SPOKANE – The Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hired Joseph Vogel as the first of two trade specialists for the Seattle export readiness center located in Tukwila. It hired Vern Jenkins as the first of two for the Spokane export readiness center located on the WSU Spokane campus.
The new export centers join a statewide network of 24 centers and 26 certified business advisors to provide small businesses with confidential, personal, in-depth advising services. The SBDC is a cooperative effort of Washington State University, other educational institutions, economic development organizations and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Vogel has 40 years of international business experience with emphasis on international market entry, export channel management, customer service and project management. His experience includes work in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa for emerging and established companies.
He has provided global market entry services to small and mid-sized firms; he helped many firms enter the Brazilian market. He taught a capstone course in international MBA programs and has been a guest speaker at government and corporate training programs.
Vogel holds a bachelor of arts in history from Indiana University, an MBA from Harvard Business School and a doctorate of business administration from Indiana University.
Jenkins brings a wealth of international trade experience to assist eastern Washington businesses to prepare for or expand their export capabilities. He has more than 15 years of international business experience in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India and Afghanistan. He speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.
His business ownership experience includes seven years as founder and CEO of Scentia International Inc., which provided onsite bilingual project management training and quality control consulting services to foreign nationals employed by American companies operating internationally. He has six years as CEO of Horizon International Consulting Ltd., registered in Hong Kong, providing onsite assessment and supplier qualification of potential Asia based joint venture partners, sourcing agents and key-component manufacturers for U.S. and European corporations entering or expanding business operations in China.
His time living abroad included experience as a program manager for a USAID project and also with the Institute of Diplomacy for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Afghanistan.
Jenkins earned a masters of international management at Whitworth College in 1995.
The SBDC export program is part of a statewide export initiative sponsored through a grant by Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board, which is administrated by the Washington Department of Commerce.
For more information on the mission and services of the SBDC visit the network website at: http://www.wsbdc.org.