Commercial Service Success Stories
Real Results for Real Businesses
TouchStar of Colorado
Thanks to U.S. Commercial Service assistance, TouchStar was able to enter the Latin America market with the opening of an office in Mexico City, as well as the naming of a master distributorship for the entire country.
The Company
Founded in 1998, TouchStar Software Corporation develops and supports world-class unified communications solutions. TouchStar is a privately held corporation that is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
The Business Challenge
Already having expanded into several foreign markets, TouchStar wanted to begin targeting Latin American opportunities. This burgeoning interest coincided with the 2006 Trade Americas Conference, which was being hosted by the U.S. Commercial Service Denver office in conjunction with 13 senior commercial officers from the Western Hemisphere. The event provided an overview of opportunities with current and upcoming free trade agreements, specific insights into the region’s markets, and discussion forums on topical issues, including government procurement, e-commerce, and cultural nuances.
The Solution
Denver trade specialists encouraged TouchStar Software to participate in the company presentations portion of the conference. TouchStar officials touted their software to the commercial officers at the event and received immediate feedback on market potential. The senior commercial officer for Mexico contacted Mexico’s telecom commercial specialists, who then provided market research to TouchStar regarding the need for software in Mexican call centers.
The Result
In May 2008, U.S. Commercial Service Denver staff met with TouchStar Software’s CEO and global director of marketing at Denver’s World Trade Day event. The two TouchStar officials stated that the Trade Americas Conference was a significant turning point for TouchStar. They explained that as a result of the Trade Americas Conference, the company has found tremendous potential south of the U.S. border.
TouchStar’s first entry into Latin America came in the fall of 2007 with the opening of an office in Mexico City, as well as the naming of a master distributorship for the entire country, an $800,000 investment for the Mexican distributor. TouchStar looks upon this as the first of many offices and master distributorships it plans to forge throughout Latin America.
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With its network of offices across the United States and in more than 80 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. For more information, visit www.export.gov.
