News Releases for September 2004
September 15, 2004
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Arrow-Tech Receives U.S. Commercial Service Award
Lt. Gov. Dalrymple, U.S. Commercial Services Officiate
WEST FARGO, N.D. - Lt. Governor Jack Dalrymple and Special Assistant for China Sean King of the U. S. Commercial Service today presented an Export Achievement award to Arrow-Tech, Inc., a manufacturer of high-tech equipment based in Rolla. Ron Disrud, an Engineer and head of sales for the company, accepted the award on behalf of Arrow-Tech during a North Dakota Trade Office seminar, Exporting to China: Opportunities for North Dakota. Dalrymple chairs the trade office advisory committee.
“Our trip to Taiwan and Japan earlier this year opened multiple doors for North Dakota manufacturers and agriculture producers,” Dalrymple said. “We’re seeking to expand North Dakota’s economy in as broad a market as we can.”
The Export Achievement Certificate was created by the U. S. Commercial Service, a part of the Department of Commerce, to recognize small and medium-sized business that successfully enter the international marketplace for the first time or successfully enter a new market.
Arrow-Tech started exporting directly to Taiwan after returning from a trade mission led by Dalrymple last March. Disrud has sold product to four individuals he met while in Taiwan, plus he received four additional orders from others as a result of that trip.
Arrow-Tech develops, manufactures and sells radiation detection devises, called dosimeters. Dosimeters have long been used in the medical field and are now widely used in the expanding homeland security market.
Before he left on the mission, Disrud and Arrow-Tech worked with the North Dakota Trade Office and U.S. Commercial Service. He was encouraged to use the Gold Key Matchmaking Service, which helps businesses assess market opportunities and meet potential importers. Due to the coordinated efforts of the North Dakota Trade Office and U.S. Commercial Service in Minneapolis and Taipei, Disrud had appointments with three Taiwanese companies scheduled before he left Rolla.
The interest in dosimeters from Asia continues. “I just had a call from a new dealer in Mainland China,” Disrud said. “We feel Beijing has the biggest potential of customers we have in the world and it’s a market we haven’t even touched yet.”
In addition to the awards presentation, Sean King, special assistant for China at U. S. Commercial Service’s Washington D.C. office, and Merry Shujuan Cao, Commercial Specialist with the U. S. Embassy in Beijing, spoke about exporting opportunities for North Dakota businesses in China.
Disrud said he would like to go to China next. His plan for that trip is to meet with the dealer who recently inquired about products, plus work with the North Dakota Trade Office and use the U.S. Commercial Service’s Gold Key Market service to set up appointments with more potential clients.
“Asia is one of those places difficult to describe and understand until you’ve actually experienced it,” he said. “After being in Taiwan and Japan, I’m fascinated. It’s a very comfortable place to be!”
The trade mission Disrud participated in last March was organized by Governor John Hoeven’s office and the North Dakota Trade Office in response to an invitation from Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO). Eleven North Dakota companies, selected for their potential to do business in Taiwan and Japan, made this trip. A trade mission is an effective way to increase exports expeditiously given government assistance to surmount trade barriers. There is also the ability to save time and money through the use of group and government rates when traveling on a trade mission.
For more information about Arrow-Tech visit their website at www.arrowtechinc.com.
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