The Center for Global Business Hosts Second Annual Export Management Bootcamp

The Center for Global Business (CGB) at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business hosted its second annual Export Management Bootcamp in Baltimore from April 20-21, 2018.

This intensive 2-day bootcamp in export management is designed to equip industry professionals with a solid foundation in global strategy, resources in export management, market analysis and tangible tools on how to move goods on the market for international export, the right way. The bootcamp brought together professionals working in Maryland companies seeking to begin exporting internationally or improve their export practices.

Session topics over the two-day covered market analysis, strategies for international distribution, terms of sale, reducing financial risk and trade barriers/free trade zones, logistics, IP protection, and export compliance.

Rebecca L. Bellinger, the executive director of the CGB, remarked that the program serves as the foundational export training program in the state of Maryland. “It provides companies with the framework they need to develop or improve their export programs. What’s more, it introduces companies to the state and federal resources they will access in the course of exporting. Not only does the program meet the goals of the center, but it serves the state’s mission of increasing the number of companies that export,” she said.

This year’s participants came from a range of industries, including food & beverage, technology consulting, and logistics. "This course is very impactful in helping me to better understand my job,” shared Terry Staton, bootcamp participant and Supply Chain Analyst II – Export at McCormick & Co., Inc. “The instructor was very knowledgeable and brought a lot of good examples to allow for greater understanding of the topics. This also made the class very interesting and relatable.”

The bootcamp’s five sessions were led by Gary Cohen, Clinical Professor of Logistics, Business & Public Policy at the Robert H. Smith School of Business and affiliated faculty member of the center. To complement the five sessions, the center partnered with guest speakers from the Maryland Department of Commerce, the U.S. Export Assistance Center Baltimore, and the Maryland/D.C. District Export Council. In the evening of the first day of the bootcamp, participants were invited to attend a networking event to celebrate the export community in Maryland and the region.

“It was truly an honor for me to deliver this program for a second year,” Cohen said. “My hope is that class participants leave with an awareness and knowledge of the resources available, strategies, efficiencies, and risks involved so that they are successful at exporting and selling overseas.”

The CGB is the driver of global mindset and international business education at the Smith School. It hosts one of the 17 Title VI Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). The center's mission is to connect the diverse members of the Smith School community (students, faculty, staff, and alumni) to the world and the world to the Smith School, to provide these members and partners with opportunities to gain global mindset and build international business skills. It also serves as a Maryland resource center for companies seeking to take their goods and services into the global marketplace.

This program was funded in part by CIBER, a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Learn more about the annual Export Management Bootcamp, and contact us via email at CIBER@rhsmith.umd.edu.