Hattiesburg, Miss. - Mississippi Power and several regional, state and federal economic development agencies want to speak directly to business owners about expanding their trade on the international market.

Positioning products from a global perspective, marketing and money matters are just a few of the topics up for discussion at the inaugural ‘Industry Summit: Export Now’ at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg on August 30 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

“The goals are simple: to educate and encourage manufacturers to export. Feedback tells me that many companies don’t export due to a lack of experience with the process. Mississippi has numerous resources to assist companies with exporting. This summit will give manufacturers the opportunity to sit face-to-face with experts from the exporting arena to have their questions answered,” said Economic Development Director Arnie Williams.

The Summit is presented by Mississippi Power, the Mississippi Development Authority, U. S. Department of Commerce, Mississippi World Trade Center, Mississippi State Port at Gulfport, Mississippi Manufacturer’s Association and the Electric Power Associations of Mississippi.

“This is all about connecting industries with the resources they need to be better exporters,” said Williams.

Representatives from law firms, logistics providers and the Export Import Bank of the United States will join the groups hosting the event to provide participants with a broad array of real-world advice.

“One of the main benefits of a company that exports is diversity of customer base and markets. Having diversity is one of the key components to weathering the storms of a volatile economy,” said Williams.

Mississippi Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, serves approximately 188,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties.