SteelMaster Buildings has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures to more than 40,000 customers across 50 countries and seven continents.
(prHWY.com) October 21, 2011 - Virginia Beach, VA -- For 29 years, SteelMaster Buildings has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures to more than 40,000 customers across 50 countries and seven continents. But it wasn't until the last five years that the company began exploring opportunities to export its product internationally in earnest.
SteelMaster's motivation for pursing export sales has been to secure the continuous growth of its business in a highly competitive domestic marketplace. Recognizing that 95 percent of the world's consumers live outside of the U.S., SteelMaster Buildings began to develop a focused and structured international sales strategy. In less than 5 years, SteelMaster Buildings has been able to expand its distributor network from representation in 4 countries to currently over 50 countries represented. Distributors in countries such as Romania, South Sudan, Nigeria, Chile, Peru, and Costa Rica work to promote our products, drive sales, provide in-country customer service and offer technical assistance to overseas customers. International sales have become an essential revenue engine for SteelMaster.
SteelMaster's success in exporting began after reaching out to governmental resources including the SBA, Virginia Export Development Partnership (VEDP), Export-Import Bank, and U.S. Commercial Services. SteelMaster Vice President Rob Poellnitz acknowledges these organizations for guiding the company through its foray into the global marketplace when the domestic market became saturated by competition and the U.S. dollar weakened. "Initially, we applied for a VEDP-sponsored grant that was available for companies that wanted to expand internationally," says Poellnitz. "It really opened our eyes to what was out there, and we learned a lot from experiences shared by similarly positioned companies. It also helped us develop confidence."
In January 2011, SteelMaster was awarded the UPS Growth through Global Trade Award which recognizes the company as the top U.S. business with fewer than 500 employees that most effectively exports to international markets. UPS created the award in 2010 while conducting a series of export seminars targeting small-and medium-sized businesses established to encourage participation in President Barack Obama's National Export Initiative (NEI) to double U.S. exports by 2015 - an increase that will support two million jobs in America.
"SteelMaster Buildings was a clear stand-out for the Growth through Global Trade Award," says Dale Hayes, vice president, UPS small business and retail marketing. "SteelMaster understands the true economic impact of exporting and has smartly grown its business overseas through selling directly to customers and by developing a robust network of distributors."
SteelMaster Buildings has again achieved national recognition by being selected as one of the five finalists in the Small Business Administration (SBA) Export Video Contest. The contest, presented in partnership with Visa and President Obama's National Export Initiative, recognizes successful small business exporters and helps get spread information about federal tools available to help U.S. exporters into new markets to grow their companies.
The contest is now open for public voting and the overall winner is determined by the number of votes recorded on the SBA's Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.
There are two different ways for the public to vote : Voters can "Like" SteelMaster's video on the SBA Facebook Page by
clicking here.
Or they can "Like" (thumbs up) SteelMaster's video on YouTube by
clicking here. Voting closes at 12 Noon (Eastern) on October 28, 2011. Only votes cast through the SBA pages will be counted.
Poellnitz says he was heartened by the recognition from UPS and the SBA that SteelMaster is making positive strides on an international scale and anticipates more good things to come. "Every day brings a new challenge whether it is a language barrier or cultural understanding," says Poellnitz. "There is never a dull moment as we expand our reach around the globe. We at SteelMaster are truly honored to be recognized as the recipient of these awards."
For additional information on SteelMaster Buildings, visit
www.SteelMasterUSA.com.
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