While Georgia is known for large, export-focused industries such as poultry and timber, more than 87% of Georgia companies engaging in international trade are small or midsize manufacturers and service providers.

Breaking into an international market can be complicated for smaller businesses, but some products need international customers to make the numbers work. That’s where student consultants such as UGA Terry College of Business junior Emily Mlyn come in.

Mlyn, who studies marketing and international business, was one of 10 Terry College international business students working with the UGA Small Business Development Center’s ExportGA program this fall.

The program trains business owners to develop international markets for Georgia-made products and services. They meet international trade officials in Georgia and work to find markets and develop product launch plans.

Terry international business students serve as consultants who research and gather records to make the process easier.

The ExportGA student consultant program has operated for 20 years, and students have helped dozens of small businesses tap into international opportunities, said David Wildes, a senior program coordinator with the Terry College Office of International Business Programs.

For students, it’s a rare opportunity to see how international business functions.

“It’s a chance to have a hands-on impact on the internationalization process in multiple industries,” Wildes said. “Most of these students will have structured business internships as well, but this is one of those rare times when they interact with VP and C-level representatives of their companies, see how the decisions are being made and contribute to the decisions in a concrete way.”

During the fall 2022 ExportGA cohort, Mlyn worked with the team behind Atlanta-based Jackson Medical’s GloShield, a product that insulates the ends of fiber optic cables used in surgery.

“ExportGA allowed me the opportunity to grow immensely and to learn about international business and trade in a way that no other experience could offer,” Mlyn said. “Working firsthand on a trade development plan with the company I interned with, GloShield, is an experience I will be proud to speak about for years to come.”

For more information about student opportunities through the Terry College International Business program visit terry.uga.edu/current-students/international.