EDC’s own World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD) was honored today with the President’s “E” Award for Export Service.
Presented by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at a ceremony in Washington D.C., the “E” Award recognizes WTCSD’s commitment to growth of exports and jobs, especially through MetroConnect and Export SBDC. This is the highest recognition a U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.
“We are so proud to be named among the President’s “E” Award recipients. Whether through our flagship accelerator MetroConnect or the direct counseling we provide to exporters as an SBDC, our team is committed and passionate about supporting the growth of local businesses and showcasing all that San Diego has to offer to the rest of the world. As we often say, our work here is just getting started!”—Lucas Coleman, WTCSD Director
About MetroConnect
Using a cohort-based model, WTCSD’s MetroConnect accelerator equips sets of 15 San Diego companies with the resources and partners to increase international sales. For specialized assistance, the next cohort of MetroConnect VII companies will each be placed into one of three specialized tracks reflecting San Diego’s economic strengths—life sciences, strategic technology, and consumer goods.
In its first six years, MetroConnect has helped 95 local, small and mid-sized businesses generate a net increase of $97 million in international sales, 522 international contracts, and 32 overseas facilities. This international growth has coincided with 319 new hires here in the San Diego region.
World Trade Center San Diego and 200+ voting audience award $25K for international expansion
World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD) named Access Trax, which provides ADA compliant portable access mats for outdoor accessibility, as the winner of the MetroConnect export accelerator program, now in its sixth year. Made possible through a grant from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Procopio, Access Trax will use the $25,000 award to expand its presence in markets such as Canada and Australia.
With more than 75 million people around the world using a wheelchair on a daily basis, Access Trax’ portable, foldable mats create pathways to access outdoor terrain like sand, grass, gravel, and snow that is otherwise impossible to navigate.
“Access Trax is the perfect reflection of San Diego’s life-changing innovation, leveraging our region’s excellence in manufacturing and lifestyle to help drive accessibility around the globe,” said Lucas Coleman, WTCSD Director. “The company’s results from MetroConnect’s sixth cohort are impressive. Whether it’s fine-tuning the go-to-market strategy in target markets such as Canada or alleviating critical language translation challenges, working to connect small and medium-sized businesses to international markets builds greater resilience here at home.”
The female-founded small business Access Trax beat out three other finalists in MetroConnect VI, Novo Brazil Brewing, Nano PharmaSolutions, and Solecta. The grand prize-winning company was decided via real-time audience vote during the Grand Prize PitchFest event May 11 at UC San Diego Park & Market. Prior to this, a committee of senior international business leaders in San Diego helped the WTCSD team nominate these top performers, out of the initial 15-company cohort.
“The MetroConnect program was instrumental in helping us lay the foundation for our strategic international growth. Access Trax is thrilled to earn the top vote of the audience and judges and we look forward to using the $25K towards local job creation and continued export growth for an even bigger impact,” said Kelly Twichel, CEO of Access Trax, the MetroConnect VI Grand Prize winner.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
In its first six years, MetroConnect has helped 95 local, small and mid-sized businesses generate a net increase of $97 million in international sales, 522 international contracts, and 32 overseas facilities. This international growth has coincided with 319 new hires here in the San Diego region.
Each cohort year, WTCSD selects 15 export-ready small businesses to receive $5,000 export grants, access to executive workshops, translation software, and a chance to win a $25,000 grand prize to aid in further international market expansion. Applications for year seven of the MetroConnect program are now open through July 14, 2023. Interested small- and medium-sized companies that are looking to pursue international sales as a near-term priority or already exporting its goods or services may apply here.
GLOBAL CONNECTION TO BOOST RESILIENCE
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the national rhetoric around global trade has shifted. According to The World Bank, countries that trade internationally enjoy more economic growth, are more innovative and productive, and can provide more opportunities to citizens. San Diego is no exception—regional small businesses that export tend to have a larger and more diversified customer base, pick up best practices from global competitors, build up economies of scale, and ultimately pay their employees more. Access to international customers and markets is essential in helping San Diego’s business community recover after the COVID-19 pandemic, as small businesses employ 60 percent of San Diegans.
“For nearly a decade now, JPMorgan Chase and MetroConnect have teamed up to help San Diego businesses push the boundaries of innovation and growth,” said Aaron Ryan, Managing Director for San Diego Middle Market Banking at JPMorgan Chase. “San Diego is one of the most resilient economies in the U.S., and we keep seeing how businesses here are primed to realize their full potential across the globe.”
WTCSD hosted its MetroConnect Grand Prize PitchFest on May 11, with remarks by Nikia Clarke, Executive Director, WTCSD; Kevin Cox, President, Electra Bicycle Company; Danny Fitzgerald, Regional Director, San Diego & Imperial SBDC Network; and program underwriter Aaron Ryan, Managing Director for San Diego Middle Market Banking, JPMorgan Chase.
WTCSD has year-round, non-exclusive international opportunities that help companies break expand internationally, such as the Export SBDC and strategy for global engagement.
This piece was published as part of World Trade Week 2023.
Supply chain resiliency can be the difference between a company’s success and its premature decline—especially in the last few years. Recently, we have seen an uptick in U.S.-based companies beginning to look at regionalizing or nearshoring their overall operations. Although Asia remains a cost-effective option, San Diego companies are looking increasingly to Mexico as an ideal location to lead advanced manufacturing, hire a technical workforce, and save money.
Our binational region, which includes San Diego County, Imperial County, and Mexican state of Baja California, is home to more than 7.1 million people and specializes in high-value goods and services. San Diego and Tijuana jointly host some of the world’s strongest innovation clusters, including the world’s largest medical device cluster, due in part to significant foreign direct investment from global firms that often co-locate on both sides of the border.
CaliBaja’s cross-border capabilities
Just 20 minutes south of San Diego’s downtown, Tijuana and the CaliBaja binational mega-region present a unique opportunity for San Diego-based companies looking to localize their impact and lower costs. Here are three ways to do so:
Find advanced manufacturers near San Diego: Maquiladoras in Tijuana and Baja California support advanced manufacturing for numerous U.S. aerospace, medical device, and consumer goods companies.
Leverage highly-skilled technical talent: San Diego and Tijuana jointly host some of the world’s strongest innovation clusters and brightest engineering and scientific talent. With geographic proximity and fewer visa limitations, Tijuana and San Diego teams can foster stronger collaboration and teamwork, as well as effectively monitor product quality and workflows.
Access cost-savings and duty deferral opportunities: Through free trade agreements like the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), companies can take advantage of significant cost-savings and duty deferral programs. This is a significant opportunity for companies with advanced manufacturing operations to diversify supply chains and improve bottom lines.
Learn how San Diego-based Taylor Guitars leverages advanced manufacturers in Baja California:
How do I get started?
First, contact us to set up a free consultation about strategic opportunities in the cross-border region. EDC and World Trade Center San Diego can also help you connect with regional partners that work daily to help companies like yours leverage cross-border resources, including:
Tijuana EDC offers complimentary consulting services to help U.S. companies expand manufacturing and nearshore supply chains. In the past few years, Tijuana has experienced unprecedented cross-border business growth and has provided numerous U.S.-based companies with advanced manufacturing solutions.
ITJ helps U.S. companies create technology centers of excellence in Mexico and source top technical talent. ITJ serves fast-growing and high-value market sectors, particularly in Life Sciences, Biotechnology, and Internet of Medical Things, and works with innovative medical device companies to improve people’s lives.
Meet our cross-border partners at MetroConnect PitchFest & World Trade Week San Diego on May 11, 2023. ➝ Reserve your ticket.
It might be easy to look at headlines or social media these days and feel a bit weighed down by the news in San Diego. When those chosen to lead important roles fail us, it creates distrust, anger, and frustration that can make its way into all our lives. Yet at the same time, it is important to look away from the headlines and remember who we really are as a community and as a region, and refocus our time and energy on the leadership and contributions that continue to make San Diego shine.
Just this week, 60 leaders came together to address the regional workforce and supply chain needs of San Diego’s defense industrial base. Together with San Diego Military Advisory Council, San Diego Ship Repair Association, NAVSEA, and the IBAS SHIP program, the day-long event served to support near-term and future needs for shipbuilders, submarines manufacturers, and supply chain partners who support thousands of jobs in the region.
The City of San Diego’s Development Services Department just launched its Life Science Industry Pilot Program to provide dedicated permitting resources and information to help the industry expand and succeed in San Diego.
In the weeks ahead, we will celebrate World Trade Week and conclude the sixth round of our MetroConnect program, which has collectively supported 95 small and mid-sized businesses in accessing new international markets. We also look ahead to another Mayor-led trade mission, this time to Korea—a dynamic and innovative country which promises to be a force in the global economy throughout this century.
And, as EDC always tracks, you can count on the region’s employers, anchors, and industries to weekly make ‘Good News’ headlines.
In closing—and to seize the momentum of the SDSU Men’s Basketball Team’s historic run to the NCAA National Championship Game—let’s continue to find those successes, challenges, and opportunities that bring us together as a region. While we have lots of work to do throughout the City and County, I am certain that if we look closely enough, we will see that we are still surrounded by the leadership and partnership needed to get things done. I know that is how we feel at EDC every day.
With respect and admiration for your ongoing leadership, contributions, and support,
Mayor Todd Gloria leads first trade mission to the Netherlands
To foster vital global economic partnerships, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD) led a delegation of 29 senior San Diego leaders on a trade mission to the Netherlands. Over three days in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, and Leiden, the delegation celebrated the unveiling of Qualcomm’s new AI Research Lab, toured ASML’s headquarters, and bolstered public-private relationships with Dutch partners at a dozen other meetings and events. ➝ Read the WTCSD Director’s Reflections
MetroConnect companies pitch for Dutch investment
San Diego-based, BIPOC-owned small businesses Trabus Technologies and Nano PharmaSolutions joined WTCSD’s trade mission to establish business relationships and pursue investment at the Netherlands’ Port of Rotterdam and Leiden Bio Science Park. San Diego small businesses employ more than 60 percent of the regional workforce; with the right partners and investment, small companies that solve important problems become resilient, large employers. ➝ Read More
Learn how to grow your international sales
San Diego companies: Join WTCSD, MetroConnect exporters, and international business partners on Tuesday, November 15 to learn about the resources available to access international customers. Network with Dutch, Hong Kong, and U.S. Commercial Service representatives to grow your exports through programs like WTCSD’s MetroConnect accelerator. ➝ Register Now
Two weeks have passed since our return from the Netherlands Trade Mission, and I continue to think back on how effectively public and private sector forces work together to develop the infrastructure for trains, busses, bicycles, cars, and even canal boats to coexist in harmony.
After three years of pandemic-related travel limitations, it was refreshing and inspiring to hit the road again, this time with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and 29 of our region’s most influential and collaborative business, academic, political, and economic leaders. This delegation carried the San Diego banner in one of the world’s leading metros for innovation and circular urban development—the Netherlands—a country engineered out of the sea.
We kicked off the mission by hosting the Thriving Cities Mayoral Forum, where we explored the leading role that cities play in driving circular/sustainable development with insight from Mayor Gloria, Amsterdam Mayor Halsema, and other innovation leaders from both regions.
We visited Qualcomm’s largest AI research hub outside of San Diego to celebrate its expansion, and learn about its partnership with the University of Amsterdam, QUVA, which supports a pipeline of engineering talent.
Joined by SANDAG Chair Catherine Blakespear and leadership at San Diego’s higher education institutions, we visited TNO, the premier applied research organization of the Dutch government to see its newest tool in action—a ‘digital twin’ of a region that overlays conditions for traffic, energy usage, pollution, and more, with the option to toggle different variables to see how the conditions interact with each other.
Our delegation then headed to ‘the smartest kilometer in Europe’ to visit Philips and ASML, the largest medical systems and technology companies in the Netherlands, respectively, that both have existing and growing operations in San Diego.
We also brought together three Commissioners and the CEO of the Port of San Diego in the Port of Rotterdam to learn about circular and efficient operations at Europe’s busiest port and share the exciting developments we have underway on our beautiful waterfront.
And perhaps one of the most inspiring moments of our trade mission happened on our last day, when WTCSD’s MetroConnect companies Trabus Technologies and Nano PharmaSolutions pitched to Port of Rotterdam and Leiden Bio Science Park leaders, respectively, for foreign investment.
As we settle back into life in San Diego, our delegation brings home a fresh perspective on the ways we can address challenges in critical areas such as transportation and urban development. We see more clearly than ever the value of closer collaboration between the public sector, academia, and private business.In the coming years, we hope to see engineering solutions and transformative technologies like TNO’s Digital Twin being used to aid decision-making in large public works, and large multinationals like ASML and Philips successfully growing their operations in the region.
Most of all, we look forward to the meaningful relationships and connections built through the mission and the collaboration that will lead to smarter, stronger, more inclusive development for all, right here in San Diego.
The trade mission is organized by WTCSD, an affiliate of the San Diego Regional EDC, with assistance and support provided by the Consulate of the Netherlands, and sponsorship by ASML, Lufthansa, and Qualcomm Technologies.
Trabus Technologies and Nano PharmaSolutions join delegation to Netherlands to drive localgrowth
This week, as part of Mayor Todd Gloria’s trade mission to the Netherlands, coordinated by World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), an affiliate of EDC, San Diego small businesses pitched their technology solutions to potential international partners and investors. Trabus Technologies (TRABUS) and Nano PharmaSolutions, both San Diego-based, minority-owned small businesses, joined this three-day trip to establish business relationships, pursue investment, and grow local jobs.
San Diego is the birthplace of many successful large, multinational companies, including Qualcomm who is represented in the delegation as well. However, small businesses—those with fewer than 100 employees—are the backbone of the regional economy and drive regional economic growth and innovation. Small businesses employ more than 60 percent of San Diego County’s workforce, nearly double the national average, and represent nearly 98 percent of the region’s firms. Yet small companies face outsize barriers to international expansion.
“Having an economy driven by small, innovative companies has been great for San Diego, and we want to support their expansion into overseas markets so they can stay strong and competitive in their industries,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “This trade mission gives us the chance to lay that groundwork for small businesses that face headwinds overseas.”
In order to drive economic resilience, Mayor Todd Gloria and WTCSD have prioritized small businesses as part of the Netherlands trade mission. TRABUS and Nano PharmaSolutions—both innovative, minority-owned small businesses involved in WTCSD’s export accelerator program MetroConnect—pitched to the Port of Rotterdam and investors at the Leiden Bio Science Park respectively:
TRABUS and Port of Rotterdam: TRABUS is a service-disabled, veteran- and minority-owned small business providing innovative solutions to the U.S. government and private sector. The 50-person TRABUS team specializes in the development of technology across five major portfolios—wireless technologies, artificial intelligence and data science, maritime transportation, environmental informatics and cybersecurity. To be spotlighted in its pitch to the European port, TRABUS has developed the first AI-based voyage planning software, RippleGo, for the inland waterways. While the SaaS product is currently being tested on U.S. waterways, RippleGo could have tremendous potential to enhance voyage planning and supply chain logistics on EU based waterways for greater economic efficiencies.
“We are excited about the potential partnerships and opportunities to work with the European maritime industry. The EU has an impressive, interconnected waterway network already. We hope to learn more about their network and offer up some of our technologies that can aid in waterway management and intermodal supply chain logistics,” said Art Salindong, Managing Director, TRABUS.
Nano PharmaSolutions (NPS) and Leiden Bio Science Park: A platform technology startup for nanodrug delivery of small molecule drugs, NPS offers improved solubility and convenient dosage form development. Founded in 2019, the company is seeking Seed and early-stage VC investment, with plans to expand into the European market and access increased pharmaceutical customers in the years ahead. NPS plans to co-manufacture clinical trial materials for their customers at Mikart Pharmaceutical, a contract manufacturing organization in Atlanta, GA, beginning Q3 2023. Mikart is a commercial scale oral dosage form company, which can support NanoTransformer™ nano-granulation and downstream dosage form manufacturing and QC activities.
“Not only does our NanoTransformer™ technology expedite drug development at a lower R&D cost, but it helps drugs absorb into the body more quickly and efficiently” said Dr. Kay Olmstead, Founder & CEO, NPS. “This is an incredible opportunity to share our story and build partnerships at the famous Leiden Bio Science Park, and we’re excited about what’s to come.”
“With the right partners, small companies that solve important problems—like TRABUS and Nano PharmaSolutions—become big companies that change the world. That has always been San Diego’s story, and it is why we work so hard to open doors for innovators and entrepreneurs both overseas and back at home,” said Nikia Clarke, executive director of WTCSD and SVP, EDC.
This session is one of a dozen meetings and programs on the three-day trade mission to the Netherlands, September 26—29, 2022. See a summary of the trip here and follow along for more: #SDinNL
The trade mission is organized by WTCSD, an affiliate of the San Diego Regional EDC, with assistance and support provided by the Consulate of the Netherlands, and sponsorship by ASML, Lufthansa, and Qualcomm Technologies.
A visit to ASML HQ in Veldhoven seeks to strengthen an already strong relationship between ASML and San Diego
This week, as part of Mayor Gloria’s inaugural trade mission with World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), an affiliate of EDC, the delegation visited ASML headquarters in Veldhoven, Netherlands.
With major operations in San Diego, and more than 35,000 staff around the globe, ASML is the most important technology company you’ve never heard of.
ASML is the leading provider of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to every major chipmaker around the world, playing an integral role in driving the global chip industry forward.
In San Diego, ASML designs, develops, and manufactures the lasers and lights sources that power its lithography machines—the systems chipmakers use to produce semiconductors featured in every piece of technology across nearly every industry.
From cell phones and life-changing medical devices, to self-driving cars and the James Webb Space Telescope, semiconductors are ubiquitously part of everyday life—and ASML represents the foundation for them all.
The company expanded its global footprint in 2012 with the acquisition of Cymer, a San Diego-based industry leader in laser sources for semiconductor equipment. In the 10 years since this acquisition, ASML San Diego has doubled its local headcount to 1,600, and counting.
Today as part of Mayor Todd Gloria’s trade mission to the Netherlands, coordinated by World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), an affiliate of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), Qualcomm Technologies Netherlands B.V., cut the ribbon on Matrix One in Amsterdam. In the Amsterdam Science Park, Matrix One will serve as Qualcomm Technologies Inc.’s largest AI hub outside of the U.S.
The cornerstone of San Diego’s technology ecosystem, Qualcomm is a global leader in 5G wireless technologies. Per a 2018 report, the company supported more than 28,000 San Diego jobs and had a $4 billion local economic impact. For every job at Qualcomm, an additional 1.8 jobs were supported elsewhere in San Diego economy.
“Nearly 40 years ago, a small tech company made a commitment to this region that would shape our innovation ecosystem—and our world—as we know it,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “I’m proud to support Qualcomm’s continued growth in San Diego and around the world.”
Amsterdam Science Park is home to one of Europe’s biggest concentrations of scientific talent. The unique combination of high-quality education, pioneering research and knowledge-intensive business boosts the kind of innovation that will transform our society in the future.
“With our move into the new Matrix One building in Amsterdam Science Park, I am very happy to see us well positioned for further growth. Our highly innovative AI research in diverse topic areas and continued collaboration and co-location with the University of Amsterdam confirm us as the prime employer for AI & ML researchers and engineers in the region,” said Michael Hofmann, Director, Engineering, Qualcomm Technologies Inc.
The trade mission is organized by WTCSD, an affiliate of the San Diego Regional EDC, with assistance and support provided by the Consulate of the Netherlands, and sponsorship by ASML, Lufthansa and Qualcomm Technologies. This session is one of a dozen meetings and programs on the three-day trade mission to the Netherlands, September 26—29, 2022.
WORLD TRADE CENTER SAN DIEGO CONVENES REGIONAL LEADERS TO HELP SAN DIEGO BUSINESSES EXPAND GLOBALLY, CREATE LOCAL JOBS
In order to foster vital global economic partnerships, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), an affiliate of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), are leading a delegation to the Netherlands. During the September 26—29 trade mission, business and civic leaders will promote San Diego’s key industries, establish and strengthen business relationships, and explore best practices in urban mobility, climate action and sustainability, and technology and science innovation.
Against the backdrop of severe supply chain disruptions, shifting geopolitics governing the development of critical strategic technologies, and accelerating climate action and affordability mandates, San Diego leaders have made economic resilience by way of global competitiveness a top priority.
“San Diego is an undeniable force in the global marketplace, and we must seize opportunities to tell our story and maximize investment from partners around the world,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “As we work to address our region’s biggest challenges—affordability, urban mobility, climate change, and more—I’m proud to join World Trade Center San Diego in the Netherlands to learn from like thriving, global cities.”
Home to Europe’s largest port and fourth busiest cargo airport, the Netherlands is a hub for global trade and business. With shared expertise in knowledge-intensive industries, including personalized medicine, wireless communications technology, and artificial intelligence, and a societal commitment to sustainability, climate action, and social innovation, the Netherlands is among the top 10 countries for foreign direct investment into San Diego (#6 in 2015—2020). Netherlands-based companies directly employ 5,000 San Diegans, predominately in the innovation economy at companies like ASML and Philips. By deal count, the Netherlands is the #9 country investing venture capital into San Diego, in line with Denmark and falling closely behind Japan, France and India (2015—2020). Further, Dutch firms invested nearly $318 million into San Diego’s economy in 2021 alone.
“On the heels of a pandemic that changed the world, WTCSD is grateful to be taking San Diego global once again,” said Nikia Clarke, executive director of World Trade Center San Diego and senior vice president at San Diego Regional EDC. “As the economy continues to transform around us, it is increasingly important for metro leaders to advance a compelling vision that keeps us ahead of the curve, and no one can tell the San Diego story better than Mayor Gloria and this cross-sector delegation.”
Over the three-day trade mission in cities Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, and Leiden, San Diego will look to bolster public-private partnerships and business expansion through various sessions with Dutch companies and institutions.
Agenda items include:
The grand opening/ribbon cutting of Qualcomm’s AI Research Lab, which has formalized a partnership with the University of Amsterdam to support a pipeline of engineering talent. Read more →
Amid massive pressure for expansion, a meeting and tour of ASML—the global leader in semiconductor manufacturing machines (lithography)—at its Veldhoven headquarters to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its investment in its San Diego-based Cymer site. Read more →
Local, minority-owned small businesses Trabus Technologies and Nano PharmaSolutions will pitch to the Port of Rotterdam and Leiden University Medical Center respectively. Read more →
Mayor-to-Mayor meetings with Todd Gloria and the Mayors of Amsterdam and Rotterdam to strengthen relationships between our regions
Formal meetings and tours of several companies considering investment into San Diego and California as led by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria
Delegates will participate in upwards of 15 meetings over the course of the trade mission, sharing best practices and driving business connectivity across many verticals. The two dozen San Diego delegates include representatives from Qualcomm, ASML, Mitsubishi Electric, Trabus Technologies, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., Gafcon, Arup, HomeFed Corporation, Townshend Venture Advisors and more. Also in attendance are delegates from key San Diego agencies, universities and civic organizations such as Port of San Diego, UC San Diego, San Diego State University, San Diego Association of Governments, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority and others.
The trade mission is organized by World Trade Center San Diego, an affiliate of the San Diego Regional EDC, with assistance and support provided by the U.S. Embassy in The Hague, the Consulate of the Netherlands, and sponsorship by ASML, Lufthansa and Qualcomm.
“With shared commitments to sustainability and innovation, more than 76,000 jobs in California are supported by U.S.-Netherlands trade. This trip is one example of how we can work together across borders to remain competitive in a global economy,” said Consul General Dirk Janssen, Consulate of the Netherlands in San Francisco.
Follow along with us next week during the trade mission: #SDinNL
Gina Raimondo at a ceremony in Washington D.C., the “E” Award recognizes WTCSD’s commitment to growth of exports and jobs, especially through MetroConnect and Export SBDC. This is the highest recognition a U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.
