GOING GLOBAL: A Path to Growth in the New Decade

Stepping Out!

GOING GLOBAL: A Path to Growth in the New Decade

A light rain began to fall as eggs and sausages were being served on crisp white linen tablecloths in the cozy confines of the Albemarle Room at the Marriott Fairview Park. Coffee chatter was in abundance as executives gathered on April 21st to exchange perspectives on Going Global. Organized by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce International Business Council, the gathering was a local who’s who of international business experts, sharing anecdotes, tips and experience.

Executives from Tata Communications, ICF International, U.S. Export Assistance Center and other industry experts shared their experience and provided insight for critical preparation strategies.

The last time we checked China was an international destination, so we checked out the gathering and have the following summary.

Jeff Henry of HSBC opened the event, which drew a packed crowd (and it wasn’t just the scrambled eggs, prepared with chives and served with a potato-pepper-onion medley).

Here, Jeff stands with Michael Cavanaugh, Partner with Holland & Knight who gave a wide ranging introduction to the reasons why a firm would consider going beyond the physical borders. Preparation is the key, as in anything. Flexibility, understanding and sensitivity are paramount.

Also on the docket were Sudhakar Kesavan, CEO of ICF International, Dave Ryan, Executive VP of the Americans for Tata Communications and Larry Harding of High Street Partners.

Sudhakar stressed the critical importance of making international investment a prime strategy for forward-looking companies. Comparing the strategies of domestic and foreign investment, Sudhakar cautioned that the timeline for recouping investment—and making profit—is much longer than on the domestic front. Expect 18 to 26 months for a well-executed plan to bear fruit, much longer for a poorly-executed plan.

Tata Communications is a part of the mega conglomerate of companies that is owned by the Tata Group, a $70B empire that includes such brands as Jaguar, Land Rover, Tetley Tea, 8 O’Clock Coffee and the Taj Hotel chain. Dave was the first US employee hired for the communications arm and has been building the business of communications services for the past few years. Tata Communications is one of the largest providers of phone service, logging over 32 Billion Minutes of conversations on its phone networks. That’s a lot of chatter. Dave points out that the communications infrastructure and services serves a distributed, global market and is a key to keeping business going when volcanic eruptions rudely interrupt travel.

Bode Technologies, with expertise in DNA analysis and tracking, has experienced 400% growth in international business, according to Ed Huffine, VP of Humanitarian Services/International Business Development. Bode’s services are invaluable assisting the tracking missing persons in Argentina, Guatamala, Peru and other areas of the globe where tragedy too often occurs. Ed reminded the crowd that “America is 5% of the world’s population and the rest of the world is, well, 95% of the world’s population.” Lots of opportunities out there, in other words.

Michael, John Warren from HSBC and Ed join organizer Kim Weir from Research on Investment:

Other presentations emphasized the need for proper planning and organization structuring, with particular regard to tax planning. Bill Elliott, Director of International Tax for Cherry, Bekaert & Holland gave the essentials for building an international organization that can best leverage the complicated cross-border tax issues. Good pointers when exchange rates can fluctuate and capricious government policies (often in developing countries) can make repatriation of profits a painful process.

Bill Fanjoy, Director of the US Export Assistance Center gave an overview of USEACs role in making success stories of international business development. Under the Department of Commerce, Bill’s team dials into the local customs, markets and logistics, providing made-to-order support from offices all over the globe. We’ve used the Gold Key Service in Vietnam to dig deep and find great partners. The vetting process is impossible from 8,000 miles away. USEAC is right next door. Here, Bill stands with Nadim Malek, whose company Microsort helps couples with reproductive strategies.

Also on the docket were Sudhakar Kesavan, CEO of ICF International, Dave Ryan, Executive VP of the Americans for Tata Communications and Larry Harding of High Street Partners.
Sudhakar stressed the critical importance of making international investment a prime strategy for forward-looking companies. Comparing the strategies of domestic and foreign investment, Sudhakar cautioned that the timeline for recouping investment—and making profit—is much longer than on the domestic front. Expect 18 to 26 months for a well-executed plan to bear fruit, much longer for a poorly-executed plan.
Tata Communications is a part of the mega conglomerate of companies that is owned by the Tata Group, a $70B empire that includes such brands as Jaguar, Land Rover, Tetley Tea, 8 O’Clock Coffee and the Taj Hotel chain. Dave was the first US employee hired for the communications arm and has been building the business of communications services for the past few years. Tata Communications is one of the largest providers of phone service, logging over 32 Billion Minutes of conversations on its phone networks. That’s a lot of chatter. Dave points out that the communications infrastructure and services serves a distributed, global market and is a key to keeping business going when volcanic eruptions rudely interrupt travel.

Leigh Basha of Holland & Knight, a founder of the IBC graced the room and classes up any photograph. Leigh does a fair amount of travel herself, advancing the cause of international legal support for her clients. She is soon on her way to Spain, Paris, Michigan and a couple of other places I didn’t catch.

Aside from all the good advice and exchange, I met a product certification expert for the Mexican market, which is right in line with things we do on a day-to-day basis. He’ll be joining us to speak to an industry event next week. Perfect timing.

Happy connections happen all the time.

You just have to Step Out.

Mike Violette
VP Maryland-China Business Council