Hooker Furniture, Inc. in Martinsville was among 11 companies across Virginia to graduate from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s (VEDP) Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program, and Solid Stone Fabrics in Henry County is among the 13 companies to join the two-year program.
VALET, which now has 375 graduated companies, assists Virginia exporters that have firmly established domestic operations and are committed to international exporting as a growth strategy.
“International trade is a key component of advancing economic growth and prosperity in Virginia, and the VALET program is a vehicle that provides the tools and resources for our existing businesses to expand into the global marketplace,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin. “We congratulate these Virginia companies on taking proactive steps to grow international sales and look forward to their future success.”
VALET is a two-year international business acceleration program that provides participating companies with international sales plan development services, assistance from a team of experienced international service providers, international business meetings with potential partners, educational events, and customized market research. There are currently 53 companies participating in the VALET program and 428 Virginia companies have been accepted to participate in the program since its inception in 2002.
Virginia exports over $51 billion in goods and services annually. Exports of the Commonwealth’s products and services are critical to economic growth, supporting more than 257,000 jobs and generating $2 billion in annual tax revenue. VEDP offers numerous programs to assist Virginia companies with selling into the global marketplace and has a network of international market research consultants covering 122 countries around the globe.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1995 to encourage, stimulate, and support the development and expansion of the economy of the Commonwealth. To accomplish its objectives of promoting economic expansion within the Commonwealth, the Partnership focuses its efforts on business recruitment, expansion, and international trade development.
