Charleston’s Eremos seeks exporting insight through Moore School student global competitiveness project

COLUMBIA, SC – Every spring and fall semester students from the Darla Moore School of Business examine the export potential of various products made within South Carolina. Students in the global competitiveness class led by Professor Frank Rydzewski examine opportunities and obstacles for businesses wishing to enter the markets of various countries. The SC Small Business Development Centers (SC SBDC) offers their clients this opportunity to connect with Prof. Rydzewski’s student research teams in order to see if their products have the potential to find success in international markets.

“This semester we had 8 clients with a strong interest in growing their business. The student teams worked hard and every client was pleased with the results of their student team’s efforts,” Prof. Rydzewski said. “I am proud of our students and very happy that we were able to help so many companies that are clients of the SC SBDC.”

This year, one student group worked with Charleston Area SBDC client Ryan Pirkle, president of Eremos, a company that makes inflatable technologies. Pirkle’s product, an inflatable privacy screen for beds and mattresses, has numerous applications from military use to disaster relief to privacy in dorm rooms. In order to help his team focus, Pirkle asked his students to consider only camping and hunting markets in the U.S., particularly in the Southeast.

Pirkle worked with his student team for 3 months. After an initial meeting to understand the company and the product, the students were to consider competitors, distribution channels, as well as the pros and cons of the markets. He asked them to think about product features that should be highlighted for camping and hunting markets, both domestic and on an international scale. When considering exporting, the students selected Canada and Australia as the most attractive markets, but with the caveat that Pirkle become stronger with his current domestic footprint before considering such major expansion.

“Working with a team of students gave me a great understanding of the value of information in a data driven marketplace,” Pirkle said. “Having a team of students gather, organize and present data will allow me to move forward in an informed manner. This experience opened my eyes to the capabilities of the university as far as internships and student research projects. It was an education for everybody involved.”

The student teams for the 8 small businesses examined an array of business considerations including energy costs, freight pricing, partnerships, trade shows, distribution channels, bureaucratic obstacles, trade barriers, risk, market saturation, currency rates, potential for economic growth, duties, insurance, compliance costs and many other considerations of international trade.

“My classmates and I were thrilled to have the opportunity to work with local businesses. Not only did the clients benefit from this partnership, but the students did as well. It was a great opportunity to translate many of the concepts we learned in the classroom into a real world application,” said Kristi Sutherland, international business student and part of the Eremos export project team.

Any company wishing to participate in the student export projects can contact their local SC SBDC. Check the Locations tab on the top menu of www.SCSBDC.com to choose from one of the 17 centers around the state.