Frequently Asked QuestionsHow many member investors does STEP currently have?
Currently, STEP has just over 420 members comprising of Regular and Associate members.
When STEP talks about exporting, what or where are they talking about?
STEP works with members assisting them in marketing their products or services anywhere outside the borders of Saskatchewan.
It has been mentioned of STEP’s desire to grow its member investor population. What is your target?
We remain committed to membership growth to the end of 2013 to be projected at 500 Regular Members and 200 Associate Members for a total membership of 700.
Who controls and/or leads STEP?
STEP as a private-public partnership has a fifteen (15) member Board of Directors which control all aspects of the Corporation. Twelve (12) members are elected member/companies from the Saskatchewan business community and three (3) are representatives of the Provincial Government.
With the new member investor price schedule, approximately what total revenue would be generated?
Less than 10% of STEP’s total operating budget comes from membership investment.
Why is STEP introducing a discounted Membership Investment for “new” members?
The answer is twofold: Becoming a successful exporter in global markets takes time, perseverance, and patience. It is about building relationships with national and international clients which doesn’t happen overnight and rarely within the first twelve months of joining STEP. Membership growth will, over a period of time, have a positive impact on revenue generation in all aspects of STEP’s business model including ancillary business endeavors.
Is STEP expanding its sector base?
We are looking to both the energy and mining industries as new opportunities for sector expansion.
You speak of a global communication strategy, how important is that?
We believe it is critical to the economic success of Saskatchewan. Our domestic wealth generation is directly related to our export capabilities. Not only will STEP with its new communication strategy be marketing STEP members nationally and internationally, we will also become part-time “Saskatchewan Ambassadors” for a broad cross-section of industries and agencies such as immigration, investment, and tourism just to name a few.
We are continually reminded of the uniqueness of STEP, please explain?
There are no other organizations in Canada like STEP. In many ways, we are fashioned after the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. For example, STEP members can access not only global market intelligence, they can also access customized Market Intelligence which is customized to their company’s’ needs. STEP completed over 300 Market Intelligence Reports in 2008 for no added cost. Information such as this traditionally costs thousands of dollars. This is but one example and there are many more including the 40+ yearly International Trade Missions we participate in or the 2000+ trade leads we passed along to STEP Members this past year.
How do I know if STEP can help my company in export markets?
It is simple. If STEP were to bring you a qualified lead, could you deliver a product or service? If you can answer that question with a yes, STEP can help you.
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