EDA Office of Foreign Trade • Riverside County, California • USA
August 2012
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EXPORT
9
but we also have the mechanical
massager, which is why we stand
out in a crowd from other spas.”
Elnar had previous experience
exporting products through Acura Spa
Systems, which has done business in
Mexico, Canada, Israel and throughout
Europe. Those exports included
new and replacement parts to both
dealers and individual spa owners.
She has continued the exporting
tradition with Regal Spas, and is
especially excited about the possible
expansion into Croatia. Her meeting
with government officials from that
country was arranged by the Riverside
County Economic Development
Agency’s Office of Foreign Trade.
“
That is something I could not have
done myself, in a foreign country,
not knowing anyone,” Elnar said.
“
We hope to sell many more in the
future. It’s still preliminary, but we
hope it’s going to be a strong seller.”
Regal ships spas overseas in a variety
of shipping containers, depending
on the size of the order, including as
many as 10 small spas in a 40-foot
container. The company benefits
from the international preference for
American-made products, she said.
“
There is that perception of American
products being better made,” she
said. “And, in this economy, it’s easier
to export than it is to sell locally.”
Elnar said she encourages other
business owners to get involved with
exporting and international trade, but
only after doing an assessment of the
market they are trying to enter and
ensuring they have good contacts
in the host country. Both factors are
keys to repeat business, she said.
“
You definitely need to be careful who
you are dealing with,” Elnar said. “You
have to make sure the person you
are working with in that country is
going to be able to be successful and
make money. We want a long-term
relationship, not a short-term deal.”
