Si Exporto Program Wraps Up: Empowering 25+ California Businesses to Go Global​

The University of San Diego’s Ahlers Center for International Business has concluded the Si Exporto Program, an applied export education and consulting initiative supporting 25+ small businesses in California to expand internationally. Participating companies represented a diverse set of industries ranging from health and beauty to cybersecurity to medical tourism.  The program delivered structured training in  international marketing, international sales,  international logistics, and global strategy by Knauss professors Richard Clark, Jaime Gomez and Eileen Daspro and  MBA alumni Ari Sacal.  In addition, the program provided paid international consulting opportunities for 10 Knauss international business students, who conducted supervised market research and internationalization plans for participating firms. This student consulting component aligned with workforce development objectives, enabling students to become Nasbite Certified Global Business Professionals (CGBPs) as a part of the initiative.

The program was supported by a $120,000 grant and implemented in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), State of California, and the World Trade Center Northern California, strengthening The Knauss School of Business and the Ahlers Center for Business support of trade education and export promotion in our state.