Back in 1994, Steve Zafron's job was on the line. He had been recently appointed international sales manager for NutraMax, a pharmaceutical and health products manufacturer in Gloucester. With no operating budget,no startup funds, and no experience in selling products overseas, he was under pressure to create an active export division out of thin air. His salvation was Paula Murphy at the Massachusetts Export Center.
     "I had no idea what to do," Zafron said. "I was thrown into the job." Early on Murphy visited NutraMax to familiarize him with regulations about selling products in Hong Kong and Panama, the locations of his first two accounts. "I gained a lot of confidence from that first meeting," Zafron said. "I needed knowledge fast, and she brought me up to speed. She helped me through a difficult time."
     The Massachusetts Export Center, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, assists nearly 2,000 Massachusetts companies annually through counseling, training programs, seminars and networking sessions, research assistance and on-site consultation.
     A division of the state's Small Business Development Center network, the Export Center is a one-stop clearinghouse for information and education on all aspects of selling products and services abroad. The center - which also works in partnership with the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment - serves companies and businesspeople statewide with a staff of seven full-time trade specialists and several research assistants, and offices in Boston, New Bedford,West Springfield and Westborough.
     Murphy, the Export Center's director, has overseen the center's growth during its first decade. She has helped develop services that have become essential to businesses in the state, while shepherding the center through recent budget cuts.With a background as an international business consultant and as the New England representative for trade development agencies in Ireland, Australia and Germany, Murphy came to the center with considerable experience.
     "We have increased our staffing and our ability to meet the needs of the export community," Murphy said. "Today, the vast majority of companies we're working with are active exporters. They understand the needs and the benefits of selling internationally.Ten years ago, we had to do much more of a job in convincing companies why they need to export. Now, they know they need to export and we just show them the way."
     The Export Center's growth mirrors the growth of Massachusetts exports. According to figures from the Massachusetts Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Massachusetts, the state was the country's ninth-leading exporter in 2003, with more than $17 billion in sales to nearly 200 countries. By contrast, in 1993, Massachusetts exports totaled $12 billion.
     In many ways, NutraMax, Zafron's company, illustrates how export growth among small and medium-sized companies has helped to establish Massachusetts as a strong competitor in the global marketplace. During the past decade, international sales at NutraMax have increased from zero to $700,000-and the company now is doing business in 17 countries.
     "I couldn't have built this company's international sales division without the Export Center," said Zafron. He has garnered information about export compliance, contracting, banking and how to coordinate transportation; has participated in seminars and attended courses offered by the Export Center; and has received one-on-one consultations.
     Executives at other companies report similar experiences with the Export Center. For example, Dan Nanigian, president of Nanmac Corp., a Framingham manufacturer of temperature measurement devices, began working with center personnel last year. "They have training sessions that are very fruitful, very content-rich," he said. "After I learned how much I didn't know, they came out to my company and showed me what I needed to do."
     Now, Nanigian hopes to triple his company's international sales, from about $200,000 last year to more than $600,000 by the end of 2004. "Without having talked to the Export Center, I would not have been able to make that growth projection," he said.
     Clients overall reported more than $26 million in export sales as a direct result of the center's assistance, according to the 2002 Annual Report, the most recent one available. Moreover, Export Center clients' reported a collective increase of 33 percent that year, even while the state's overall exports decreased by 4.5 percent.
     In 2002, the Mass. Export Center won the Global Leadership Award from the Alliance for the Commonwealth - an affiliate of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts - for demonstrating "significant leadership in making Massachusetts a global competitor."

For more information on the Massachusetts Export Center, visit http://www.state.ma.us/export