World Trade Center Arkansas Awarded $200,000 STEP Grant

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The World Trade Center Arkansas was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Small Business Administration through the State Trade Expansion Program to assist Arkansas’ eligible small business concerns with export expansion. This two-year grant commences Sept. 30 and ends Sept. 29, 2021.

The STEP program, implemented by the Small Business Administration in 2011, is a trade and export initiative with objectives to increase the number of small businesses that are exporting and to increase the value of exports for those small businesses that are currently exporting.

“This grant is crucial for small business concerns who want to expand export sales and explore new export markets,” said Dan Hendrix, president of the World Trade Center Arkansas. “STEP provides an opportunity for these small businesses to pursue these foreign markets through trade missions, trade shows and export training seminars, among others.”

About the World Trade Center Arkansas: The mission of the World Trade Center Arkansas is to grow trade and increase Arkansas exports by connecting Arkansas businesses to the world through international trade services. The center is part of the University of Arkansas Office of Economic Development and serves as the trade promotion arm for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3% of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.