Global Opportunities Oklahoma Helping Local Businesses Connect With Foreign Markets

It’s been about eight months since the state Department of Commerce launched a public-private effort to give Oklahoma small businesses increased access to international markets. The program is called Global Opportunities Oklahoma, or GO Oklahoma.

Last month, the SelectUSA Investment Summit brought potential trade partners from all over the world to DC. So, it made sense that some of those involved with GO Oklahoma went, too.

“I’m here to meet with foreign parties,” said Michael Carnuccio, COO of Thorberg Collectorate.

Carnuccio is one of the trade consultants contracted by the Commerce Department to help Oklahoma businesses get a foothold in foreign markets. His focus area is Europe.

“I would say the opportunity, there’s a lot of interest in Europe, especially Eastern Europe for partnerships with Oklahoma,” he said.

Carnuccio says the interest runs the gamut, from ag to armaments.

“Believe it or not, Europe really wants pecans,” Carnuccio said. “We get asked that quite a bit, and it, Oklahoma, we have some of those, but aerospace and defense right now, especially as you get into Eastern Europe.”

Launched last November, GO Oklahoma aims to improve Oklahoma’s economy by helping rural and small businesses develop trade relationships in Asia, Europe, Mexico, and Canada by providing things like market research, matchmaking services, and guidance in creating export plans. The services are free to qualifying businesses.

“Most states have a foreign office they’ve opened,” said Carnuccio. “Oklahoma decided, let’s just bring in brokers, consultants that can, with less dollars, more efficiently try to help us get contracts.”

Carnuccio says he’s currently working with a few dozen companies, one of which just signed a manufacturing and distribution contract with a company in Munich, Germany—a quick turnaround. “It would take 18 months to two years to really work through everything, so I think we’ve seen some success already in being able to speed up that time to market,” he said.

Carnuccio says the opening of a customs facility—the Global Transportation and Industrial Park, G-TIP, Ardmore—would be a true game-changer for Oklahoma businesses wanting to expand into international markets.