Student News
Export Consortium Celebrates 10 Years Helping Companies, Helping Students
Partnership with Moore School international students is “win-win-win”
By Kara Anderson
This year, The South Carolina Export Consortium celebrates its 10th anniversary helping small- to medium-sized companies expand through new markets. Since 1997, The Export Consortium has helped over 1,000 companies in more than 50 industries increase their competitiveness in the global marketplace.
But there’s more to celebrate than the Consortium’s decade of client successes. While companies take advantage of the Consortium’s services and expertise, students in the International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) program at the Moore School of Business gain skills and career preparation through graduate assistantships.
In fact, the Consortium is rooted in the ideas and ambitions of one of these students, Michael Klein. He set up what was then an international trade office in the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce and soon after, The Export Consortium was launched as a nonprofit organization. The mission was to help companies become export- ready while building an infrastructure for exports in the state.
"Michael had this vision of tying together resources for the benefit of students and small- to medium-sized companies that often fall through the cracks of the economic development process," said Fred Monk, president of the Consortium. Monk joined the Consortium in late 1997 after working as business editor at The State newspaper in Columbia. “It was a tremendous idea that tapped into the talent of IMBA students, creating a ‘win-win-win’ situation for the students, the business school, and the Consortium’s clients,” he said.
As graduate assistants, the IMBA students get experience working with real companies, which is essential in preparing them for the business world. Yu Henry Xie, a 2001 graduate, says his assistantship “provided insights into the functions of small- and medium-sized firms in this state as well as their market, competitive position, and strategic consideration.” Xie is now in his second year as assistant professor of marketing and international business in the School of Business and Economics at the College of Charleston.
The Consortium has worked with close to 100 students, giving them this career-building opportunity that interconnects with the educational experience.
"This is the face of the University of South Carolina. These are extremely talented people; they do a tremendous job. The results have been great," said Monk.
Another element of the connectivity of the Moore School to the business community is the networking opportunities. Sonya Kosta Di Nova, a 1998 graduate, worked on projects and built connections with Transcon Trading Co. of Irmo, S.C,. through her assistantship. She is now president and CEO of the company and serves on the board of The Export Consortium.
"The most valuable aspect of working with the Consortium was making connections to the industry and being exposed to resources through projects," said Kosta Di Nova.
Giovanna Marciano said her assistantship at the Consortium provided her with essential skills to jump-start her career in New York City. Marciano graduated in 2003 in the Italian language track and is currently a marketing manager at Telecom Italia.
The contributions of the IMBA students help shape the future of the Consortium and its clients. The continuing concern is how to address the changing needs of businesses, and so by using the skills they are learning at the Moore School, students are able to recognize and fill new voids. By doing so, the Consortium is provided with a valuable resource it can rely on to continue to bring success to clients. And there couldn’t be a better resource to use than the people who are working to ultimately become the leaders of these companies.
Kara Anderson is a third-year public relations student in the College of Journalism and Mass
Communications, University of South Carolina. She is an intern at The Export Consortium.