MU International Trade Center interns impress, Center earns 2022 Best Practices Award

Sixteen MU and Trulaske College of Business students interning with the MU International Trade Center shared findings from the semester-long global market research projects on April 29, 2022, with four Missouri companies each seeking to expand their sales internationally. The students completed extensive research to identify and evaluate international markets with sales potential for each participating company.

Companies working with the International Trade Center this semester included: American Outdoor Brands (Columbia, MO), MK Machining (Hallsville, MO), Readout Health and US International Foods (both of St. Louis, MO).

In reviewing the content of the final report, Andrew Fulmer, CFO of American Outdoor Brands, said, “Once again, we were very impressed by the work completed by the student interns - very thorough and complete analysis, and we look forward to putting it to work with our International team to expand sales of the Hooyman product line. I’m sure we will work on additional projects in the future together!”

Jim Howard, CEO of Readout Health, said, “I am extremely impressed. The report contents and presentation shared were extremely well done. The data analysis completed to capture health sector industry insights by country was an extremely heavy lift and of great value to our company, as we actively seek to identify international sales opportunities.”

Drew Campbell, a senior studying finance and real estate, said, “I enjoyed the opportunity to work with my team members on this project. This was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to complete an in-depth project analysis. In doing that, it has broadened my horizons as to what’s involved in international trade, and provided me with a great foundation to start my career."

Zeph France, a junior studying management, said, "Gaining insight into all of the international trade resources and databases available was of great value to me.  Participating in this internship has given me a greater appreciation of all of the different economies, cultures and political landscapes that exist.”

When asked to share what part of their internship experience was of greatest value, other students shared:

• The opportunity to work with senior management and assist their global market expansion strategy.
• Learning how to maintain ongoing communication with company representatives and tailoring the project to their request was especially valuable, as this mirrors real experiences and expectations in the workplace.
• The greatest value was the practical experience gained.  This experience will add value to my resume and give me a leg up on my peers.
• I gained valuable professional experience and new skills that I can take into my future career.

On the heels of another successful cohort of interns, the MU International Trade Center was selected as the recipient of the 2022 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Best Practices Award in International Education for International Programming. An award ceremony was held in Baltimore, Maryland at the NASPA International Symposium in March.