Carroll International Pivots to Gain Market Diversity
Carroll International, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business located in rural Tabor City, North Carolina, is a value-added reseller of security and information and communications technologies. The company was established in 2006 and until 2019 the primary sources of revenue were U.S. government contracting and the U.S. commercial market. As Carroll International considered adjusting its business model to include other streams of revenue, Company Founder and President Byron Carroll participated in the Veterans Institute for Procurement International Program (VIP International). Through this program Carroll was introduced to exporting as a pivotal means to accomplish his company’s objective.
A fellow veteran and member of the U.S. Commercial Service (CS) supporting the VIP International program spoke to Carroll and other veteran cadre members about the VetsGoGlobal initiative. The mission of VetsGoGlobal is to educate and inform the veteran business community on the exporting process and international business opportunities. After Carroll met with Senior International Trade Specialist Frances Selema from the U.S. Commercial Service Greensboro office, his team was able to develop an initial export strategy to support its goal of diversifying revenue streams. The first product that Carroll International took to the international market was the Ground to Air Radio, made by General Dynamics Mission Systems (GD-MS), and used primarily in air traffic control towers.
Carroll International utilized CS counseling and export education, and participated in multiple CS trade missions with STEP grant funding managed by the Small Business Administration. The firm was mentored by GD-MS through the Department of Defense’s Mentor Protégé Program for the past four years, and also took advantage of other state and local exporting resources, including the Small Business and Technology Development Center of North Carolina.
U.S. Commercial Service trade missions have offered Carroll International the opportunity to expand its global footprint, resulting in the firm’s ability to rapidly establish regional sales representatives throughout the Middle East and South America. “The trade missions for our company have assisted us with building an international network of partners which will help us achieve diversification,” Carroll said.
Since signing regional partners, Carroll International has developed websites in Arabic and Spanish to support its local growth strategy. Additionally, the company sought out website globalization counseling from the VetsGoGlobal Team. The team provided a top-down analysis of the company’s website and provided feedback sessions to help with the completion of website enhancements. Carroll stated, “We have overcome the fear of doing business abroad with knowledge provided by the U.S. Commercial Service Office in Greensboro and the VetsGoGlobal initiative.”
As a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business, Carroll International has utilized U.S. government resources to create pathways to diversify its sales channels. Carroll shared the following advice for veterans that are interested in exporting,
“Your first call should be to the U.S. Commercial Service. They are trusted advisors who will evaluate your business for exporting and will assist you with understanding the exporting process. International business can be exciting and lucrative; however, preparation is key to mission success.”
Company Location: Tabor City, N.C.
Company Website: www.carrollintl.com/
Local U.S. Commercial Service office: Greensboro, N.C.
Trade Specialist: Frances.Selema@trade.gov
Services: Export Counseling, Trade Missions