DHL Launches International Trade Initiative For Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

DHL announced today that it has launched a comprehensive international trade initiative in the U.S. to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) overcome the challenges they face when performing business globally. DHL offers networking events, website resources, and a recently expanded U.S. operational network to help SME's take advantage of DHL's international expertise.

SME's are a dynamic and fast-growing part of the U.S. economy, employing tens of millions of workers and according to the U.S. Government creating the majority of new private sector jobs within the past 15 years.

As part of an overall effort to support this important driver of the economy, DHL this week kicks off its Business Across Borders event series in partnership with Inc., aimed at providing owners and executives of SME's expert industry information on conducting business globally. These events bring together DHL logistics experts and leaders from some of America's fastest-growing international companies to distill their expertise and equip SME leaders with the tools to grow their business internationally. The event series is interactive and includes panel discussions, extended question and answer sessions and networking opportunities.

"DHL is the ideal partner to help SME's survive and thrive in an increasingly global economy," said Christine Nashick, Vice President of Marketing for DHL Express. "Through our partnership with Inc., DHL can offer expertise from outside experts in international business as well as tap our own in-depth understanding of local markets based on unmatched worldwide coverage."

SME's can also access many new resources through DHL, including a dedicated small business portal and website - www.DHLsmallbusiness.com - that offers online tools, reference guides and special offers. The small business portal serves as a database for sharing knowledge, best practices and other topics of interest to SME business owners. Additionally, DHL's Business Across Borders e-newsletter in collaboration with Inc. provides shippers with the foundational knowledge needed to succeed in a global marketplace.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses located in rural areas often have difficulty accessing needed technology, transportation, and services, effectively creating barriers of entry for these businesses and making it more difficult for them to compete with urban small and large businesses. This year, DHL expanded its U.S. footprint in rural areas to make it more convenient for SME's to access its international shipping services. DHL has improved delivery transit times to nearly 1,700 more remote areas in the U.S. to enhance import services for these business shippers. Additionally, international shippers in hundreds of new areas will have access to DHL services for their exports.

Through its relationship with Retail Shipping Associates (RSA), DHL international express services are accessible at over 1,600 independently owned or franchised retail shipping center outlets that make up the DHL Authorized Shipping Center (DASC) network in the United States. These outlets also make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses to access DHL's global express delivery network.

"With accelerating globalization creating a level playing field, entrepreneurial companies in the U.S. are well-positioned to take full opportunity to enter new markets to grow their companies," said Bob LaPointe, President of Inc.

More information on DHL's Business Across Borders event series, including registration, is located at http://www.dhlsmallbusiness.com/usa/resources/events.shtml.

Events start this month in New York City on July 21, followed by Miami (July 27), Chicago (July 29), San Francisco (August 5), Houston (Aug. 18), Los Angeles (Aug. 19), Philadelphia (Sept. 15), Boston (Sept. 16), Dallas (Sept. 21), Seattle (Sept. 23), Chicago (Oct. 6), New York (Oct. 7), Atlanta (Oct 13) and San Diego (Oct. 14).