​​By Sabrina D'Onofrio, CGBP, CBA​, Export Assistance Director

Beginning July 1, 2020, the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), or sometimes referred to as NAFTA 2.0, will replace the North America Free Trade Agreement, more commonly known as NAFTA. An agreement was made to modernize the 25-year-old agreement into a 21st century agreement with the highest standards.  

​​By Sabrina D'Onofrio, CGBP, CBA​, Export Assistance Director

More than 95 percent of the world’s population and two-thirds of the global purchasing power lies outside of America’s borders, yet less than 1 percent of the 30 million businesses in the United States export. Ohio is the ninth-largest exporting state in the United States, consistently ranking as one of the top 10 exporting states in the nation. This is something that, as the Director of the Export Assistance Network, I am very proud of and hope to continue to see Ohio stay within that top 10.

On May 3, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) created the Paycheck Protection Program Frequently Asked Questions document. This document contains more than 40 questions that business leaders may have regarding the PPP, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and more. The Toledo Small Business Development Center has laid out five questions you shouldn't miss from this document, and has created a spreadsheet, titled PPP Forgiveness Determination, to help you calculate the amount of money that can be forgiven by the PPP.

Yesterday, the Small Business Administration began to offer an advance of up to $10,000 on its Economic Injury Disaster Loan for businesses being disrupted by COVID-19. For businesses that are experiencing a temporary loss of revenue, funds should be made available within three working days of a successful application. The loan will not have to be repaid. You can apply for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance by clicking here.

By Sabrina D'Onofrio, Export Assistance Network Director

​The International Market Access Grant for Exporters is coming to a close this Friday, Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. The IMAGE Grant is a program funded through the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP). STEP is funded through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of International Trade. The SBA provides guidance on the IMAGE grant that offers financial assistance for small businesses to promote their products and services in international markets. The IMAGE grant will provide 50 percent reimbursement up to $10,000 per fiscal year for qualifying activities. 

On Feb. 6, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Toledo Small Business Development Center held the first-ever Drivers Ed class. The series was designed specifically for young professionals entering C-suite and ownership-level positions in their businesses, and focuses on teaching them to not just sustain the business model of previous generations, but to grow. The series continues on March 5 at 8 a.m. with Accounting for Fuel Efficiency at the University of Toledo's Nitschke Technology Commercialization Complex.

On Feb. 6 at 8 a.m. at the Toledo Club, the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, alongside the Toledo Small Business Development Center, will hold its first-ever Drivers Ed class. The class, part of a 10-course series, will challenge attendees to step into a new future in both their C-suite and ownership positions, as well as in their companies as a whole. Each class is built with one concept in mind: growth.

On Jan. 24, the graduating class of Export Success 2020 began its journey to create export plans, learn how to become masters in exporting abroad and/or fine tune their existing export process. The 10-session course, hosted by the Export Assistance Network at the Small Business Development Center at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Regional Growth Partnership, is characterized by dedicated student companies and seasoned mentors. Meet some of our mentors and learn how they can assist you in growing your business through exporting overseas:

​Recently the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Center for Regional Development at Bowling Green State University, launched the Toledo Region Data Center (TRDC), bringing a powerful and free-to-access library of resources to the Toledo region.