Zodiac Infotech: Opened an office in Cleveland, OHIO. A Transcription company in Cleveland with more than 100+ transcriptionist.

Zodiac Infotech: A back office solutions provider company opened their sales and marketig office in cleveland OHIO.

Cleveland, OH (PRWEB) August 1, 2004 -- On his mobile phone in an office in Israel, Danny Mayerfeld speaks highly of Cleveland and his company's prospects to grow its nascent U.S. business operations.

"I got a very positive impression from both the people I met and the atmosphere to do business in Cleveland," says Mayerfeld, marketing director for Sheletron Ltd., a small manufacturer of digital, multiscreen display systems. "I found people to be very straightforward in terms of advice. I was very impressed about how things worked out in general in Cleveland."

But Mayerfeld knows his business trip would not have been as successful without the service and assistance he received from World Trade Center Cleveland (WTCC).

Before arriving in Cleveland last spring, Mayerfeld called David Yen, executive director of the WTCC, to discuss business opportunities.

"Without much of an advance notice, David Yen was able to set up an appointment with the marketing director at The Cleveland Clinic and we were able to show our product," Mayerfeld says. "We recently installed one of our units at the clinic as a trial run and we're hoping that the hospital will become a major client for us." In addition to landing a locally based distributor, Sheletron is considering opening a sales and support office in Cleveland.

The WTCC staff works behind the scenes in its Terminal Tower office suite to attract foreign firms to Cleveland, while also helping local companies do business overseas. The World Trade Center Cleveland is part of a trade association of 300 trade centers globally that promote economic development in more than 100 countries.

"The World Trade Center means that Cleveland has a connection to the largest trade association in the world, which provides local companies with resources and access to global trade through exporting and importing," Yen says.

What many people may not realize, however, is that Ohio is a major player in the global economy. For example, Ohio exports totaled almost $30 billion last year, an increase of more than 7 percent from 2002, according to the Ohio Department of Development's International Trade Division. Nationally, exports jumped only 4 percent in 2003. Northeast Ohio companies account for an estimated 30 percent of Ohio's export total. What's more, Ohio is the sixth-largest exporter in the country.

"This export growth documents that Ohio and Northeast Ohio companies are major players in the world economy," Yen says. "But there are even greater opportunities because only 1 percent of small and mid-size companies are involved in exporting. If we could make a concentrated effort in our community even more than what we are doing now to bring new companies into international markets, think of what a significant impact that would have on our local economy. Most companies already have the capital equipment and personnel to get involved in exporting; it's just a matter of marketing and selling. The payoff is significant."

The largest export growth trends are in markets such as China, India, Israel, Italy, Thailand, Kuwait, Belgium, and Germany, according to the Ohio Department of Development International Trade Division.

Ohio exports to China, for example, grew 26 percent from 2002 to 2003, while exports to Kuwait skyrocketed by more than 50 percent, and exports to Italy and Israel increased by 34.5 percent and 21.3 percent, respectively. As they have been for many years, Canada and Mexico are Ohio's No. 1 and No. 2 export markets, respectively. Ohio's top exports include passenger vehicles, machinery, electrical machinery, plastics, optical and medical instruments, rubber, iron and steel products, glassware, and chemical products.

WTCC sponsors training programs to help Northeast Ohio companies capitalize on these growing foreign markets. For example, WTCC and CAMP Inc., a Northeast Ohio manufacturing advocate, offer seminars on selling products and services in China.

"China has cultural and economic peculiarities that make it a challenge for many local companies," Yen says. "But our programs are designed to help companies learn how to negotiate with the Chinese, how to use the art of persuasion to get what they are looking for. It's a little bit different for every culture, but it's very important for companies to understand these important things."

Ohio also imports about $37 billion in products from hundreds of countries. The Cleveland Customs district, which includes all of Ohio, Eastern Indiana, and Northern Kentucky, is the fifth-largest tariff producer in the United States, Yen says.

"That $37 billion import figure is part of what we use in our strategy to attract direct foreign investment to Northeast Ohio," Yen says. "If you look at what motivates foreign companies to invest in another region, it is demonstrated or potential sales, and we're buying $37 billion worth of products. That means foreign companies have a vested interest in our area. Our job at WTC is to encourage those foreign companies to use Cleveland as a launching pad for their North American operations."

WTCC was instrumental in convincing Zodiac InfoTech of India to open its North American headquarters in Cleveland earlier this year. Since the information technology company was founded in 2000 by a group of Indian engineers, businesspeople, and IT professionals, it has been marketing its products and services solely over the Internet. The company's U.S. business has grown rapidly and now serves 150 customers by providing services in medical transcription, data processing, and customized software development.

Zodiac founder and CEO Ashish Mehta realized his company needed a U.S. presence for customer support and to attract more clients. In addition to Ohio, Zodiac considered New Jersey, California, or Texas.

"Cleveland was the best option for us to establish our company and make it work," says Mehta, who opened an office in the Terminal Tower in April. "There were several reasons why we selected Cleveland. The WTC gave us a lot of good support. They helped us understand the local businesses, the economy, the average salary range, and the cost of living. They also helped us find potential clients and did some market research. Another big attraction is that Cleveland has large medical institutions as well as a lot of physician practices, so there is a lot of potential."

Within the next few months Zodiac plans to employ up to 10 people, and by this time next year the company may create as many as 50 sales and support jobs.

"If everything goes right, we plan to invest up to $1 million in Cleveland," Mehta says. "I love Cleveland, and everywhere I travel I tell people Cleveland is the best place to be. So far, nobody has laughed."

Through trade missions, the World Trade Center network, and other programs, Cleveland's WTC is constantly marketing the area to governments and companies around the world. Because the Cleveland area has many business and lifestyle strengths, Yen believes attracting foreign companies to open shop here is the low-hanging fruit.

"I think it would be much harder to attract a company from Indiana than a company from outside the U.S. because the foreign companies don't have negative perceptions of Cleveland," Yen says. "There's a lot of value here. I personally have found that some of the most articulate and most enthusiastic supporters of Cleveland come from people from the outside because they have the ability to put Cleveland into perspective."

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