POWERING YOUR EXPORTS: A PROGRAM FOR MANUFACTURING AND TECH COMPANIES

If you are a manufacturing or technology company in Massachusetts, you should be connected to the global market. Learn the steps you can take to be among the many successful exporters who derive more revenue from outside the U.S. than from within it. Build export operations that are effective and compliant.
This program is about taking your sales and operations to the next level – we’ll discuss the steps to take for international expansion, implementation of export operations, and some of the potential pitfalls to avoid. We will also review the many government resources, including grants and other supports that are available to help supercharge your exports!

Speakers: Michelle L. Ouellette, Senior International Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce and Paula L. Murphy, Director, Mass Export Center

Presenter

Michelle Ouellette

Michelle L. Ouellette
Senior International Trade Specialist
U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. Commercial Service


Michelle Ouellette is a Senior International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Boston, Massachusetts. She has over 25 years of international trade development, sales and marketing experience with both public and private sector organizations. She currently serves as the Industry Focus Leader for Health Information Technology for the US Commercial Service’s Global Health Technologies Team. Michelle is also a member of the: Energy; Safety & Security and Aerospace & Defense Sector Teams for Commercial Service.

Michelle was formerly the Business Development Director for Sky-Skan Inc. in Nashua, NH (SBA’s NH Exporter of the Year 2010 and NH High Technology Council’s Product of the Year Award 2010); Deputy Director for the State of the New Hampshire's Office of International Commerce and International Trade Resource Center; and Market Research Manager for Curtis and NUBY Manufacturing Co. Inc. Jaffrey, NH.

Michelle is a past President of the New Hampshire International Trade Association and has served on several boards including: New Hampshire’s District Export Council, New Hampshire International Trade Advisory Committee, Software Association of New Hampshire and Touch The Future, Inc. a philanthropic arm of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center.

Michelle has a BS from Springfield College, a MBA from the University of Hartford, and a Paralegal Certificate from the University of New Hampshire. She is also a NASBITE International, Certified Global Business Professional and a Bronze Medal Award recipient from the U.S. Department of Commerce for Superior Federal Service.

Presenter

Paula Murphy

Paula Murphy, Director
Massachusetts Export Center

Paula Murphy is founding director of the Massachusetts Export Center, part of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network. She has over thirty years of international trade experience in both the public and private sectors. Paula helps exporters through technical assistance, training, research, and resource development. In addition, she has helped to organize several overseas marketing activities, such as trade shows and trade missions. Most recently, Paula launched the Export Center’s successful Compliance Alliance initiative, which provides a forum for exporting firms to share best practices and stay current on export regulatory compliance issues. On average, clients report over $200 Million in export sales as a direct result of the Massachusetts Export Center’s assistance each year.
In addition to her role at the Export Center, Paula taught graduate-level international marketing and export/import operations at Boston University for many years. Previously, she served as international trade counselor for the Commonwealth, and was an international marketing analyst with Hagan & Company, where she served as the New England agent for a number of foreign government agencies, including the Irish Trade Board (now Enterprise Ireland), the Australian Trade Commission and others.
Paula speaks and writes frequently on international trade matters. She has led the Massachusetts Export Center to receive numerous awards, including the national winner of the SBA’s Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award and the Presidential E Award – the highest honor the federal government can give to American people, firms or organizations that have made significant contributions to the increase of American exports. Paula is also a three-time recipient of the Massachusetts State Star award by the Association of Small Business Development Centers. She has served on the boards of several non-profit international trade organizations, including many years as national co-chair of the international trade committee for the Association of Small Business Development Centers. She currently serves on District Export Council of Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Suffolk University, a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP, and a Certified U.S. Export Compliance Officer (CUSECO).