Big Ending to a remarkable Fiscal Year End

As one fiscal year ends another begins, our goal to go from “good to great” remains unchanged!
 
I announced last month that Trade Chile, based in Santiago, will be the latest in-market partner to provide resources and advice to STEP members through its Saskatchewan-focused trade ambassador network. Trade Chile is a privately owned firm that has done extensive trade development work with STEP and its members in the past.  This new In-market partnership will allow our members tap into the growing affluence and unique niche opportunities in this South American market. I am also looking to partner with other Chilean firms as a gateway to other free trade zones and markets that will further benefit our valuable STEP members.  This Chilean partnership will complement our other strategic ambassadors in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Manila. 
 
As we recently ended our fiscal year on March 31, 2007, our annual results were remarkable. We have surpassed all expected corporate targets. We provided almost 300 customized market intelligence reports for our members and over 2200 qualified trade leads. These along with 64
speaking engagement, hundreds of media hits and over 206 documented cases of Saskatchewan-based firms entering new markets because of STEP efforts, have provided the benchmark for our upcoming fiscal year. Perhaps the most remarkable metrics of all come from our members.  In another year end member survey, we note with pride that 97% of you would
recommend STEP to another exporter if they had not already joined us.  Based on these year-end metrics, STEP looks forward to another exciting new fiscal year to help take Saskatchewan’s best to the world.
 
I am especially excited about our recent 1 million budget increase for STEP’s nextrade™ finance

Organic Exporters Get a Boost

Saskatchewan’s expanding organic sector is getting a boost with the expansion of a successful financing program for exporters.
 
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food has provided STEP with a million dollars in targeted support for companies exporting organic or “natural” branded agricultural products through the nextrade™ finance program.
 
nextrade™ finance provides customized financing solutions for small and medium-sized exporters in Saskatchewan.  Basically the program gives companies the ability to grow larger by providing flexible financing to cover the costs of doing business abroad, such as added working capital required to fill a large export sale order. 
 
The program has been a huge success since its inception two years ago, creating a direct 18 million dollar impact on the Saskatchewan economy.  The new funding from Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food will allow nextrade™ finance to focus on one of its most rapid growth sectors. 
 
"The funding will allow STEP to further meet the demands of our organic sector, which has become a dominant area of past nextrade™ finance lending. Secondly, by creating this separate fund balance dedicated to sale of organics and natural products, this will create more room in the balance of the remaining nextrade™ finance fund to also serve increased demand from all other sectors," said STEP CEO Dale Botting.