Latest Insights – MAI Blog

For the 15th year, the MAI team of industry, trade, and investment specialists designed and implemented a successful B2B component of the Southeastern United States//Canadian Province Alliance Business Forum in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada hosted by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and its Department of Department of Industry, Energy and Technology (IET). Close to 70 companies participated. Anchor companies included The Coca-Cola Company, Port of Argentia, and the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University. SMEs met one-on-one to discuss various potential business relationships, including R&D partnerships, supply chain development, [...]

For the 16th year, the MAI team of industry, trade, and investment specialists – Diane Alleva Caceres, Crystal Porter, Doug Wood, and our Georgia Tech interns – designed and implemented a successful B2B component of the Southeastern United States//Canadian Province Alliance Business Forum in Biloxi, Mississippi 4-6 August 2024 hosted by the Mississippi Development Authority. Over 70 companies participated. Large, anchor companies included Airbus, Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mississippi Polymer Institute, Mullen Automotive, Inc., Mississippi Power, Skydweller Aero, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, Port of Pascagoula, and Mississippi Power a Southern Company. Many SMEs [...]

The word innovation has become firmly embedded in our vocabulary. Countries from the US to China and firms from Fortune 500s to Startups continue to develop innovation strategies with varying success. Yet we tend to forget innovation’s original meaning and why it’s important to our competitiveness. Innovation is not just a new technology or an invention. It’s a process beginning with new combinations of knowledge and resources and ending with market entry. Its impact on economic change can be either disruptive or incremental. The key, emphasized by the Austrian economist Alfred Schumpeter [...]

The US-Canada bilateral trade and investment relationship is the largest in the world with $714.1 billion worth of goods and services traded in 2018. No wonder trade tariffs and the still to be approved, US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) continue to make headlines. Disrupting supply chains and an economic partnership of this size forces firms and consumers to make costly adjustments, but under the radar is a vibrant innovation ecosystem between the two countries. Organizations from both the US and Canada are teaming up in ways that positively impact value chains of R&D partners, [...]

Managing International Payables In today’s global economy, small-to-medium sized companies increasingly source goods and services from international suppliers. These suppliers offer a wide range of high-quality products that are in great demand all over the world, including French cheese, Australian wine, Italian tile, Danish furniture, German precision equipment, Japanese electronics, and Swiss watches. Without the negotiating leverage of larger companies, paying international suppliers in a timely and cost efficient manner can be challenging, especially for smaller companies. In today’s global economy, small-to-medium sized companies increasingly source goods and services from international suppliers. [...]