Business Assistance

Business Assistance A variety of resources are available in both the private and public sectors to help Northeast Ohio businesses establish a presence or expand their role in international commerce.

GCP Business Development

The GCP Business Development team works synergistically across all program areas and with our partners to assist businesses by:

Understanding the needs of the individual company and the industry segments in which our businesses operate from manufacturing to financial services to health care and everything in between;
Connecting your business to community resources at local, county, state and federal agencies;
Assisting with workforce challenges by leveraging the GCP's relationships with our recruitment and training experts;
Coordinating with our partners and affiliates, public and private, to create multi-faceted deal teams to address all your business needs;
Maximizing opportunities for our members! Your investment in the GCP allows us to provide direct investment in our programs and partners that are integral to your business success and our economic growth

SME Union

The SME Union is an umbrella business organization affiliated with the majority political party coalition in the European Parliament. Through its connections, the SME Union has access to almost 20 million small to mid-sized businesses across the 38 countries. In March 2009, SME Union opened its U.S. office at the Greater Cleveland Partnership. Directed by Dimitar Ivanov from Bulgaria, the office is working to establish new ties between small- to mid-sized companies in Europe and the U.S. For more information, call (216) 592-2212.

MAGNET World Trade Center

MAGNET’s World Trade Center Cleveland is a member of the world’s largest private international trade organization, the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), which serves more than 2,000,000 business clients worldwide through over 300 locations in 100 countries. The WTCA is non-political organization that promotes the facilitation of global business.

The Cleveland State University Nance College of Business Administration Global Business Center works to promote the region’s global competitiveness and expand the presence of Northeast Ohio’s entrepreneurs in the global market. The center utilizes the expertise of a cross-functional, interdisciplinary team of faculty, scholars and Advisory Board members to provide innovative international business education programs, research and related business services.

Northeast Ohio International Business Network

The International Network (Northeast Ohio International Business Network) was organized in 2005 by a group of experienced international business people to stimulate economic growth in Northeast Ohio through international business.

The Northeast Ohio Trade and Economic Consortium (NEOTEC) is a 10-county economic development partnership. Member counties include Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne. Its mission is to promote domestic trade, international trade and global competitiveness of the region and its businesses.

The Ohio Dept. of Development Global Markets Division is extending Ohio’s economic reach into the global marketplace. Ohio’s trade managers and 14 international offices—in Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Israel, South Africa, Hong Kong (China), Shanghai, (China), Beijing (China), Japan, India, and Australia—promote the exports of Ohio goods and services and work to solidify Ohio’s position as a premier location for investment.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service, is part of a global network of offices located in cities across the United States and at U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world. As one of over 100 domestic office of the U.S. Commercial Service, the U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC) of Northeast Ohio covers the exporting needs of companies in 28 counties. The Northeast Ohio USEAC handles an enormous client base, so the companies in our area gain international trade assistance from trade specialists at a centrally located Cleveland office and a satellite office in Akron, Ohio.