130+ BC Businesses Have Benefited From Export Navigator Program So Far

October 23, 2017

BC – Since its launch one year ago, the Export Navigator pilot project has helped 136 small businesses in six B.C. regions grow their businesses through exports.

The Export Navigator pilot, which launched in the fall of 2016 and runs until March 31, 2018, is now reporting preliminary, fourth-quarter results that will be used to evaluate the pilot’s performance and help inform the future of the project.

Of the 136 companies currently participating in Export Navigator, 36 have advanced beyond the first stage of the program to become export-ready. The pilot identifies four stages of export-readiness.

Other preliminary, fourth-quarter data shows that businesses in the agrifoods sector represent more than one-third of participating companies (49). Other sectors represented in the pilot include manufacturing (27) and consumer goods (23).

Companies participating in the pilot have the opportunity to meet with trained export advisors who work with them through every stage of the process to become export-ready and help facilitate their entry into new markets. This unique opportunity allows small businesses and entrepreneurs to have one-on-one support to successfully grow their businesses through export.

Quick Facts:

  • Export Navigator is available in the following six B.C. regions: Cariboo, Comox Valley, Central Vancouver Island, Kootenay Boundary, North Okanagan and the Pacific Northwest.
  • The most popular opportunity markets identified by Export Navigator participants include: United States (28%); Canada, outside of B.C. (23%); the European Union and Europe (14%); and China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan (10%).
  • One-in-five jobs in Canada is generated through trade.
  • In 2016, British Columbia goods exported worldwide totalled $39 billion.
  • Small businesses make up 98% of all business in B.C. employ more than one million people, and provide 55% of all private-sector jobs in the province.
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