Talking Trade with Katy Sinnott, vice president of global trade and investment for WEDC

In the latest episode of “Talking Trade,” WEDC Vice President of Global Business Development Katy Sinnott highlights rising exports to some of the state’s top trade partners.

Wisconsin’s exports over the past 10 months have increased 21 percent compared to the same period of 2020, with growth seen in exports to Canada, Mexico and China, she said.

She noted pharmaceuticals and prepared vegetables shipped to Mexico have “increased by huge numbers,” while exports of medical and scientific equipment to China have also risen.

“And when we look at our top three export products, which are industrial machinery, medical and scientific instruments, and electrical machinery, all of these categories have increased by between 6 and 10 percent, so good news,” she said.

Sinnott also discusses programs run by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. that aim to help businesses boost exports, as well as the agency’s network of trade representatives.

“We’ve had people who have had laws change while their product is on the water, going to a country, and we’ve actually been able to use our trade representative network to find support for that company so when it landed in that country, they actually could offload their equipment and send it to their buyer,” she said.