BUSINESSMEN STRESS EXPORT ROLE

A number of products are being exported from Southeast Missouri to places around the world.

Agriculture products, automotive parts, video cassettes, magnets and cement are all on the list of exports to Canada, Mexico and overseas markets in Japan, China, South Africa, Europe, Asia and other nations, said Robert Frueh, director of the World Trade Center in St. Louis.

Frueh was in Cape Girardeau Monday to take part in the rededication of the Southeast Missouri State University's satellite center of the St. Louis World Trade Center as part of the university's 125th anniversary celebration for International Week. It was held in Glenn Auditorium of Robert A. Dempster Hall.

The satellite center was established in February 1995 and shares office space with the Small Business Development Center.

There is a lot more international trade in Southeast Missouri than people realize, said Frueh. The connection has opened trading opportunities for a number of area businesses and expanded their international potential.

The satellite office here is the fifth to be affiliated with the World Trade Center of St. Louis. Others are in Springfield, St. Peters, Jefferson County and downtown St. Louis.

The St. Louis Trade Center, which promotes international trade throughout Missouri and Southern Illinois, has helped businesses create more than $200 million of business in the two-state area -- up about $20 million from the previous year -- and has resulted in several hundred new jobs.

"Some of the new international trade dollars came in the Southeast Missouri area," said Frueh.

On hand for the ceremony were a number of St. Louis World Trade Center representatives; Southeast Missouri State University officials including Dr. Gerald McDougall, dean of the Donald L. Harrison College of Business, and Buz Sutherland, director of the SBDC at the university; Cape Girardeau city and chamber officials; and business people.

Following the dedication presentation, Frueh joined a four-man panel for a discussion of international business and its impact on the local economy. Other panel members were Kohta Fujiwara, president of Biokyowa at Cape Girardeau; Bruce Adaire, World Trade Center advisory board chairman; and Norman Thomas, an advisory board member with the St. Louis World Trade Center.

McDougall served as moderator.

Frueh explained that the satellite office here is linked to the center at St. Louis, providing information via a computer terminal to give users the latest business news and analysis of national financial data.

More than 300 trade centers around the globe are linked by a network featuring international trade services that allows local companies to review international trade leads under the headings of offers to buy, offers to sell and other opportunities.

The World Trade Center at St. Louis offers quarterly seminars for businesses in the Southeast Missouri area. Once a month a St. Louis center representative, Keith M. Hall, visits the office here.

Fujiwara, who became the local Biokyowa plant manager last year, reported on two expansions under way at the Cape Girardeau plant in Nash Road Industrial Park. The expansion to the plant producing swine and poultry supplements is expected to be completed in March. A new food supplement plant is scheduled for completion during the summer of 2000.

"Most of the food supplement will be exported," said Fujiwara.

Biokyowa located in the Cape Girardeau area because of the proximity of a swine market to the north and poultry market to the south.

"We have great transportation for brining in supplies and shipping out finished products," said Fujiwara, referring to Interstate 55, river traffic, air and rail facilities.

Biokyowa was one of the first major Japanese companies in Missouri, in 1982, said Fujiwara. The plant employs about 100 workers now and will increase that to about 180 with completions of the expansion and new plant.

Several other Japanese companies are in the state at Columbia, Mexico and Troy. They provide employment for more than 2,500 people.

Adaire, who was previously affiliated with Ralston-Purina, 7-Up, and Anheuser-Busch, is now with Gateway Diagnostic Part.

"I traveled extensively to other nations to establish markets," said Adaire, who visited South Africa and Egypt to establish 7-Up markets and was in China to promote Anheuser-Busch.

Anheuser-Busch is pushing a 50 percent market share for beer in the U.S., but about 30 to 40 percent of its products are in international markets.

"The foreign market is open for many items," said Thomas of Star Manufacturing Co., which produces food equipment such as hot dog steamers and boilers, nacho cheese warmers, popcorn machines and food display cabinets.

In some overseas cities, grocery stores serve hot dogs and sausages, said Thomas. "Many of our products are preparing those hot dogs and sausages."

During the seven years that Star has been marketing overseas, export sales have accounted for 15 to 20 percent of sales.

"When we go into a new country, we research it well," said Thomas. "We do our homework."