Rogers Testimony

Summary

Written testimony of Lisa Rogers, Vice President of Operations at Vibrac Precision Test Systems, for a field hearing of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship titled Small Business Opportunities: Accessing Resources to Expand International Sales, dated April 23, 2024. The testimony describes Vibrac as a precision torque testing equipment maker in Manchester and states that its international sales have been over 45% over the past year and a half. It credits market research, U.S. Commercial Services, the SBA, STEP grants, the Trade Winds program and international tradeshows with its export growth, and reports 71% growth over the same period last year and 8 new jobs in the past year and a half. It closes by describing the value of training, trade missions and guidance on due diligence, intellectual property and getting paid for small exporters.

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                            Testimony of Witness Lisa Rogers

                             Vibrac Precision Test Systems

                                   Field Hearing for the

             Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship:

  Small Business Opportunities: Accessing Resources to Expand International Sales

                                      April 23, 2024



Good morning and thank you for the opportunity to speak today on this important topic. My
name is Lisa Rogers and I am Vice President of Operations at Vibrac, a precision test
equipment company celebrating its 64th year. Located in Manchester, our company
designs and manufactures custom precision torque testing systems to an array of
industries, notably aerospace, defense, consumer product, and automotive industries. We
count among our strong customers NASA, the US Navy, Raytheon, Lockheed-Martin,
Honeywell, BAE, PepsiCo, Becton Dickinson and Procter & Gamble, among others. I have
almost 17 years of experience in exports while at Vibrac. I am a newly elected member of
the Granite State District Export Council as well.

Looking at a snapshot of sales for the past year and a half, our international sales have
been over 45%. While we have enjoyed exporting our products internationally over the past
60+ years, the available markets and customers have increased dramatically. New
international business partners, in the form of distributors and the acquisition of Vibrac
Europe in the U.K. and now an office in Barcelona, has allowed us to further expand
potential for new sales as well as ability to provide after-sales service to our customers.
Key drivers in our export growth recently can be attributed to research of the markets and
territories we wanted to target globally (focusing on a microeconomic approach), working
closely with U.S. Commercial Services on opportunities and avenues for exploration, the
SBA, STEP grants, the Trade Winds program through the International Trade Association or
the ITA), and even the Country Commerce Guides found on ITA. Attendance at
international tradeshows and missions such as DSEI Japan and DSEI London, the Paris Air
Show, and a Trade Winds event and matchmaker in Bangkok, Thailand last year have
propelled us in front of new audiences and compatible technologies. These accelerators
have had a significant impact on our small company. We are already at 71% growth from
this same period last year.

It is important to note here that with growth supported by export, small businesses can
increase not only their profits but opportunities for investment. Such growth will also
inevitably require adding new jobs to meet the demand. Vibrac has added 8 new jobs in the
past year and a half. Adding new orders to our production schedule requires us to source
and vet new suppliers. As a result, when Vibrac grows, our suppliers can grow. When our
local economies grow, we stimulate further interest in how we have achieved this and
share that knowledge with other small businesses seeking the same.

Knowledge of and utilization of some of the resources that I mentioned earlier provides
much-needed support in the forms of training, available trade missions, and possible
financial assistance. Especially, vital information on how to perform due diligence on
potential international customers, protecting intellectual property, navigating foreign trade
policy and regulations, and how to make sure you get paid, all aid small businesses in their
ability to export successfully.

I am continually learning of new resources that I can share internally and with our offices
overseas so that we may continue our growth. The world needs our expertise. They need
our exports.


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