International Trade Network benefits companies, students

March 5, 2016 at 12:06a.m.

With a little help, hobby grows into

YOUNGSTOWN

In just a couple of years, the four owners of the Fire Pit Gallery have gone from local to international.

With help from the International Trade Network at Youngstown State University, the company has grown from what originally started as a hobby to a full-blown, bustling business.

“It is a great resource,” said Marlene Appel, part owner of the business. “I think more people should know about it.”

Tucked inside Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business is the International Trade Network where students and adviser Mousa H. Kassis work with 90 small-to-medium-size companies on international trade at no cost.

The trade network started in 2012. It was a joint effort made by the Williamson College of Business and the Small Business Development Center at YSU – a technical assistance program for Ohio’s small businesses.

From the get-go, the network would be a way to help companies with their business and help students gain experience in international trade.

“It was good for everybody,” Kassis said. “[Our students] could provide a lot of research and a lot of manpower that many small companies do not have.”

The center serves four Ohio counties: Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull. The center provides expertise in export-readiness assessment, market research and strategies, export-compliance education, cultural and language assistance and export documentation.

After a photo of one of the spherical artistic fire pits made at the Fire Pit Gallery went viral and international orders came

in, the owners were quick to realize they needed some assistance.

“We didn’t have a clue where to begin,” Appel said.

That’s where Kassis came in.

“He gave us some good advice about the best way to [export],” she said.

Kassis recommended the company ship to port instead of to doors. Shipping to door would mean every customer would have to call to get a personal quote.

“It has helped a lot because we are worldwide,” Appel said.

The Fire Pit Gallery is one of 90 companies the center has worked with. Of those, 75 are actively exporting.

“It gives them more revenue, and it diversifies their revenues,” Kassis said.

Seventy-five percent of every company’s customers are outside the U.S., so it’s important for companies to consider exporting product.

“Companies will survive better,” Kassis said.

Kassis and his students meet with companies, identify their product and do a market assessment to see what countries would be the best in which to market the product. The process is taken a step further in finding buyers and wholesalers for the company through the Ohio Development Services Agency.

For YSU undergraduate and graduate students, the center provides what Kassis calls a “world-class experience.”

Recipients of the John D. Beeghly Fellowship work at the Ohio Small Business Development Center and the International Trade Network at YSU. One of those students is Alex McFarland, a senior business economics major.

“It’s taught me a lot about research,” McFarland said. “It helps our clients get a lot further a lot faster.”

Fadi El Chammas, a senior international business major, saw the network as a way to enhance his international business experience. “The services we provide are great,” he said. “People need to utilize them more.”