Release:

SBA Georgia Announces FY 2020 State Trade Expansion Program
(STEP) Award

SBA Awards Georgia $162,488 to Expand Small Business Exporting

ATLANTA – U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that $162,488 has been awarded to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, which successfully competed for funding to support export growth among small businesses through SBA’s competitive State Trade Expansion Program (STEP).

“The SBA is committed to assisting small businesses to enter and prosper in the global marketplace,” said Loretta Greene, Associate Administrator for SBA’s Office of International Trade. “Through SBA’s STEP awards, states provide small businesses with the critical funding they need to thrive internationally while creating jobs and strengthening their communities.”

A total of 15,010 firms exported goods from Georgia in 2018. Of these, 13,195, or 87.9 percent, were small firms, which generated 26.4 percent of Georgia’s $37.6 billion in total exports.

“We are elated that Georgia’s Department of Economic Development will be working with STEP to support Georgia’s small business exporters,” said Terri Denison, SBA Georgia District Office Director. “We look forward to the collaboration.”

The opportunities for small businesses to grow by exporting are substantial, especially during this unprecedented time.  The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a paradigm shift to increased web-based sales and virtual trade missions to reach 95 percent of the world’s consumers located outside the United States. Exporting is an important way for U.S. businesses to grow revenue and diversify their customer base.

STEP is designed to help small businesses take advantage of these opportunities by increasing the number of small businesses that export, the value of their exports and the number of small businesses that explore significant new trade opportunities.  Expanding the base of small business exporters and streamlining the process is a key component of the Administration’s small business strategy. Since the creation of the STEP program 10 years ago, SBA has awarded approximately $157 million in grants to fund export opportunities to increase the footprint of small businesses in countries all over the world. 

The 2020 STEP awards will allow Georgia to assist their small businesses with the information and tools they need to succeed in export-related activities such as participating in foreign trade missions and foreign market sales trips, obtaining services provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, accessing expertise in designing international marketing campaigns and export trade show exhibits, participating in training workshops and more.

STEP awards are managed and provided at the local level by state government organizations. The program is managed at the national level by the SBA’s Office of International Trade (OIT). For more information about STEP program and other export resources provided by the SBA, visit the SBA’s business guide to exporting products.