Norfolk announces first ExporTech graduates

Five companies in Hampton Roads became the first gradates of Norfolk’s ExportTech program on Tuesday.

ExporTech is a national export technical assistance program that helps manufacturers develop and implement an international growth strategy.

Norfolk is the first city in Virginia to offer the 10-week program, where executives from companies develop an export plan into a specific marketplace. In June, the companies will measure their progress according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Norfolk’s ExporTech pilot program was lead by the city’s Department of Development and included support from Old Dominion University, Virginia Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), U.S. Department of Commerce, the Port of Virginia and GenEDGE Alliance.

The federal program began in 2007. More than 700 manufacturers have graduated from programs in 30 states.

The graduates of Norfolk’s program include:

Descal-A-Matic: (Norfolk)  Descal-A-Matic provides a nonchemical, environmentally friendly technology for protecting water systems from dissolved mineral scale and corrosion.

Grandwatt Electric: (Suffolk) Grandwatt Electric is a global manufacturer of diesel-powered portable light towers and diesel- and natural gas-powered commercial and industrial generators.

MissionMobility: (Chesapeake) MissionMobility was pertinent to the invention of edge tactical networking. Today, the company offers mobile communications systems and mission critical solutions.

Netarus: : (Norfolk) Netarus has been developing the latest wireless, video and sensor technology since 2012; introducing that technology to the marine, industrial, transportation and construction industries in order to improve safety and productivity.

Paramount Sleep: (Norfolk) Paramount Sleep is an 80-year-old, family-owned mattress manufacturer whose mattress brands are sold throughout the U.S. and in select countries overseas.  

Norfolk’s Department of Development has expanded its push to help companies expand international sales. The city  is offering a Global Initiatives Fund, which provides loans to companies that want to enter or expand into the global marketplace.