Small business owners and entrepreneurs are capitalizing on international trade opportunities with help from an export education program from the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC).

ExportGA is a program that supports businesses exporting on a small scale or that have the potential to begin exporting. Administered by the UGA SBDC’s International Trade Center, the program helps businesses identify profitable foreign markets, develop marketing strategies, understand international logistics and mitigate risks associated with exporting. Participants receive market research assistance from Terry College of Business interns and access to resources like the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. The group of students and business owners meets for class four times over 16 weeks.

“The most exciting part of the ExportGA program is seeing businesses gain new confidence,” says Darrel Hulsey, director of the UGA SBDC’s International Trade Center. “We’re not just giving them the knowledge—they’re leaving the program with a concrete plan for expanding their reach.”

According to state data, small businesses represent 98% of the state’s business landscape, and more than 1.3 million jobs in Georgia were directly linked to international trade as of 2023. Small- and medium-sized businesses comprised 88% of the 14,556 companies that exported goods from Georgia in 2022. The UGA SBDC, a unit of UGA Public Service and Outreach, supports small business growth and contributes to UGA’s positive economic effect on the state—an $8.4 billion impact in 2024.

“The companies participating in ExportGA are growing and expanding,” says Hulsey. “Given that growth and that desire to grow in a good climate like Georgia, many of these companies are saying, “OK, how can I broaden my horizons?’ Going international is a logical step to that.”

Experiential learning for students

Since ExportGA began in 1999, nearly 300 Terry College interns have participated in the program, providing key support to the participating companies while gaining real-world business experience. Students engage directly with business owners to provide targeted research to support their specific industries

Terry College student Malhar Sethia created data sets on export markets in 200 countries as an intern with DeLong’s Gizzards & Poultry Processing Equipment. A third-year management information systems and economics major, Sethia gained insight into how small businesses operate and how UGA supports them through outreach and resources. The internship not only helped him understand the value of consulting with purpose but also showed him how UGA plays a vital role in empowering small businesses statewide.

“I found the experience with ExportGA very rewarding, learning how deeply connected the global economy is—even in rural Georgia,” Sethia says. “I also felt like my work was contributing to the economy and making a difference.”

Businesses tap into new markets

Mary Murray, president and CEO of DeLong’s Gizzards & Poultry Processing Equipment near Macon, knew her company’s legacy was strong. Founded in 1943 by her grandfather, Horace DeLong, in Gainesville, it has grown into a respected name in the poultry processing machinery industry.

When DeLong’s lost its key employee overseeing international trade, Murray saw an opportunity to deepen her understanding of this critical aspect of the business. Thanks to a long-time partnership with UGA, she knew how to enhance her knowledge.

When Murray’s mother, Patricia DeLong, ran the company, she tapped into foreign markets in 1996 with the help of Dimitris Kloussiadis, an international business consultant with UGA. When Murray took over the company, she already knew the benefits of partnering with the SBDC and continued working closely with Kloussiadis.

“When the SBDC reached out about ExportGA, I thought, ‘Wow. This would really be an update for us,’ because it is hard to get that information when you don’t know,” says Murray.

Murray enrolled in ExportGA in 2021, and DeLong’s connected with a new customer in the Philippines months later.

Murray took part in the most recent ExportGA class to enhance her knowledge and to provide training for her son and nephew. She said the hands-on support provided by UGA’s international trade specialists was invaluable. Learning about foreign trade regulations and managing payment methods gave her team vital information on positioning DeLong’s for global growth.

“ExportGA gave us the tools and confidence to navigate the challenges of international trade,” Murray says. “They didn’t just tell us what to do; they showed us how to do it.”

In recent years, DeLong’s year-over-year increase in export revenue grew from 17% of its total sales in 2022 to 20% in 2024. Currently, the company sells to customers in 11 countries and, with guidance from the SBDC, is working with the U.S. Commercial Service to build on its relationships in Colombia and Mexico.

For Brandon Pelissero, owner of industrial chemical supplier EcoLink in Tucker, ExportGA represented the next step in his partnership with UGA. He sought the SBDC for a website audit in 2009, leading to website analytics work in 2016. The results encouraged Pelissero to take a closer look at the company’s plan to enter the global market, and he began working with Hulsey and the International Trade Center. Pelissero took the ExportGA class in 2023.

“The ExportGA program helped us identify important data points that determined what was missing in the international markets,” Pelissero says.

Profits from a special designation Pelissero learned about through the class covered expenses for the ExportGA class and the legal fees to establish the designation. Taking what he learned in the program, Pelissero established contacts in Mexico, Chile, Peru, Japan, and Canada. Ecolink grew its year-over-year export sales by 50% and capitalized on earnings to reinvest in Canadian-based websites it launched last summer in English and French.

“The class was instrumental in helping us clarify and focus our international strategy,” Pelissero says. “We had a remarkable return on investment with ExportGA.”