With this episode, I’m going to introduce you to a company that offers products with such intriguing flavors as Rose Hip,  Chrysanthemum Honey, Ginger, and Cranberry .  The company is Koval Distillery, and I had a marvelous conversation with our distinguished guest, Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart, co-founder and President.

Prior to opening KOVAL Distillery, one of the largest fully independent and woman-owned craft distilleries in the US, she spent over a decade as a full professor in both the United States and Germany.  In 2008, she gave up tenure in hopes of a different quality of life; one that would afford an opportunity for her to work with her husband, give up commuting, and return to the city she loved: Chicago.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/dr-sonat-birnecker-hart-shares-koval-distillerys-remarkable-international-story

I hope you enjoy this episode. After you’ve listened, we would love to hear your thoughts and comments, which you can post in the comment section below.  We are also on LinkedIn and Facebook.

For more information about KOVAL Distillery, including information about tours, you can visit their website at:

https://www.koval-distillery.com/newsite/

Thank you to our wonderful sponsor of this podcast, Levy Commercial Realty, LLC, your long-term strategic real estate partner, from concept to completion. 

Let me tell you a story related to today’s podcast.  So, you are going along, watching your export business expand, and it’s very exciting. And you are very pleased with yourself. The time comes to meet with your tax advisor. He or she explains what you need to do and what options you have, and then it’s the end of the presentation.

Wait a minute? He or she never brings up the possibility of creating an IC-DISC?  It happens. But that’s okay, because you are going to listen to today’s guest, Amit Mathur, Co-Founding Partner of Quantitax, educate all of us about this beautiful, potential tax break known as the IC-DISC. And the next time you meet with your tax advisor, you will sound so darn smart!

You can listen to the episode here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/amit-mathur-shares-stories-about-the-beauty-of-embracing-the-ic-disc


For more information about Quantitax, here is a link to their website:

https://quantitax.com/

We want to thank our amazing sponsor, Rosenthal & Rosenthal. For more information, visit their website at:


https://www.rosenthalinc.com/

This episode is an Ohio manufacturing story.  We explore the global oil and gas industry from an insider who knows the ropes.  Our guest is Sandy Winans, Global Trade Compliance Manager for Altronic. 
 
You may not be familiar with Altronic if you are not connected with the industry, but they play an instrumental part (that’s a pun) in how pipelines run safely and efficiently. We speak with Sandy specifically about how Altronic, over the years, has contributed to improvements in the oil & gas industry that have benefited the environment.  It’s quite fascinating.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/sandy-winans-and-altronic-stories-of-innovative-ignition-for-the-global-oil-gas-industry
 
We would love for you to share your thoughts and comments below!

For more information about Altronic, you can visit their website here:

https://www.altronic-llc.com/

Thank you to our wonderful sponsor of this podcast, Levy Commercial Realty, LLC, your long-term strategic real estate partner, from concept to completion. 

http://www.levycommercial.com/index.html

This is the 2nd in a two-part series of Iowa episodes.  You may remember my lauded episode with Transagra. We found another amazing Iowa company. I am very excited to interview today’s guest.  He has received numerous accolades and awards for his success as an entrepreneur, developing new markets in Africa for U.S. products. His name is Eddy Djagou and he joins us from his company headquarters in Muscatine, IA.  His story is amazing.

Listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/eddy-djagou-shares-his-entrepreneurial-success-story-selling-us-products-to-africa
 
Eddy and I had a wonderful discussion. After you’ve listened, we would love for you to share your thoughts and comments below or on Facebook or LinkedIn.

For more information about Djaagou-A, you can visit their website at:

https://djaagou-a.com/

I want to thank our wonderful sponsor of this podcast, Levy Commercial Realty, LLC, your long-term strategic real estate partner, from concept to completion. 

http://www.levycommercial.com/

Speaking to us from Portland, OR, I am very excited to introduce today's guest - Richard Biggs, Director, North America for Trade Horizons. Richard is a global business development executive with a wealth of hands-on experience spanning diverse industries, economies, and cultures. His journey is a great story unto itself.
 
We had a marvelous discussion about his international market entry work; and, oh yes, I also had to ask him about his experience as a former international athlete.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/richard-biggs-of-trade-horizons-an-expert-in-international-market-entry

Afterwards, we would love for you to post your comments below or on Facebook or LinkedIn.  We are a community of exporters, and this is your meeting place to talk about export issues.

For more information about Trade Horizons, you can visit their website at:

https://tradehorizons.com/

I want to thank our wonderful sponsor of this podcast, Levy Commercial Realty, LLC, your long-term strategic real estate partner, from concept to completion. 

Hi and welcome back to Export Stories Podcast 2023!  How is your summer going? Here is a podcast to listen to while you are sitting on the beach or taking a walk.

This episode is our podcast podcast. That’s right, we are speaking to a very experienced podcaster whose work includes exploring global business trends.  Our guest is Jeff Ostroff, Principal of Jeff Ostroff & Associates, LLC.
 
Jeff is the creator of the Looking Forward podcast, which covers an extremely wide range of topics, and the Healthcare On the Horizon podcast, both of which have global content. From his experience as a podcaster and from his multi-faceted career as a marketing and communications professional, Jeff shares many surprising and inspiring stories.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/jeff-ostroff-a-leader-in-the-international-podcasting-industry

After you have listened, please feel free to leave your comments below.  You can also find posts about this podcast on Facebook and LinkedIn.

For more information about Jeff and his podcasts check out the following link:

https://www.jeff-ostroff.com/

I want to thank our wonderful sponsor of this podcast, Levy Commercial Realty, LLC, your long-term strategic real estate partner, from concept to completion. 

South Dakota – home of the Badlands and Mount Rushmore – is also a prolific exporting state.
 
In case this is surprising to you, just listen to what our experienced guest has to say about it.  We were honored to speak with Luke J. Lindberg, President & CEO of South Dakota Trade, an association responsible for strengthening the state’s competitiveness in the global economy.
 
He has a long and varied experience in U.S. export policy, which makes him well suited to share his stories about South Dakota exports.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/luke-lindberg-south-dakotas-trade-czar
 

Afterwards, we would love for you to share your thoughts and comments below.

And for more information about South Dakota Trade, check out their website at:

https://southdakotatrade.com/

Thank you so much for listening!

For this episode, we visit a dynamic region of the country centered around Huntsville, Alabama, known for NASA and space related industries; but, of course, it is so much more.  
 
We are joined by two guests today, Anne Burkett of the North Alabama International Trade Association (NAITA), a non-profit business-driven membership trade association., and Deborah E. McGee, (pictured here) President & CEO of PZI Consulting, a unique international HR company from the region.
 
PZI stands for People Zealously Connected, and you’ll find out why when we explore their services of Talent Globalization, Global Staffing & Recruitment, and Global Payroll Solutions.
 
We also talk about the story of Huntsville where export business is booming.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/alabamas-pzi-consulting-the-export-world-of-international-hr-people-development-services-iINm3L7J
 
For more information about PZI Consulting, you can visit their website at:

https://www.pziconsulting.com/

The NAITA website is here:

https://naita.org/

We had a wonderful discussion.   After you’ve listened, we would love for you to share your thoughts and comments below.  We are also on Facebook and LinkedIn.

I want to thank our wonderful sponsor of today’s podcast, Levy Commercial Realty, LLC, your long-term strategic real estate partner, from concept to completion. Visit http://www.levycommercial.com/www.levycommercial.com/

Welcome to the Intermodal episode of Export Stories Podcast 2023. 
 
Every exporter within earshot of this podcast has stories to tell about their logistics experiences. To make sense of current and future trends in the intermodal industry, we were honored to speak with Donna Lemm, the Chief Commercial Officer for IMC Companies. IMC is an influential logistics provider headquartered in Collierville, TN.
 
Donna has been serving the international maritime industry for over 30 years.  She has many relatable stories to tell and shares her insights on the current state of the Intermodal Industry. 
 
We had a wonderful discussion, which you can listen to here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/donna-lemm-of-imc-shares-her-insights-on-the-state-of-the-intermodal-industry-pNeSXDXM

After you’ve listened, we would love for you to share your thoughts and comments below or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.

For more information about IMC Companies, you can visit their website here:

https://www.imcc.com/
 
Thank you very much for listening! 

I want to thank our wonderful sponsor of today’s podcast, Levy Commercial Realty, LLC, your long-term strategic real estate partner, from concept to completion. Visit http://www.levycommercial.com/www.levycommercial.com/

You don’t need to be a science nerd to enjoy today’s episode; but you might just become one after listening.

We traveled virtually to Iowa to speak to our guests Lisa Sakai, President and CEO and Dr. Becky Quesnell, COO, leaders of an innovative and fascinating company – Transagra.  Transagra manufactures natural health solutions for animals, plants, and forage production.  When you listen you will learn what that means and hear their stories of export success.
 
Apparently, the world is very interested in buying U.S. products that are sustainable, all natural, and organic. Transagra also happens to be one of many successful exporting companies that is run by women.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/iowas-transagra-manufacturer-and-exporter-of-natural-health-solutions-for-agriculture


We had a wonderful discussion.   After you’ve listened, we would love for you to share your thoughts and comments below.

For more information about Transagra, you can visit their website at:

https://transagra.com/

I want to thank our wonderful sponsor of today’s podcast, the North Carolina District Export Council.  They are doing the everyday work of supporting U.S. exports.