By Clyde Sharpe
President of International Sales for Elasto Proxy
Earlier this year, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and Québec International launched SME Passport, an innovative program that provides the province’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the keys to unlock international markets. Québec-based businesses that earn an SME Passport receive $25,000 in expert consulting, including guidance on developing an export action plan. Partners for this comprehensive training and support program include National Bank, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation and its Export-Québec unit.
As the President of International Sales for Elasto Proxy, I am pleased to announce that our Boisbriand-based company has been selected to participate in this exclusive program. Of the 40 companies that applied for an SME Passport last June, only 15 were selected. As part of the application process, Elasto Proxy prepared and delivered a presentation describing our products and services, capacity and financial resources, and the commitment of our management team. With sales offices in Canada, the United States, and China, we also shared our current strategies for international growth.
The breakfast roundtable that I attended in July with Megan Beaulieu, Elasto Proxy’s Executive Support Specialist, also afforded our company with an opportunity to introduce itself and to share our goals for reaching new markets in Brazil and the Middle East. The next SME Passport event will allow us to elaborate upon our export action plan and gain feedback from experts such as Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, a network of management consultants that helps companies like ours pursue business opportunities both domestically and internationally.
For Elasto Proxy, meeting the needs of international markets is an important part of our long-term growth strategy. Although some SMEs have shed old mission statements in search of new opportunities, we plan to bring our values to the world stage. Listen to your customers – and to your suppliers. Define objectives. Collaborate to find solutions. Embrace innovation. These are the reasons we enjoy long-term relationships with our existing customers, and why we will find new ones both at home and abroad.
