Brooklyn-based 4C Foods Corp. - a manufacturer of food and beverage items including soup and iced tea mixes, bread crumbs and grated cheeses - has increased its export sales, thanks to a diligent entrepreneurial spirit and participation in Commercial News USA, the official U.S. Department of Commerce magazine.
     Designed to help American companies reach prospective buyers outside the United States, the catalog-style publication reaches more than 400,000 readers worldwide with individual company product photos and descriptions. In 2003, the Commerce Department found that more than 850 success stories, $109 million in export sales, and hundreds of business relationships were furthered as a result of advertising in the magazine.
     Dan Swartz, vice president at 4C Foods, said response to the company's advertisements in Commercial News USA has surpassed expectations. "We've closed deals with distributors and made sales as a direct result of our advertising in Commercial News USA," he said. "We think it has been very cost-effective tool for us, as we've reached tens of thousands of overseas buyers and readers worldwide. Making sales requires a lot of good leads, and this magazine has been tremendously helpful."
     Now with the relaunch of the magazine fast-approaching, 4C foods is looking to boost exports even more. "We advertised for a little more than a year," said Swartz. "The average response was at least 50 leads per publication. We're very anxious to continue advertising."
     The Brooklyn company is just one of the many New York companies to enjoy the fruits of having advertised in Commercial News USA. According to William Spitler, director of the U.S. Export Assistance Center in New York City, more and more companies in the state are looking to diversify their portfolios by making new sales abroad in countries such as Canada, The Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Malaysia and others. Last year, the six New York Export Assistance Centers helped facilitate $195 million in exports from the state.
     "Small and medium-sized businesses can benefit tremendously from a presence in the magazine," said Spitler. "Commercial News USA is distributed by trade specialists whose primary goal is to match American exporters with prospective customers outside the United States."
     The magazine is distributed directly by U.S. Commercial Service officials at embassies and consulates in 145 countries directly to overseas buyers, representatives, distributors, government sourcing and purchasing agencies, government officials and potential joint venture partners. The result? Hundreds of export successes and agent/distributor agreements, and thousands of trade leads generated each year from exposure that U.S. companies receive as a result of advertising in the magazine.
     "Ninety-five percent of the world's consumers live outside the United States; the economy is growing; and exports are up," said Rhonda Keenum, Assistant Secretary for Trade Promotion and Director General of the U.S. Commercial Service. "No other magazine in the world provides U.S. companies with the ability to promote their products and services to prescreened foreign buyers in such a cost-effective manner."
     In addition to worldwide exposure, Commercial News USA also offers the potential for significant return on investment. Last year, the average value for each deal that resulted from advertising in Commercial News USA exceeded $120,000.

New and Improved
     Now, after a one-year hiatus, Commercial News USA is being completely redesigned and enhanced by a new publisher to make it an even more effective vehicle for promoting American-made products and services to prospective buyers and partners outside the United States.
     A new edition of the magazine will be published in September under a public-private sector initiative between the U.S. Commerce Department and ThinkGlobal Inc., publisher of the ThinkGlobal New York International Trade Newsfolio.
     "We have completely redesigned the magazine to make it more user friendly for foreign buyers around the world," said Gregory Sandler, publisher of Commercial News USA. "Moreover, we plan to add special sections to boost visibility for specific industries and regions. We also are developing editorial content such as profiles of successful U.S. exporters and their buying partners."
     Plans for the Commercial News Web site include a fully automated insertion order and an online version of the magazine with the option for translation into a dozen different languages.

Companies interested in receiving more information about advertising in the September issue of Commercial News USA should call 1-800-581-8533 or visit the magazine's Web site at www.export.gov/cnusa