State awarded grant to boost exports

Nevada has been awarded a $239,318 federal grant to help Nevada companies build their export business.

Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki said the grant is under the Nevada Investment & Trade Revenue Opportunities strategic initiative - NITRO for short.

"The export business is one of the bright spots in the Nevada economy," he said.

He said many companies, especially smaller firms, would like to get into the export business but don't know whom to contact or how to do it.

"Now we have additional revenues to assist these companies," he said.

Krolicki made it clear the NITRO initiative is on a fast track, with the first deadline just a month away for companies to apply for grants under the Market Entry Program. That program will reimburse small businesses up to 50 percent of eligible costs for their international marketing. The minimum grant companies can apply for is $2,500 - meaning they would have to commit that much funding to international marketing themselves. The maximum is $12,500. Applications are due Dec. 1, and the governor's office will announce recipients Jan. 3.

Krolicki said there will be a statewide video-conference Nov. 15 to lay out the program.

The second program is a diplomatic luncheon in Las Vegas with consuls general representing different countries in May 2012.

In June 2012, a delegation from Nevada will go on a trade mission to Germany and Spain to meet with government officials there and set up business matchmaking meetings with renewable energy companies to take advantage of the worldwide interest in Nevada's solar and geothermal resources.

The final piece of the puzzle will be a governor's conference on exports and manufacturing set for September 2012 in Reno. He said any Nevada company is eligible to receive a grant under the program.

Applications and more detail can be found on the NITRO website, nitro.nv.gov, or the Office of Economic Development website, www.diversifynevada.com. The managers of the program are Alan Di Stefano and Brittany McLean at 800-336-1600.