Members of the Ohio SBDC EAN at the 2024 SBDC Statewide Conference.
Export Assistance Network at YSU Wins 2 Awards
In addition, Mousa Kassis, Director of the EAN at YSU, won the 2024 Ohio SBDC Peer Recognition Collaboration Award from the Ohio Department of Development. He was nominated for the award due to his efforts in arranging the Vietnamese Delegation in October 2024 which consisted of 8 Vietnamese companies visiting Youngstown, Ohio. He formed a relationship with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry during a trade mission to Thailand and Vietnam in 2019. The EAN had issued a reciprocating invitation to VCCI and its members to visit Ohio. It provided the opportunity to local and regional companies to buy, sell, and/or partner through joint ventures with many Vietnamese companies among the delegation, as well as to network with VCCI officials to expand international sales to Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
To make the event a success, Kassis brought together local partners to participate, speak, and collaborate. Those organizations were as follows: Ohio SBDC Export Assistance Network at YSU, Youngstown State University, Williamson College of Business Administration, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, Lake to River Economic Development, Columbiana County Port Authority, Ohio SBDC Export Assistance Network at Columbus State Community College, Rickenbacker International Airport, Small Business Administration, Ohio Department of Development, City of Youngstown, City of Girard, and the Ohio Small Business Development Center at YSU. The Ohio SBDC Export Assistance Network at YSU provides export counseling to companies in 13 counties: Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Geauga, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, Trumbull, and Tuscarawas.