Students, small business leaders, educators and government officials gathered at the Ohio Statehouse to recognize the impact that the Ohio Export Internship Program (OEIP) continues to have on the state’s economy and on the next generation of business leaders.

The OEIP Showcase celebrated the sixth cohort of the program, a unique partnership between The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business, the Ohio Development Services Agency and Youngstown State University Williamson College of Business Administration. The nationally recognized OEIP combines a spring semester export-focused course with a paid summer internship focusing on export sales growth, where students are matched with Ohio companies to help grow their exports.

“The Ohio Export Internship Program is a shining example of the incredible impact that innovative partnerships among higher education, state organizations and private business can have in advancing Ohio’s economy and its global footprint,” said Bruce A. McPheron, executive vice president and provost of The Ohio State University. “Ohio State is proud to serve as an OEIP founding partner and as a leader in preparing the next generation of globally skilled business leaders.”

Since its inception in 2012 and through 2016, the OEIP has graduated 190 students and generated an estimated $25 million in export sales for Ohio companies. Twenty-five job offers and 34 internship extensions have been offered to OEIP students.

“Davenport Aviation has utilized the OEIP interns to produce everything from market research profiles, company training materials and online marketing campaigns to expand our global reach,” said Leah Simoes, owner of Davenport Aviation. “Our company has benefited greatly through the years from participation in the program and will continue recruiting students from the program, as they have proven to be talented and valuable assets to our organization.”

Cole Brownsberger, fourth-year student at Fisher, spent his summer as an OEIP intern at Columbus-based Prime Equipment.

“The Ohio Export Internship Program is an excellent way for young professionals to learn from industry experts and classmates alike for a whole semester of school, and then immediately turn around to help impact an Ohio company in need,” Brownsberger said. “The information learned in the classroom seemed extensive and overwhelming at first, but it’s amazing how well the dots connect once your internship starts.”

OEIP is just one way Fisher is expanding the global competencies of tomorrow’s business leaders. The college’s Global Trade Network was named a 2017 recipient of a President’s “E” Award, the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.

Presented by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the award recognized the Global Trade Network’s collaboration among state and federal agencies, university partners, economic development entities, and small- to medium-sized businesses in Ohio that are focused on expanding their global footprint. The network was made possible, in part, by Fisher’s decades-long partnership with the Title VI federally funded Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER).