Trinity Brand Industries (TBI) is a leading Illinois manufacturer of industrial grade shims and tool room specialty products. For over 27 years, a dedication to service and ultra-high quality has driven growth domestically and around the world.
A few months ago, Ron Supeter - the owner of TBI - stopped by our International Trade Center (ITC) office with an idea: Expand their sales into Mexico. He had been thinking about this for a while as he watched other companies make good money exporting south of the border. After a good conversation, it became clear that now is the time to claim their piece of this lucrative market. So we went to work creating our action plan.
This plan included identifying relevant trade shows in the region, creating a trade show preparation strategy, generating business development target company lists, translating marketing materials, applying for grants to help subsidize travel costs, ramping up new sales reps and enlisting the help of the Illinois Office of Trade and Investment foreign officers for extra guidance and support in the region.
According to Ron Supeter, "Working with Zachary Person (ITC/COD) has been both a pleasure and a great learning experience. Zach has become a key part of our team to market our industrial products in Mexico. His organizational skills and ability to guide us to the resources and export contacts have allowed us to move much faster than we ever expected. As a small business with many daily challenges and distractions, he keeps us focused on the tasks needed to succeed in the Mexican market."
In just a short few months, we took an idea, created a plan and enlisted a crack team of seasoned export professionals to turn this plan into reality. According to Zachary Person, Program Manager of the ITC at COD, "I love it when a plan comes together. Because this is when things get fun."
Trinity Brand Industries Website
Contact Information
Business Development Center
535 Duane Street, Office 233
Glen Ellyn IL 60137
(630) 942-2600
Email: bdc@cod.edu
Regular Hours
Monday through Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Map and Directions