The Left and Right Weigh In On the Shooting of Charlie Kirk

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Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative political group Turning Point USA was fatally shot while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, as he spoke to a crowd assembled at an outdoor space. The event was the first stop on Mr. Kirk’s American Comeback Tour, with stops scheduled at college campuses throughout the fall.

A mix of sympathy and blame proliferated in messages posted from figures across the political spectrum.

World Trade Center Utah Receives $1,050,000 State Trade Expansion Program STEP Grant

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SBA announced that World Trade Center Utah (WTC Utah) will receive a State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Grant of $1,050,000 on behalf of the State of Utah.  

Utah’s export growth rate has been the highest in the nation for the past two years. Eighty-five percent of Utah’s exporters are small businesses, and international sales add $5 billion across the state in additional revenue for these small business exporters.

Exporting is an important tool for small businesses to grow revenue and boost local economies. STEP is designed to assist states with increasing the number of small businesses that export and the value of those exports.  

Read on to learn more about how Utah received a STEP grant to accelerate global growth of businesses.

Utah Company Takes the World Stage

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Kaddas Enterprises, run by CEO Natalie Kaddas, is a woman-owned, family business specializing in thermoform plastic manufacturing.  Kaddas has leveraged her business acumen, Utah trade missions and programs like STEP to grow her business globally and establish the company as a trade mission success story, tripling international sales since 2013.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and USA President Barack Obama reached out to Kaddas in April to represent small business interests in international trade during a special White House event for some of the world's top political and business leaders. Here's what she said about the opportunity:

"As a small business, breaking into the global market can feel intimidating, but there's a need and a place for us, too. Through trade missions and programs like Utah's State Trade and Expansion Program (STEP), Kaddas Enterprises is able to showcase its strengths and, hopefully, inspire other small businesses to do the same."

Read more:  A Small Utah Company Stands Out on the World Stage