Karen Mills, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, announced the fiscal year 2012 export funding for small businesses during a visit to Delkor Systems, Inc., an IDFA Gold Business Partner in Minneapolis, Minn. The funding is part of the State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) Program, a three-year federal-state trade and export pilot partnership intended to increase the number of small businesses that export and boost the value of those exports.  

The STEP Program was authorized by the Small Business Act of 2010 for a three-year period and was funded at $30 million per year for the first two years. Delkor received STEP funding last year to expand its global network to South America and Mexico. As a result, the company expects to reach $1,500,000 in export sales to Mexico alone next year.

Minnesota Senators Al Franken (D) and Amy Klobuchar (D) also attended the announcement ceremony and joined Mills and Dale Andersen, Delkor president and CEO, for a tour of the plant.

For more information, contact John Kelly, IDFA manager of international affairs, at jkelly@idfa.org.

(L to R) Katie Clark, executive director of the Minnesota Trade Office; Administrator Karen Mills of the Small Business Administration; Dale Andersen, president and CEO of Delkor Systems; Senator Amy Klobuchar; and Senator Al Franken.