ELEVATOR PITCH
An official member of the World Trade Centers Association, World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah) is a 501 (c)-6 non-profit organization that was founded in 2006 as the statewide voice of international business.WTC Utah’s mission is to lead Utah’s international business development and elevate Utah’s global status to promote prosperity and build economic resilience.
Miles Hansen President and CEO of WTC Utah
International business supports nearly one (1) in five (5) jobs in our state as 95% of consumers live outside of the United States. A wide range of Utah products – from chocolate to 3D printed antennas – can be found in 197 markets around the world.
WTC Utah supports this growth by pursuing three key objectives: 1) Empower Utah businesses to expand international sales to increase revenue and create jobs, 2) Attract foreign investment and facilitate international partnerships to fuel innovation and business development, and 3) Mobilize Team Utah’s international engagement to elevate Utah’s global status.
Many of WTC Utah’s programs, like Governor-led international trade missions, give local innovative companies an opportunity to make business connections in other countries while learning how to successfully expand into a new region.
Utah-based Optisys, a cutting-edge antenna design company, specializes in using 3D printing to create the industry’s lightest weight and smallest antennas – the backbone for next-generation 5G wireless data systems. WTC Utah programs have enabled Optysis to participate in two trade missions and an aerospace trade show to help the company position itself to expand significantly over the next five years, primarily into Asia, Europe and Mexico.
, 
Following WTC Utah’s Governor-led trade mission to Taiwan and South Korea, Janos Opra, Chief Business Officer of Optisys, stated, “The trade mission was essential for Optisys in meeting with customers, including a Vice President of Samsung Electronics, and having the backing of WTC Utah added legitimacy to our company. We’re excited to capitalize on the momentum generated on the trade mission to drive our growth in Asia and beyond.”
In September of 2019, the organization set out again on a Governor-led trade mission – this time to Hong Kong and Japan. Additionally, WTC Utah hosts multiple inbound trade delegations from countries such as Qatar and China to showcase the state’s business prowess first-hand.
Each year, WTC Utah leads dozens of innovative Utah companies to industry-specific trade shows around the world. Hand-selected to represent the state abroad, these high-potential companies are given the opportunity to take their innovative products to international markets and to attract investment. Focusing on aerospace and defense, advanced materials, biotech, advanced manufacturing and outdoor industries, these companies travel to the biggest trade shows in the world, including the Paris Air Show, OutDoor Germany, JEC Composites, and Bio Korea, to show the world what Utah has to offer.
To further assist Utah companies and enable them to travel abroad, WTC Utah also offers grants to small and medium-sized companies who are interested in exporting. These grants are made possible through generous contributions from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture.
An effort of this scale requires a lot of local lift. By engaging the public and private sector in support of Utah’s strongest industries, WTC Utah can leverage its unique position as a public-private partnership to provide strategic leadership that lifts local efforts to a global level. We work to mobilize an inclusive “Team Utah” approach in order to avoid duplicating resources and leveraging collective efforts towards Utah’s international objectives. Foreign investment activities will also thrive through this team approach, as the state works to attract investment to match foreign investors with opportunities in Utah.
As stewards with our partners of Utah’s global brand, WTC Utah will continue to be a strategic leader for elevating the state’s presence internationally.
