global e-commerce market.
The South Central Coast Center for International Trade Development, hosted by SBCC’s Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, joined forces with the U.S. Commercial Service, the District Export Council, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and local Chambers of Commerce for an informative Global E-Commerce Summit in Buellton. Speakers shared tips, best practices, and resources to help businesses and entrepreneurs prepare to enter the world of exporting, and college and high school educators and students understand the skills our next generation will need to succeed. Global trade topics included international trade development, strategies, intellectual property protection, logistics, customs, and compliance.
The Summit also introduced a unique interactive model, with opportunities for attendees to meet one-on-one with the industry experts throughout the Summit to ask questions related to their specific businesses.
“It was inspiring to engage a room full of local entrepreneurs, business consultants, educators and students eager to hear about the latest trends in international trade and e-commerce,” said Scheinfeld Center Director Julie Samson, who also serves as Deputy Sector Navigator, Center for International Trade & Development. “Global e-commerce presents a major opportunity for small businesses to grow and expand beyond our local boundaries, and l encourage anyone thinking about taking their product global to tap into the vast resources that are available. South Central Coast businesses are in great hands with the knowledgeable industry experts we have here today.”
Speakers at the Global E-Commerce Summit included keynote speaker Richard Swanson, Regional Director of the US & Foreign Commercial Service; Cynthia Torres, US & Foreign Trade Official; David Habib, Legal Expert; Jay Tsao, Startup Founder & CEO; Jerry Tyler, Cofounder of Heart of Nature LLC; Ray Bowman, Small Business Development Center Director; Susan Kohn Ross, Partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP; and Vincent Iacopella, Executive Vice President Growth & Strategy at Alba Wheels Up International Inc. Megan Cullen, District Export Council of Southern California Member served as master of ceremonies, with welcome and wrap-up by Julie Samson, Deputy Sector Navigator, Center for International Trade & Development and SBCC Scheinfeld Center Director.
Below are some of the resources shared by speakers during the Global E-Commerce Summit.
- http://southcentralcitd.org/academics/
The South Central Coast is the home of eight community colleges that offer academic, contract education, and internship opportunities for students and business owners - http://decsocal.org
The District Export Council of Southern California’s website - https://www.export.gov/locations
The US Department of Commerce’s tool to find a local Export Assistance Center - https://www.export.gov/article?id=Business-eCommerce-Tools
A variety of tools and resources from the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration to help businesses overcome common cross-border e-commerce challenges - https://www.uspto.gov
Everything businesses need to know about US trademarks and patents - http://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov
The Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) Sanctions List Search tool that helps US businesses identify foreign individuals and companies on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List - https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/e-commerce/partner-government-agencies-import-guides
US Customs and Border Protection’s Partner Government Agencies Import Guides that provide guidelines and requirements for importing and exporting specific types of products
Entrepreneurs and businesses interested in learning more about exporting products are encouraged to enroll in SBCC’s International Business course IBUS 109 – Basics of Importing and Exporting. This online course is offered during Summer Term II and runs from June 30 to August 10, 2018. Students will receive a practical introduction to the conduct of importing and exporting, and learn about topics including logistics, documents, contract administration, terminology, quality control, and payment procedures.
Santa Barbara City College is the only college in the region offering International Business courses completely online, including the trade skills courses needed to prepare for the Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) exam.
About the Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation: The SBCC Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is a hub for entrepreneurial development within the South Central Coast community and is a resource for model programs for other California community college districts. The Scheinfeld Center, part of the Jack & Julie Nadel School of Business & Entrepreneurship at SBCC, trains global entrepreneurs using a comprehensive approach to academics, hands-on experience, and support. Participants can build their business in the classroom and shore up gaps in their entrepreneurial skill set through the Scheinfeld Center’s distinctive combination of coursework, business plan and pitch competitions, industry internships, no-cost business consulting, mentoring, networking, and post-start-up support through the Small Business Development Center. To learn more, visit www.scheinfeld.sbcc.edu or call 805.965.0581 ext. 3643.
About Santa Barbara City College: Founded in 1909, Santa Barbara City College currently serves approximately 15,000 students each semester who enroll in courses for transfer preparation, career education, and foundational skills. SBCC was the 2013-2015 national co-winner of the prestigious Aspen Institute Prize for Community College Excellence. The college was recognized for its quality and focus in four areas: facilitating underrepresented and minority student success, student learning outcomes, degree completion and transfer rates, and labor market success in securing good jobs after college.
Our Mission: As a public community college dedicated to the success of each student…
Santa Barbara City College provides students a diverse learning environment that inspires curiosity and discovery, promotes global responsibility and fosters opportunity for all.