A trip to China might be just what Northwestern Wisconsin needs for a boost in the exporting economy. Jessica Hamilton has that story.

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and Representative Janet Bewley want wood product businesses to join them on a trip to China. They hope to increase international exports.

Bewley says the opportunities from this trip will not only help Wisconsin businesses but China as well.

“That way, they can have a better understanding of what the market might want of them and how to gear their products for a Chinese market. And not only that, I think that China would do well to learn about the great entrepreneurial spirit of the people in the north woods of Wisconsin.”

The Ashland Democrat says the results of this trip could help small businesses to adapt to the Chinese market.

“If they could just get that opportunity to see how their products could fit into the Chinese markets I think they would be really excited about seeking to news ways to expand what they do.”

Bewley says Northwest Wisconsin isn’t using trees in the typical wood product market.

“We have very, very typical uses of wood products, which is typically gets turned into paper, it gets turned into by-products for use in fuel production, but we have a lot of people who take wood and do fascinating things with it like veneers and turnings and its just a great thing that really fits in with the inventiveness and entrepreneurial[ness] of the people in Northern Wisconsin.”

Although she isn’t sure how area businesses are going to be able to gear their products towards a Chinese market, Bewley thinks this trip will give answers to a lot of those questions.

“T hat would be the very reason to go. Is to get to understand the Chinese culture, the Chinese way of life and to experience how they use wood products in their day to day lives. And then having seen that perhaps they will come up with a great idea of how our wood products that could be turned into an item that would really be a hot item in the Chinese market.”

The trip is scheduled for March 24 through April 2. Bewley says businesses have certain requirements set by the SBA which are listed on their website.

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