In this sagging economy, small businesses are forced to reduce costs
and look for ways to boost profits in the most affordable way possible.
The Minority Export Training Program (MET) at Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Wolfson Campus currently offers free training to small food and agri-business firms who are interested in export sales opportunities. Since 2003, more than 50 firms have taken advantage of the program and to date, are exporting more than $25 million in food and ornamental horticulture (domestic plants).
As an extension of MDC’s School of Business, the MET Program gives firms the resources to help them export such as identifying international marketing and sales opportunities and building cash flow to seize desirable opportunities. The MET Program is free to qualified participants through funding from the Southern United States Trade Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “This program opened the world to us literally,” said Courtenay Carr Russo, who co-owns Tropical Delights Daiquiris, Inc. in Kendall, along with her husband Bruce. “Before enrolling in MET, we were only exporting to the Bahamas and it was a crucial time in our business because we had just lost a very large customer and we weren’t really sure what to do in order to regain that revenue.”
Since their involvement in the export training program, Tropical Delight Daiquiris’ profits have more than doubled. They attribute much of their success to the MET program. “We needed to find a way to supplement our revenue and gain what we had lost,” said Carr Russo. “Because of this program, we’ve been able to get new customers throughout the Caribbean.”
For the Russo’s, having this free training at their fingertips came at the perfect time for a couple whose livelihood was at stake. “This course was a valuable resource,” said Bruce Russo. “We couldn’t afford to fly overseas, knock on doors and get paid.” In addition to Tropical Delight, other local businesses have shared the advantages of participating in the program. Among them, King’s Foliage Nursery in Homestead saw a 125% growth between 2004 and 2005, in sales to Canada, and the Produce Connection of Miami saw export revenue rise from $1.057million in 2005 to $3.397 million in 2007 after participating in the MET program.
Some of the basics taught during the four-month training program include market research designed specifically for food and agri-business firms, how to get sales leads, participate in trade shows and trade missions, how to access working capital loans, secure payment, insure receivables, and more.
“We’ve discovered that the size of your company doesn’t really matter when you’re seeking out new business,” said Russo. “If you have an honest relationship with your customers, if you have good communication, you provide premium products at very good prices, and you give them exceptional service, you’re going to gain their business and their trust,” said Bruce Russo.
He added, “That’s how it’s worked for us. As a little guy, because we’re involved in this program we don’t feel intimidated to do business oversees anymore. We’re still learning but we have so many places to go now to get questions answered and to find out information about potential companies that we feel that this program has given us a safety net with which to do business.”
For more information about the MET Program, contact: Steve Colyer, 305-237-7490 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Media contacts: Juan Mendieta, MDC director of communications, 305-237-7611, This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , or Tarnell Carroll, 305-237-3359, This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Tarnell I. Carroll
Media Relations Writer
Media Relations Department
Miami Dade College
300 N.E. 2nd Avenue, Bldg. 1, Room 350
Miami, Florida 33132
(305) 237-3359 - office
(305) 237-3228 - fax
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