Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- The South Carolina Department of Commerce has received a $279,128 grant to help SC small businesses acquire export opportunities. This is the 2nd year the SC Department of Commerce was awarded a grant under this program, last year's amount was $202,669.
"We were excited to be involved in this program last year, and we look forward to doing so again. The export assistance grants have helped small businesses from across the state reach new markets around the globe," said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.
As a part of the State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) grant program from the U.S. Small Business Association, the SC Department of Commerce has helped 35 companies benefit from last year's grant, acquiring more than $1.6 million in export sales.
Like last year, the grant is one of many going out from the SBA, which is providing $30 million in grants to states, territories and the District of Columbia, to help increase exporting by small businesses during the next 12 months. The grants were authorized by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, under STEP
For small businesses interested in more information about the grant, please contact Anita Patel, international trade specialist for the S.C. Department of Commerce at 803-737-0247 or by e-mail at apatel@SCcommerce.com.