South Carolina Firm’s First Export Sale Saved U.S. Jobs
Lowcountry Pet Specialties’ owner Laurie Hagerman wanted to start exporting her firm’s MoBowl, a flexible water bowl for dogs, to Austria. The South Carolina-based company was new to exporting and sought advice from U.S. Commercial Service (CS) Charleston Director Phil Minard.
Phil counseled Lowcountry Pet Specialties on fundamental aspects of exporting, including export compliance, logistics, documentation, and financing. CS trade experts based in Europe also helped prepare the firm to export its products to Austria.
Lowcountry Pet Specialties succeeded in exporting its products to Austria, and the $75,000 sale had a significant positive impact on the firm as it prevented a layoff and protected local jobs.
“Our fulfillment center was able to prevent a layoff due to this Austrian order. The order provided 5-6 weeks employment while the fulfillment center’s other customer’s products became available for packaging… Again, we couldn’t have done this without the support from the Charleston office and other U.S. Commercial Service associates.” – Laurie Hagerman, President, Lowcountry Pet Specialties
Company Location: Johns Island, South Carolina
Company Website: www.lowcountrypetspecialties.com
Local CS Office: Charleston, South Carolina
Trade Specialist: Phil Minard – Phil.Minard@trade.gov
Service: International Partner Search, Export Counseling