Global Business Resource Center receives federal grant, benefits Wisconsin companies
Released: June 10, 2004
For an unprecedented fourth year in a row, the Global Business Resource Center (GBRC) at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater received a federal International Education grant of $173,000 to support its work in assisting the international business needs of Southeastern Wisconsin.
Since its inception in 1999, the GBRC has conducted more than 50 global market research projects for area companies. A variety of companies have reaped the benefits of the GBRC’s services and relied on these projects to make critical decisions regarding their global markets. Examples include Spacesaver Corp. out of Fort Atkinson and Lab Safety in Janesville. Urban Processing, a cranberry producer out of Wisconsin Rapids, received help when the company began looking around the world to expand its market. When Japan emerged as a “hot spot” for the healthy product, UW-Whitewater students assisted in developing an extensive research report for the company, which has led to potential Japanese buyers.
“That’s our job ú to make small and medium-sized businesses into world-class ones,” says GBRC Director Choton Basu. “We help companies develop the export potential of their product.” Other successful projects over the years have included marketing a hepatitis B vaccine to India and Russia, potato seed to Saudi Arabia and cattle production in China.
Besides funding international outreach, the two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education also pays for internal development of international programs within the university. The center organizes seminars on current world topics such as NAFTA and European Union expansion. It also supports Study Abroad trips for students to foreign countries and workshops for faculty.
“The rationale is to enable students and faculty to bring back exposure from such experiences and inject their knowledge and enthusiasm into the curriculum,” said Basu.
The center offers one-day continuing education courses for businesses and students to learn the tools necessary for conducting international business. Topics include global manufacturing, e-business and global marketing, all aimed at benefiting southeastern Wisconsin.
In the future, Basu says the GBRC will strive to become self-supporting, perhaps setting up a consortium where companies would pay a flat fee for access to a data base and research information gathered by the GBRC. He anticipates that a network can be created in which companies could learn from each other about global markets.
For more information, contact the Global Business Resource Center at (262)751-1956 or email gbrc@uww.edu.
- Jane Provorse,provorsj@uww.edu
