Midtronics, Inc. http://www.midtronics.com
"On November 13, 2008, Midtronics, an Illinois-based battery tester and monitor manufacturer, joined a pre-Gold Key Matching Service conference call arranged by Commercial Service Chicago's Julie Carducci and Commercial Service Taipei's Frances Li to discuss the company background and marketing information. Export market opportunities were discussed and identified, and Midtronics proceeded with the Gold Key Service (GKS). On January 20, CS Taipei's Darrel Ching and Commercial Specialist Frances Li met with Midtronics to disucss the Gold Key business meetings with prospective Taiwan partners. Ms. Li arranged six pre-screened meetings with potential Taiwan partners, and Ms. Li joined and facilitates all meetings. In addition, Ms. Li arranged for Midtronics to meet with Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), the largest telecom sector end-user of Midtronics, as a second day GKS. On May 21, 2009, Midtronics informed CS Taipei and CS Chicago that as a direct result of Gold Key meeting arrangements, they signed a distributor agreement with local firm Advanced Communication Technology and Solutions Corporation (ACTS) and ACTS already ordered the samples and started the demo in Taiwan telecom carriers. Midtronics is extremely satisfied with the Commercial Service and looking forward for the growth in Taiwan market. Indeed on February 3, Midtronics noted, "The service provided by [Commercial Service] AIT is excellent including pre-screen of the candidates, the meeting room set-up with AV, and COFFEE, TEA & WATER. They did a lot of work in advance before we came and are very flexible to do the last minute change to assist us. I really, really appreciate their assistance."

S & C Electric Company http://www.sandc.com
Is a manufacturer and provider of electric power switching and protection products and services for the electric power industry. The firm has been a client of the Commercial Service (CS) in Chicago since 1999. In September 2008, S&C contacted the Commercial Service about doing a Gold Key Matchmaking Service (GKS) in Mumbai in conjunction with a power trade show they planned to exhibit at there in November 2008. Trade Specialist Debra Rogers of CS Chicago coordinated the details of this service with the Alice Cegielski of S&C and Kamal Vora of CS Mumbai. Although S&C has partners and offices around the world, this was to be the firm's first serious foray into the Indian market. In her discussions with TS Rogers, Ms. Cegielski mentioned to Ms. Rogers that she had read an excellent market research report on power distribution sector written by Commercial Specialist Vaidyanathan Purushothaman, and requested a conference call with him and additional CS India staff in order to get more details on the sector and to help determine which other cities in India would be good to target for a possible second GKS. TS Rogers arranged the call, and based on the discussion, a decision was made to conduct an additional GKS in Bangalore. Commercial Specialist Antappa Badigair from CS Bangalore took the lead to identify partners in South India region through a Gold Key Service on November 10, 2008 for S&C Electric, identifying 17 potential candidates. From this list of candidates, given the time constraints, meetings with 5 potential local representatives were confirmed. Leonard Roberts and Manjushree Phookan were instrumental in helping to identify potential local clients. As a result of these meetings in Bangalore, S&C Electric has signed an agreement with a Bangalore-based company as their representative for South India region , including the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The CEO of the new Sales Representative in India, in a letter addressed to Mr. Antappa Badigair and dated February 26, 2009 confirmed the above fact and acknowledged CS Bangalore's service by saying, "I convey my profound thanks to you for your yeomen services rendered in successful meeting… which was held on 10th November 2008 at Le Meridian, Bangalore." Salvador Palafox, S&C’s Vice President-International Sales & Marketing, said, "We are facing a steep challenge in this market but the US Commercial Service certainly has started us in the right direction."

ACS Group http://www.acscorporate.com 
Is a Schaumburg, Illinois-based producer of auxiliary equipment specializing in the plastics industry. The U.S. Dept. of Commerce's Commercial Service Chicago team began working with ACS Group after the company indicated an interest in expanding its overseas presence. CS Chicago Trade Specialists provided one-one counseling on the best market options and the products available to help them identify the most appropriate agents or representatives in those markets. ACS Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Kevin Chudyk, opted to contract for Gold Key Services (GKS) in several Latin American countries. Less than four months later, ACS Group had selected a representative in each of the four markets in which the Gold Key Service was utilized! Regarding the Gold Key Services, Mr. Chudyk said: "I was very, very pleased with the level of service." He went on to comment that the Gold Key Services were very well organized and that the legwork saved him "months or years" of work. Mr. Chudyk's final remark was "Everyone should know about your services"!

FitzGerald Associates Architects http://www.fitzgeraldassociates.net
Is a Chicago-based architectural design firm specializing in high-density residential housing and mixed-use developments. The firm has been a client of Trade Specialist Debra Rogers since April 2008, when the firm's Chief Operating Officer, Steve Wasilowski contacted her requesting information and assistance in pursuing business in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since then, Ms. Rogers has sent them market research and links to internet resources on the UAE and arranged for them to meet and get briefed on the UAE market by both former UAE Senior Commercial Officer (SCO) Christian Reed and current SCO Laurie Farris during the firm's May and October 2008 visits to the UAE. In advance of their June 2008 trip, Steve asked if we could provide information on a Dubai construction and engineering company called Middle East Engineering Consultants (MEECON), as FAA would be meeting with this company. Upon the request of TS Rogers, Minila Matthews obtained information on MEECON from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. This information showed that MEECON was indeed an established and legitimate company, and gave FAA the assurances it needed. Subsequently, FitzGerald Associates Architects and MEECON signed an agreement to co-market their services and bid on projects jointly. They have already submitted several joint proposals for projects, and are hoping to win one of them soon. Mr. Wasilowski remarked, "The Commercial Service has been instrumental in getting us established in the UAE market."

Treatment Products Ltd. http://www.thetreatment.com
On May 20, 2008, Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined President Bush at the White House to present Treatment Products of Chicago, IL with the Presidential ‘E’ Award for excellence in exporting.  The ‘E’ Award is the highest honor the federal government can give to American people, firms or organizations that have made significant contributions to the increase of U.S. exports.  The Presidential E-Award was created by President Kennedy in 1961. Treatment Products Ltd. manufactures a wide array of cleaners, waxes, and polishes for the automotive appearance industry. International sales have been a significant contributor to the rapid growth in recent years of this family-owned business. Export sales now account for 72% of the firm’s total annual revenues.  With international clients in over fifty countries and six continents, the company’s exporting revenues have become sufficiently diversified to endure regional economic hardships and political unrest in some parts of the world.

NOW International http://www.nowfoods.com/
A second Illinois company, NOW International of Bloomingdale, was among the 19 companies nationwide to receive this prestigious Presidential 'E' Award.   NOW International, the export arm of NOW Foods is a manufacturer of vitamins and supplements.  NOW International has grown at an average annual rate of 19.9 percent, far outpacing total company growth of 9.6 percent. Export sales increased from $7.5 million in 2003 to $14.9 million in 2006.   Both NOW International and Treatment Products are active clients of the U.S. Commercial Service - Chicago.

The Frain Industries http://www.fraingroup.com/
Frain Industries began exporting pre-owned machinery to Mexico and Canada in the 1990’s and has continued to export to these countries on an ongoing basis. More recently, Frain expanded the regions they export their products to include: Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tabago, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Spain, West Indies, Barbados, Germany, Peru, Ireland, England, Philippines, Czech Republic, Egypt, Russia, Argentina, and India. Frain’s exports have more than tripled over the past 5 years as a result of concerted efforts to expand its business to the world market. Earlier this year, Frain worked directly with the US Department of Commerce and hosted a delegation of business professionals from Iraq, resulting in several new business projects for food and beverage processing and packaging equipment. Frain recently signed independent sales organization agreements with two partners in Monterrey and Mexico City to accelerate sales development throughout Mexico. Frain intends to establish partnerships with similar organizations in other international markets during the balance of 2008 and into 2009.

Weldy-Lamont Associates Inc.  http://www.weldy-lamont.com/
Weldy-Lamont Associates Inc., a 13-employee engineering firm based in Mount Prospect, IL has won a $350 million rural electrification turnkey contract from the government of Ghana, and will procure equipment and services from U.S. suppliers around the country to fill the order backed by a $344 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank).  Weldy-Lamont Associates Inc. overcame foreign competition to win the contract for phase four of Ghana's Self Help Electrification Project (SHEP IV), based on the company's successful performance on phase three of the project (SHEP III). The company will provide procurement, engineering, installation and management services.  Weldy-Lamont itself has doubled its business over the last five years and plans to hire two more electrical engineers in the near future. A significant part of the company's growth is due to increased export business in recent years to countries including China and Thailand.

LA-CO Industries, Inc. http://www.laco.com
LA-CO Industries, Inc., based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, is a leading manufacturer of industrial and agricultural marking products and plumbing chemicals.  The MARKAL, ALL-WEATHER and LA-CO branded products are sold through in over 50 countries.   LA-CO became a client of the U.S. Commercial Service - Chicago (CS Chicago) in 2007, when it began using CS services to develop its international business strategy.  This effort coincided with LA-CO’s decision to reorganize its international business area and devote more resources to their efforts.  An in-depth market research project started through the Commercial Service to determine where the company should focus its efforts, what types of products it should carry and/or modify for each specific market, and optimal international distribution models.  Once LA-CO chose to focus on marketing one its fastest growing products, Chicago Trade Specialist Jeff Graber then provided detailed market research and trade data on the target countries.  LA-CO’s Director of International Sales, Chuck Lutz, elected to proceed with contact lists of potential end-users.  LA-CO made sales totaling $167,000.00 to two of the end-user entities on the contact lists prepared by the Commercial Service.  Mr. Lutz noted that, "The Commercial Service was extremely fast in getting us our information and was genuinely interested in our success. They took a deep interest in our vision to expand our distribution, and became immersed in learning our products, and kept us informed daily of their progress," Mr. Lutz added, “Teamwork is what this is all about.  They took it upon themselves to become an integral part of our Marketing Department’s efforts, and they were solely dedicated to our vision and goals.”  Due the positive results using this service to expand distribution, Mr. Lutz plans to use CS services to access other overseas markets.

McDavid Knee Guard, Inc., http://www.mcdavidinc.com/
On April 17, 2008, McDavid Knee Guard, Inc., of Woodridge, Illinois, received the 2008 Small Business Exporter of the Year award from the Export-Import Bank of the United States at Ex-Im Bank's annual conference in Washington, D.C. A maker of sports medical and protective apparel products, McDavid Knee Guard increased global sales under an Ex-Im Bank multibuyer export credit insurance policy more than three-fold from $1.8 million to $6 million between 2004 and 2007.

Acclaro, Inc., http://www.acclaroinc.com/
Acclaro, Inc., based in Schaumburg, Illinois, is a provider of marketing, design, and presentation services, and is a new client of the Commercial Service (CS) in Chicago and Hong Kong.  The company's president, Ryan St. John, contacted us in early August 2007, prior to a planned trip to Hong Kong in late August.  Trade Specialist Debra Rogers provided him a detailed overview of CS services, especially market research and the Gold Key Service, and set up a meeting for him with CS Hong Kong.  On August 29, Mr. St. John met with Commercial Specialist Alice Lai and Commercial Officer Jim Mayfield.  They provided him with contacts and introductions that resulted in Acclaro successfully incorporating and setting up a virtual office in Hong Kong through the virtual office company, HQ.  This office provides his company with a prime business  address and professional answering service in Hong Kong without the expense of maintaining a physical presence.  Ms. Rogers and Ms. Lai then set up a Gold Key service for Mr. St. John the following November in Hong Kong.  Ms. Lai set up a number of appointments for Mr. St. John, which companies that were interested in Acclaro's services.  As a result, Acclaro has signed agreements with two Hong Kong companies.  Under these agreements, Acclaro will make its production services and expertise in the area of email marketing campaigns and live event services for these Hong Kong companies to offer to their clients.  The Hong Kong companies do not have this expertise in-house, and the agreements will help both Acclaro and its new partners get new business. 

Elmhurst College http://public.elmhurst.edu/
Elmhurst College is a private educational institution located in suburban Chicago.  Since 2004, Elmhurst has accelerated efforts to increase the internationalization of its campus and thereby better prepare its students to thrive in a global society.  As part of these efforts, Elmhurst embarked on an int'l marketing campaign that has increased the international student population on its campus by 25%.  The college has even enrolled its first student from Zimbabwe. 

Gold Eagle Company   http://www.goldeagle.com
Gold Eagle Co. of Chicago, Illinois was presented an Export Achievement Certificate by Christopher A. Padilla, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, on January 31, 2008. Gold Eagle Co. is a manufacturer and distributor of aftermarket fluids and additives including branded engine performance and maintenance chemicals for the motor vehicle industry. They are an automotive client of International Trade Specialist Robin Mugford, Libertyville Export Assistance Center. Firm has been active in the global export arena for more than 60 years and in more than 65 countries.

A.J. Antunes & Company http://www.ajantunes.com
A.J. Antunes & Co. of Carol Stream, Illinois, a leading manufacturer of water filtration systems, electronic controls, countertop foodservice equipment, and air and gas pressure switches, was awarded an Export Achievement Certificate by U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary William G. Sutton on September 28, 2007. To successfully enter four new-to-market countries including India, Russia, Israel, and Ireland, Antunes Filtration Technologies worked directly with International Trade Specialist Robin Mugford, Libertyville Export Assistance Center.

W.S. Darley & Company http://www.edarley.com
On September 28, 2007, W. S. Darley President Paul Darley and his father Bill Darley were honored by U.S. Commerce Department Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services Admiral William Sutton with an Export Achievement Certificate for exporting to Panama. A/S Sutton presented the Certificate at the Panama Business Opportunities Conference organized by the World Trade Center Illinois. Founded in 1908, W.S. Darley & Co. has been dedicated to serving the world’s fire and emergency services. Corporate headquarters are located in Melrose Park, Illinois, and manufacturing, engineering and research and development operations are in Wisconsin, Iowa and Oregon. Darley builds fire trucks, manufactures fire pumps and sells fire fighting and emergency equipment through its international catalog. Their dealer and service network consists of over 200 U. S. distributors in all 50 states, with more than 50 international dealers active in over 75 countries. Approximately 30% of their sales are shipped internationally. Darley has exported to 108 countries in the last 3 years and currently has international offices in China, Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria. It has shipped over $10 million worth of product into China and recently received an order to build 5 fire trucks for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. W. S. Darley & Co. has been supplying apparatus, pumps and firefighting equipment to the US Federal Government as well as other governments and agencies around the world for over 60 years. W.S. Darley has been a long-time client of the U.S. Commercial Service and has received export assistance in Austria, China, Germany, Indonesia, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, and Vietnam. 

Cardinal Health http://www.cardinal.com/
Cardinal Health of Waukegan, Illinois a manufacturer and distributor of numerous medical products and supplies who also provides services to the pharmaceuticals industry, biotechnology developers and hospital/clinical laboratories. Mr. Vivek Bhargava, Regional General Manager of Cardinal's Latin American Division received an Export Achievement Certificate from Director General Israel Hernandez of The Commercial Service during a seminar entitled 'Business Opportunities for Northern Illinois: Expansion through Trade to New Markets' held in Schaumburg. Senior International Trade Specialist Thelma Young of The Commercial Service Chicago has worked closely with Cardinal's international division by assisting them in identifying new export markets, increase their presence in existing markets and conduct due diligence on current and potential distributors. Over the last ten years, Cardinal Health has been able to make decisions on hiring new distributors, maintaining current distributors, and profiling potential partners from the programs and services offered by the Chicago office. Cardinal Health used the Gold Key Service in Mexico to find a distributor to represent their respiratory products line that covered oxygen delivery and a wide variety of single patient use items for the mechanically ventilated patient. This helped them in making decisions regarding their distributor network in Mexico. As a result of this exercise, they have expanded their relationship with their current distributor and have increased their sales to the Mexican market. The firm requested the International Company Profile to perform due diligence on a potential distributor a medical equipment wholesaler that specialized in the cardiology sector in Mexico. The information in the report allowed them to appoint this firm as a distributor and to date export sales total $40,000.00 as a result of this business relationship.

Go2Call Software http://www.Go2Call.com/default.htm
Go2Call Software of Evanston, Illinois was the recipient of an Export Achievement Certificate on June 20, 2007 for its extensive accomplishments in the global marketplace. Director General of US Commercial Service Israel Hernandez presented John Nix, CEO of Go2Call Software, with the award at the NXTcomm show in Chicago, Illinois. Also present were Muna Farkouh of CS Amman, Ahmed Al-Khayyat of CS Riyadh and Julie Carducci of CS Chicago. Addressing attendees at NXTComm's International Business Development Panel, Mr. Nix said “the Commercial Service is the best use of my tax dollars, and it has helped us enter countries that would have been difficult for us to enter on our own.” Since 2002, Go2Call has been a frequent user of CS services, reporting successes using the Gold Key Matching Service in Saudi Arabia, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, the Philippines and the UAE. Commercial Service value-added support had a direct role in supporting Go2Call's exports to Jordan, India, Japan, Thailand and Singapore. Go2Call Software delivers a complete suite of hosted international VoIP solutions to providers worldwide. Go2Call Software's back-office solutions enable wireless carriers, broadband service providers, and licensed operators to sell differentiated VoIP services. Its customers both build brand equity in their own offerings, while dramatically reducing their time-to-market and capital expenditure. Customers have successfully used the platform to deliver more than a billion minutes over the past 8 years, and the company has built a reputation as a global leader in the development and delivery of these low cost, high quality, hosted VoIP solutions.

Cummins-Allison Corporation http://www.cumminsallison.com/default.htm
Cummins-Allison Corporation, headquartered in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, received an Export Achievement Certificate on May 11, 2007, for successful entry into the market of Poland. Ms. Julie Carducci, Director of the Commerical Service Chicago office and International Trade Specialist Ms. Monica Toporkiewicz presented the award to Chairmand William J. Jones. Cummins began exporting products to Poland in 2005 after identifying and appointing a new distributor utilizing the Commercial Service Gold Key Service.  “The assistance of the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center was important to our success in Poland” according to James Stearns, Cummins Executive VP of International Operations.   Cummins-Allison Corp. is a leading manufacturer of currency and coin processing equipment.  Banks, governments, retailers, armored carriers, casinos and others utilize Cummins products to count, sort and verify the authenticity of coin and paper currency throughout the world.  The Company is the only U.S. owned manufacturer of high-speed currency processing equipment.  In Poland, the Cummins JetScan™ currency processor has become the standard for currency processing because the U.S. built equipment can process Polish Zloty currency as well as other international currencies.  Cummins’ technology offers the best counterfeit detection capabilities for the Polish Zloty along with a user-friendly Polish language interface. All Cummins’ currency processing products are manufactured in United States.  The Company has over 50 factory-direct branch offices throughout the United States and Canada, as well as offices and distributors throughout the world.

MCJ, Inc. http://www.mcjeyecheck.com/
MCJ, Inc. of Rockford, Illinois was presented with an Export Achievement Certificate in Chicago on April 18, 2007.  The award was presented by the US Ambassador to Sweden Michael Wood; Senior Commercial Officer Catharina Kronstrom, US Commercial Service – Stockholm; U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of the Director General of the US & Foreign Commercial Service, Commercial Service Rockford's Patrick Hope.  MCJ manufactures a product that is a non-invasive method to test individuals for fatigue and/or drug use. It can also be used to replace any test that would previously have required the withdrawal of blood from a person. The product is currently in use by law enforcement and medical facilities in more than ten countries. The firm’s exports have grown from zero in 2004 to more than $7 million dollars in 2007. Last year, the firm worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce to locate a distributor for them in the Nordic Region. Commerce offices in Sweden and Denmark combined efforts to assist the firm and identified the right firm that has now signed a major agreement to represent MCJ in the Nordic marketplace.

Lake Land College http://www.lakeland.cc.il.us/
Lake Land College is a community college in Mattoon, Illinois, offering two-year associates degrees. Study Illinois was established in 2003 and currently has a membership of 40 Illinois educational institutions that pool their resources to market Illinois educational programs internationally.  In the summer of 2006, Ms. Lotz notified TS Rogers that she was planning a student recruitment trip to Kenya in May 2007, and would like to conduct a Gold Key Service (GKS) there.  TS Rogers set up the GKS with Commercial Specialist Tobias Otieno. He made four appointments for Ms. Lotz - two with agents and two with potential feeder schools.   As a result, Ms. Lotz signed a representation agreement with True North Career Map, a career consulting agency, and with Advisory Center for Overseas Education, an education consulting agency, both in Nairobi.  Through these agreements, she expects to begin receiving Kenyan students at Lake Land within the coming year.

A.J. Antunes & Co. http://www.ajantunes.com/
A.J. Antunes & Co. of Carol Stream, IL is a leading manufacturer of water filtration systems, electronic controls, countertop foodservice equipment and air and gas pressure switches.  The firm was recently awarded a U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Export Achievement Certificate for outstanding export market expansion.  Commerce Assistant Secretary William G. Sutton presented the certificate to the Antunes Filtration Technologies Division at a ceremony at the company’s Carol Stream headquarters and manufacturing plant.  "It is an honor to recognize Antunes Filtration Technologies with the Export Achievement Certificate,” said Commerce Assistant Secretary William G. Sutton.  “Companies such as A.J. Antunes & Co. represent the very best in American manufacturing, and their success underscores what our small to mid-sized businesses can accomplish when they realize and seize the opportunities of free trade.” To successfully enter four new-to-the-company markets – India, Russia, Israel and Ireland – with the company’s revolutionary point of entry ultra-filtration systems, Antunes Filtration Technologies worked directly with International Trade Specialist Robin Mugford and the DOC Export Assistance Center in Libertyville, Illinois. Glenn Bullock, President of A.J. Antunes & Co., accepted the award