Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Riyadh is the capital and commercial center of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry sends out an E-Newsletter several times a month which is free and a good source of business information from Saudi Arabia. The information provided by this chamber is regularly updated and educational. Each newsletter contains information on business events such as exhibitions, trade shows, seminars, and workshops, as well as current business news, tenders, and trade development opportunities. The extensive diversity of the information provided reflects an open-market climate and encouragement of foreign investment.

Some trade shows and conferences listed include: International Exhibition for Metallurgical Industries, Australia Shoe Fair, Russian Agricultural Exhibition, International Exhibition for Industrial Equipment, Energy and Water Trade Show, Scientific Conference of Medical Students, Scientific Symposium on AIDS, and Congress for the Advancement of Third World Pediatric Health Care.

Recent chamber events include: conference to welcome a delegation from the Republic of Kazakhstan, reception to welcome trade delegates from Djibouti, exhibition opportunities for employment and rehabilitation, medical delegation to meet group from Singapore, meeting of investors in the sports sector, meeting with a delegation of the British Council, and the signing of an agreement between the chamber and the Saudi Management Association.

Business opportunities are regularly published in the newsletter and archived on the website. The opportunities as on might guess seem to be mostly companies interested in entering the Saudi market. There are hundreds of these stored on the site and they make for interesting reading. Here are a few examples of these trade opportunities: Tunisian olive oil: www.tunisia-oliveoil.com; JIMO, a Portuguese refrigerator manufacturer: www.jimo.pt; Laboratorios Le Roy, Mexican manufacturer of medical instruments: www.leroy.com.mx; Agrocroatia Nova, Croatian producer of food additives: www.agrocroatianova.hr/; Hameed Brothers Colombo Ltd, Sri Lankian natural rubber products manufacturer; and Australian dairy cooperatives.

http://www.riyadhchamber.com/

State of California Global Energy Connection

The State of California Global Energy Connection was created by The California Energy Commission, under the Energy Technology Export Program as a database of contacts in the energy industry. The database includes engineering firms, manufacturers, contractors, lawyers, consultants, business intelligence and market research providers, management and development companies, and more, all providing their industry specialties covering everything from environmental permitting and site cleanups to LED traffic signal lamps.

One of the objectives of the database is to provide exposure for California's energy technologies to international business opportunities. In addition to the searchable directory, the site also provides information about California Energy Commission programs, energy related events, financing opportunities, and links to educational resources, industry associations, state and federal government contacts, private corporations, and international organizations.


Here is an example of a database entry:
-----
Global Tradelinks Corp. Golden State Natural Gas Systems
451 Pebble Beach Pl 1000 Lincoln Rd Ste H
Fullerton, CA 92835-2702 Yuba City, CA 95991-6598
Phone: 714-441-2280
Fax: 714-441-2281
E-mail: info@gtcorp.net
Top Official: Edward (Ted) J. Butteriss, President
Contact: E.J. Butteriss Contact: Kevin Weddle
Employees: 8
Year 1995
Annual <$5M Annual >$50M
Currently Export: Yes
Energy consultants with extensive electrical power and gas experience. Exporters of equipment for power, petrochemical, chemical and other industrial plant. Importers of equipment.
-------

http://www.globalenergyconnection.ca.gov/

Business Entity Searches

Most states offer an online database for registered business entities. Information typically provided includes the type of entity, date of filing, registered address, authorized representatives, county of filings, and previous names. Keywords can be searched to identify businesses whose names contain those keywords. Some databases offer advanced search options such as the ability to specify the type of entities searched (including corporations, limited liability companies, trademarks, trade-names, previous business names, foreign corporations, partnerships), options to search for both active and inactive businesses, searches by registered agent, and entity file number searches. These databases can be useful research tools and can also serve as a way to confirm validity and good standing of a business. Keep in mind that a company may be registered in different state from where it is located, or under a different name, so you may need to confirm the details.


Alabama Secretary of State Government Records Inquiry System
http://www.sos.alabama.gov/vb/inquiry/inquiry.aspx?area=Corporations

Alaska Department of Commerce Searchable Corporations Directory
https://myalaska.state.ak.us/business/soskb/CSearch.asp

Arizona Corporation Commission's Public Access System
http://starpas.azcc.gov

Arkansas Secretary of State Business and Commercial Services
http://www.sosweb.state.ar.us/corps/search_all.php

California Secretary of State Business Search
http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/

Colorado Secretary of State Business Division Records Search
http://www.sos.state.co.us/

Connecticut Secretary of State Business Filings Search
http://www.concord-sots.ct.gov

Delaware Secretary of State Division of Corporations Entity Search
https://delecorp.delaware.gov/tin/GINameSearch.jsp

District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Registered Organization Search
http://dcra.dc.gov

Florida Department of State Division of Corporations Business Entity Search
http://ccfcorp.dos.state.fl.us/corinam.html

Georgia Secretary of State Corporations Search
http://corp.sos.state.ga.us/corp/soskb/csearch.asp

Hawaii Department of Commerce Business Entity and Documents Search
http://hbe.ehawaii.gov/documents/search.html

Idaho Secretary of State Business Entity Search
http://www.accessidaho.org/public/sos/corp/search.html?ScriptForm.startstep=crit

Illinois Secretary of State Certificate of Good Standing Search
http://www.ilsos.gov/corporatellc/

Indiana Secretary of State Business Services Division Information Search
https://secure.in.gov/sos/bus_service/online_corps/name_search.aspx

Iowa Secretary of State Corporations Search
http://www.sos.state.ia.us/search/corp/%28S%28x2q4xxj4cmei2a45qcs2l1rn%29%29/corp_search.aspx

Kansas Business Center Business Entity Search Station
http://www.accesskansas.org/srv-corporations/index.do

Kentucky Secretary of State Business Search
http://apps.sos.ky.gov/business/obdb/%28S%28k003dhe1tgd5vfapnbmhnnex%29%29/default.aspx

Louisiana Secretary of States Corporations Search Database
http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/819/Default.aspx

Maine Secretary of State Bureau of Corporations, Elections, and Commissions Corporate Name Search
https://icrs.informe.org/nei-sos-icrs/ICRS?MainPage=x

Maryland Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation Records Search
http://sdatcert3.resiusa.org/UCC-Charter/CharterSearch_f.aspx

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division Corporation Database Search
http://corp.sec.state.ma.us/corp/corpsearch/corpsearchinput.asp

Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth Corporation Division Business Entity Search
http://www.dleg.state.mi.us/bcs_corp/sr_corp.asp

Minnesota Secretary of State Business Organizations Inquiry
http://da.sos.state.mn.us/minnesota/corp_inquiry-find.asp?:Norder_item_type_id=10&sm=7

Mississippi Secretary of State Business Entity Search
https://business.sos.state.ms.us/corp/soskb/csearch.asp

Missouri Secretary of State Business Entity Search
https://www.sos.mo.gov/BusinessEntity/soskb/csearch.asp

Montana Secretary of State Business Entity Search
https://app.mt.gov/bes/

Nebraska Secretary of State Corporation and Business Entity Searches
https://www.nebraska.gov/sos/corp/corpsearch.cgi

Nevada Secretary of State Business Entity Search
http://nvsos.gov/sosentitysearch/

New Hampshire Secretary of State Corporation Division Corporation Search
https://www.sos.nh.gov/corporate/soskb/csearch.asp

New Jersey Department of the Treasury Business Entity Name File
http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/revenue/searchfile.htm

New Mexico Public Regulation Commission Corporation Information Inquiry
http://www.nmprc.state.nm.us/cii.htm

New York Department of State Corporation & Business Entity Database
http://www.dos.state.ny.us/corps/bus_entity_search.html

North Carolina Secretary of State Corporation Name Search
http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/corporations/CSearch.aspx

North Dakota Secretary of State Business Records Search
https://secure.apps.state.nd.us/sc/busnsrch/busnSearch.htm

Ohio Secretary of State Business Filings Search
http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/portal/page?_pageid=35,58664,35_58678&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Oklahoma Secretary of State Business Entities Search
https://www.sooneraccess.state.ok.us/corp_inquiry/corp_inquiry-find.asp?:Norder_item_type_id=22&submit=submenu

Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division
http://egov.sos.state.or.us/br/pkg_web_name_srch_inq.login

Pennsylvania Department of State Searchable Corporations Database
https://www.corporations.state.pa.us/corp/soskb/csearch.asp?corpsNav=|

Rhode Island Secretary of State Entities Search
http://ucc.state.ri.us/CorpSearch/CorpSearchInput.asp

South Carolina Secretary of State Business Filings Database
http://www.scsos.com/Search%20Business%20Filings

South Dakota Secretary of State Corporations Search
http://apps.sd.gov/applications/st32cprs/soscorplookup.aspx

Tennessee Department of State Business Information Search
http://tnbear.tn.gov/Ecommerce/FilingSearch.aspx

Texas Secretary of State Taxable Entity Search
http://ecpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/Index.html

Utah Department of Commerce Business Entity Search
https://secure.utah.gov/bes/action

Vermont Secretary of State Corporation Database Individual Person Name Search
http://www.sec.state.vt.us/seek/corpbrow.htm

Virginia State Corporation Commission Clerk's Information System
http://www.scc.virginia.gov/clk/bussrch.aspx

Washington Secretary of State Corporations Registration Data Search
http://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/search.aspx

West Virginia Secretary of State Business Organization Information System
http://apps.sos.wv.gov/business/corporations/

Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions Corporate Registration Information System
https://www.wdfi.org/apps/CorpSearch/Search.aspx?

Wyoming Secretary of State Business Division Corporation Name Search
http://soswy.state.wy.us/Business/Business.aspx

Finding Ideas for Products to Export from the USA

Every day US products are exported to every corner of the world, adding up to hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods and services exported each year. Many of these exports are completed by small and medium-sized business. The US Department of Commerce estimates export revenues from SMEs in 2007 at $312 billion, up from $102.8 billion in 1992, with SMEs representing 30.2 percent of total exports in 2007. This growth is indicative of boundless opportunity for the international entrepreneur. Used vehicles, vitamins, lighting fixtures, specialty beverages, cosmetics, medical supplies, and construction equipment are a few possibilities among hundreds of thousands. Following are a few resources to identify US companies with export potential.

The US Commercial which is the export trade promotion unit of the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, produces Commercial News USA, a bimonthly publication promoting US goods and services for export. US companies with products and services meeting minimum US-content requirements are able to advertise in Commercial News USA.

The publication is sent around the world to readers in nearly every country. For anyone interested in identifying opportunities in international trade development, this magazine is an outstanding resource. Every business listed is interested trying to expand their export business and looking for new business partners. Electronic subscriptions are available for the United States, and both electronic and printed versions for anyone outside the USA. Past issue archives, and well as listings by industry are available on the US Commercial News website.

Another directory of US companies with export potential is The Export Yellow Pages, which is also produced in cooperation with the US Department of Commerce, through a partnership with Global Publishers LLC, a publisher of business directories based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Thomas Net provides an extensive listing of industrial suppliers in the US and Canada. Basic listings are offered for free, and the the directory contains hundreds of thousands of companies. Searches are efficient and user-friendly.

Kiva: Supporting Entrepreneurs Worldwide Through Microfinance

This blog aims to reach readers interested in the intersection of international business development and the entrepreneurial process. As such, some of you will be interested in learning about Kiva which provides a way for anyone that can spare $25.00 to participate directly in the growth of small business around the world.

There are many skilled, experienced, and hard-working entrepreneurs with opportunities to grow their businesses, but who have no access to reasonably priced financing. Most commercial banks must turn down such small loans simply because they would lose money on them. Such loans require a very high administrative cost and high risk relative to the amount of potential return for the lender. It normally makes more business sense for a lender to fund one large loan to a more stable borrower than to process a hundred small loans even if the smaller loans total up to a larger dollar amount. Regrettably, financial reason does not permit consideration of such measures as relative need, direct impact on a family, and equality in opportunity. The unfortunate but realistic result is that generally those who need money the most are the least likely to get it, and those that can prove that they need money the least are able to get money the easiest. The process of microfinance makes it possible for people without little or no collateral or credit to get access to fairly priced small value loans.

Kiva provides a platform for micro-lending that connects individual lenders and borrowers by compiling loan opportunities from well established microfinance institutions around the world. Users are able to research loan requests from entrepreneurs and small businesses around the world. The lender can see pictures of the borrowers, read about their lives and businesses, and understand their goals upon receiving their loan. Loans can be made for as little as $25.00, and the lender receives updates and reports about the impact of their loan.

Loans go directly to borrowers via Kiva's microfinance partner institutions. Thanks in part to the support of PayPal providing free payment processing, Kiva is able to give 100% of your loan directly to borrowers. Although it may seem that this type of loan would be very risky, the payback rate is actually very high. When your loan is paid back, you have the option to withdraw your money, or to give back through another loan. Please have a look at Kiva's website and consider lending.

Market Research Case Study: Export of US Made Pet Products

This posting shares some brief market research gathered online using easily accessible information. The goal is not to produce a comprehensive list of contacts, it's simply to provide a brief conjecture of readily acquirable information, with some actual examples and to discuss the process and methods used to find contacts which could be applied across other industries.

Pet products was chosen arbitrarily as a general industry focus, with the goal of gathering potential contacts for a hypothetical US supplier looking to grow its export business. The list of companies gathered is posted at the end of this entry. For companies looking to grow their US sales, or for foreign manufacturers interested in selling in the US, a good starting point is the Pet Industry Distributor's Association, online at http://www.pida.org. This list produced here was gathered without any experience or special knowledge of pet industry and without a particular focus within the industry. The list has been limited to companies with websites. There is a mix of distributors and retailers of pet products with varying specialties which have not been vetted or screened other than a brief glance at and quick assessment of their websites.

As a starting point we identified with a basic search a manufacturer of pet products that has already established an export network for their products, coming up with Chris Christensen Systems pet shampoo products. Their website contains a list of international distributors which were entered into a list to begin a database of contacts. From this list, each individual distributor listed was searched to find other sites where these same distributors are listed. Through this process of cross-referencing one can form a seemingly endless list of contacts. Naturally, the idea is to choose the more relevant companies for your particular needs and thereby find more companies that would fall into that same category of interest. To find producers of a similar product to yours you might try searching the World Wide Pet Industry Association's Pet Industry Resource Guide which has an extensive listing of product categories and corresponding companies listed.

Other places to check for company lists are corresponding industry trade shows and associations. Often their websites contain lists of exhibitors and members and links to other resources available to the public. Some examples of pet industry trade shows are Pet South America, Global Pet Expo, Zoo Russia, and Pet Fair Asia. Examples of industry trade associations are the American Pet Products Association, The Pet Industry Association of Australia, and and the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council.

According to your particular product and regional focus, there may be more specific resources. For example if the product being marketed were a line of aquarium lamps, and Australia was identified as a market that you wanted to pursue, you could start to focus in and find contacts by searching a keyword like aquarium through the Pet Industry Association of Australia online at http://www.piaa.net.au. For Great Britain, the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association has a database of importers, consultants, manufacturers and retailers at http://www.ornamentalfish.org/. If you wanted to focus on Japan you might try contacting the Japan Aquarium Fish Association http://www.jafa-net.org. Ornamental Fish International is an organization based in The Netherlands which has a membership directory that enables searches by country, online at http://www.ornamental-fish-int.org. Once you have identified some particular contacts that look promising, these can be cross-searched to find more companies that are similar.

Gathering potential contacts is not difficult. Real challenges and work come with knowing where to focus efforts, getting in touch, communicating the right information, following up, and developing relationships with time. For our hypothetical company working to export a US-made product, the US Department of Commerce US Commercial Service offers export assistance services. They have trade specialists that are available to assist with exporting, and also have market research available to registered users. As an example they have an article about Italy's pet products market, which even includes best product prospects for Italy: http://www.buyusa.gov/italy/en/pet.html.

With some analytical searching and thoughtful implementation of information readily available it may be possible to find potential business partners online on your own with a little time and effort. Here is the list that was created, and following it a customized search tool with related sites that might help find information for your specific topic within the pet industry.


Country   Company   Website
Australia   Pet Network   www.petnetwork.com.au
Australia   W.A. Show Pet Supplies   www.iinet.net.au/~wasps
Australia   Rudducks   www.rudducks.com.au
Australia   KADAC   www.kadac.com.au
Australia   Paddo Pets   www.paddopets.com.au
Austria   Dogstyle   www.dogstyle.at
Belgium   Transgroom   www.transgroom.com
Belgium   Impextraco   www.impextraco.com
Bosnia   Mambo   www.mambo.hr
Brazil   Pet Steps   www.petsteps.com.br
Brazil   Costasul   www.csul.com.b
Brazil   Elan Trade   www.elantrade.com.br
Canada   Ren's Pets Depot   www.renspets.com
Canada   Just Gifted   www.just-gifted.com
Canada   Naughty Dogge   www.naughtydogge.com
Canada   Leis Pet Distributing   www.leispet.com
Canada   Triton Animal Supplies   www.tritonanimal.com
Canada   Centaur VA Animal Health   www.centaurva.com
Canada   Hudson Sales Agency   www.hsapetsupplies.com
Chile   Fainvet   www.fainvet.cl
Chile   Polo Vet   www.polovet.cl
China   Bejing Artex International Trading   www.artexchina.com
China   Lucky Pet   www.hsapetsupplies.com
Colombia   Agro Camp   www.agrocampo.com.co
Czech Republic   Enigmatic Vittoria   www.evittoriamaltese.cz
Czech Republic   Profikosmetica   www.profikosmetika.cz
Denmark   Pit Stop for Pets   www.pitstoppets.dk
Denmark   Boxadan   www.boxadan.dk
England   North Pet   www.NorthernPet.com
Finland   Koiratarvike DIO   www.koiratarvikedio.fi
Finland   Paula Forsbacka TMI   www.forsbacka.biz
France   Chadog   www.chadog.fr
France   Jika   www.jika.fr
German   HandundPfote   www.handundpfote.com
Germany   Animonda   www.animonda.de
Germany   Beautiful Cats and Dogs   www.beautyfulcats.de
Greece   Dimitra & Eleni Agianni   www.petsfood.gr
Holand   OTSL   www.otsl.eu
Hungary   Vetri-Care   www.vetricare.hu
Ireland   Chanelle   www.chanellegroup.ie
Ireland   Glenkrag   www.glenkrag.com
Ireland   Christies Direct   www.christiesdirect.com
Israel   Professional Beauty for Pets   www.pet-beauty.com
Israel   Pet-Vet   www.pet-vet.co.il
Italy   Tibi Groom   www.tibigroom.com
Italy   Taku Botique   www.takuboutique.it
Italy   Vetefarma   www.vetefarma.com
Japan   Trihope Corp   www.dogs-sense.com
Japan   Daishin Corporation   www.daishincorp.com
Korea   Hubpet   www.daum.net
Korea   Pet Korea Co   www.petkorea.co.kr
Latvia   Dognet   www.dognet.pro
Lithuania   Kika   www.kika.lt
Malaysia   House of Groomers   www.houseofgroomers.com
Mexico   Moon's Aquariums   www.moonsaquariums.com.mx
Mexico   MAICO   www.maicodemexico.com.mx
Netherlands   Easy-Groom   www.easy-groom.com
New Zealand   Show Thyme   www.showthyme.co.nz
New Zealand   Brooklands V.I.P Pet Products   www.brooklands.co.nz
New Zealand   Petware   www.petware.co.nz
Norway   Hiawatha's Dog Supply   www.hiawatha.no
Norway   Paghanini Engros   www.paghanini.no
Norway   Hund-1   www.hund-1.no
Poland   Dog Cosmetics   www.dogcosmetics.pl
Russia   Mar's Performanse   www.marsperformance.ru
Scotland   D & V Supplies   www.dandv.co.uk
Singapore   Nilton Enterprises, LLC   www.nilton-enterprise.com.sg
South Africa   Smart Pet   www.smartpet.co.za
Spain   Hasi & Asha   www.hasiandasha.com
Spain   Healthy Pets   www.healthypets.es
Spain   Setter Bakio   www.setterbakio.com
Sweden   Magic Coat Power   www.coatpower.se
Sweden   Haromi AB   www.haromi.se
Sweden   Gibbon   www.gibbon.se
Switzerland   Espadon Shop   www.espadon-shop.ch
Turkey   Club Safari   www.clubsafari.com.tr
United Kingdom   Petcetera Etc.   www.petcetera.co.uk
United Kingdom   Vital Group   www.vital-group.co.uk
United Kingdom   National Veterinary Services   www.vetwholesaler.co.uk
United Kingdom   PP Enhancements   www.ppenhancements.co.uk
United Kingdom   Centaur Services   www.centaurweb.co.uk
United Kingdom   SPH Supplies   www.sphsupplies.co.uk

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San Diego Tijuana International Business Resources Search Engine

This customized search engine will search only carefully chosen sites related to international business in the San Diego-Tijuana region. Search keywords related to your specific topic of interest to find local organizations, contacts, events, and information. Thanks for giving it a try, and if you have sites that could be useful to include please suggest them.