Adam Boltik, Program Manager — Department of Business and Economic Affairs — Office of International Commerce, Concord, NH

Summary

Testimony of Adam Boltik, Program Manager in the Office of International Commerce of the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA), addressed to Chair Shaheen and dated May 29, 2024. It describes the state's efforts to help small businesses expand international sales and states that New Hampshire exports have reached and surpassed $7 billion over the past three years. It reports that over 13 years the state received $2.9 million in State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) funds, which companies turned into more than $108 million in exports, a return of $37.66 per federal dollar. The testimony lists uses of STEP grants, an Export Accelerator program with partners including the SBA District Office, and the New Hampshire eGlobal Institute established through the Market Development Cooperator Program.

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         Adam Boltik, Program Manager
         Department of Business and Economic Affairs
         Office of International Commerce
         Concord, NH 03301

         Good morning, Chair Shaheen, and thank you for this opportunity to speak on the efforts of the State of New
         Hampshire to assist our state’s small businesses in accessing resources to expand international sales.

         For context, the importance of international trade to the New Hampshire economy cannot be overstated and
         the Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) is committed to ensuring our companies have the
         support and assistance they need to compete in the global marketplace. The State’s post-COVID-19 Economic
         Recovery and Expansion Strategy (ERES) includes focusing on opportunities available for companies
         expanding their reach in an international marketplace where we like to say, time and again, some 95% of the
         global consumers live.

         The increasing value of New Hampshire exports demonstrates this commitment. Over the past three years,
         exports have reached, and surpassed, $7 billion, indicating the need for products, equipment, and components
         made by New Hampshire companies is in great demand around the world. These record setting numbers
         demonstrate that the businesses of New Hampshire can identify and take advantage of opportunities abroad,
         but it may be more difficult for some to access international markets, establish a presence with key trade
         partners, and equip their businesses for success with such endeavors.

         While the rewards of going global can be lucrative, the risks of taking that first step into an international market
         cannot be ignored. Immediately, companies can be bogged down by regulations and rules impacting their
         products and services, bombarded by a wide range of sales channels and opportunities that may not be the
         right fit, or faced with uncertainty when it comes to receiving payment after a sale occurs. For small
         businesses, these are not small challenges.

         One of the most powerful tools BEA has in its international trade toolbox is the State Trade Expansion
         Program (STEP). With this funding, our office offers modest grants to companies preparing to enter global
         markets for the first time, and veteran exporters expanding their reach overseas. Over the past 13 years, New
         Hampshire has received $2.9 million in STEP funds, which our companies have turned into more than $108
         million in exports - representing a return of $37.66 in exports for every federal dollar invested.

         Since its inception, STEP funding has helped New Hampshire companies with hundreds of export-building
         activities.

         For example, companies have received STEP funding for a variety of uses, including redesigning packaging to
         meet changing regulations, getting innovative market research from the Department of Commerce’s Rural
         America’s Intelligence Service for Exporters, supporting small business participation at trade shows, ensuring
         payment from foreign buyers through Export-Import Bank of the United States credit insurance, and finding
         new partners and sales channels through the U.S. Commercial Service.

         The STEP funding has also enabled BEA to support educational programs or help us prepare training
         materials so that businesses are ready for what they may encounter. BEA is using recent rounds of funding to
         work with partners, including the SBA District Office, the U.S. Commercial Service, and the New Hampshire




100 North Main Street, Suite 100
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
603.271.2341
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Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC), for our Export Accelerator program, which begins next
month.

Training programs like these target companies that are just looking beyond the domestic market for the first
time or for companies that have been exporting for decades and who could use a refresher on the latest rules.
Another key BEA initiative in this area includes a partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s
International Trade Administration through the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP), which has
enabled BEA to establish the New Hampshire eGlobal Institute. This institute is meant to serve as a free
resource for New Hampshire companies to learn about the latest trends and opportunities in e-commerce, to
self-assess the readiness of their digital strategies, and most importantly to link them to other New Hampshire
companies that can help them in their efforts to grow their virtual sales presence to take advantage of growing
business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce markets.

The ability to export products, from maple syrup to India to aircraft parts to Germany, helps our companies
diversify their bottom line, offsetting challenges to the economy at home and abroad. Exporting is an
advantage enabling companies to grow, thrive, and prosper. Exporting helps these companies create jobs,
invest in infrastructure, withstand economic headwinds, and be competitive at home and abroad.
With the records we have set, we know that New Hampshire companies recognize these opportunities and are
taking advantage of them. Those records are the result of hard work and dedication from companies all over
the state of New Hampshire in every sector and of every size, and BEA is gratified to work with small
businesses, especially to make sure they have every opportunity to expand.

The success of New Hampshire exporters over the past decade is neither accidental nor happenstance. It
comes about because of longtime partnerships with agencies whose expertise and aligned commitment is a
model for other states. BEA is proud to be a partner with federal, state, and local agencies and entities that
share the same goals as we do: providing the best economic opportunities we can for everyone.

It would be harder for us to deliver what we do for New Hampshire businesses without the support of SBA’s
STEP funding and programs like the Department of Commerce’s MDCP. But it would be impossible to do it
without our partners. BEA has the capacity to bring partners together and from our recent record-setting export
to the strong return on investment of our STEP grants, these partnerships work.

Thank you for your time and the opportunity to testify. I am happy to take any questions.


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