CSU's Export Assistance Network Earns Top State Honor, Expands Student and Business Impact

The Cleveland State University-based SBDC Ohio Export Assistance Network office, housed within the Monte Ahuja College of Business Global Business Center, was named the state’s top-performing center at the Ohio Small Business Development Centers’ statewide conference in Dublin, Ohio, in November. 

The recognition highlights a continued commitment to helping Ohio companies expand globally and reflects both growth and momentum, according to Nate Ward, director of CSU’s Global Business Center and Small Business Development Center EAN.

“We haven't won that award in 10 years,” said Ward. “And we have some pretty stiff competition from a few of our colleagues.”

Fueling Economic Growth in the Community

The Global Business Center serves as a hub connecting Cleveland State University to the broader business community. “The initial mission was to be a connecting point between the College of Business and the community at large,” Ward said. “A major part of our work at the Global Business Center is providing consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses across Ohio.”

The EAN also offers specialized advising in international trade. “We try to be a holistic part of the ecosystem of economic development,” Ward said. “The state has a subset of specialty small business development centers that are focused on export assistance and international trade assistance.”

The organization’s impact is measurable. According to Colette Hart, senior director of the Center for Outreach and Engagement at the Monte Ahuja College of Business, the EAN has served more than 150 companies and helped generate more than $21 million in export sales. 

“That was a really incredible undertaking,” she said, noting the challenges of tariffs and global trade uncertainty. “[The EAN] also helped to retain 443 jobs. So again, some real economic impact numbers."

Student Success

Beyond business consulting, the Global Business Center plays a critical role in student development. The Ohio Export Internship Program connects students directly with companies.

“We find students from CSU primarily and we place them to work in the companies that are our clients,” said Ward. “Last year, about 75 percent of all of the internship programs got job offers from the host companies. About 50 to 60 percent of our students stay on with our companies.” 

Hart emphasized the internships' long-term value. 

“On an annual basis many students go on to full-time employment in international business,” she said. “It’s a real coup to have all those students placed in internships and get job offers especially in today's marketplace.”

Julie Ondernak, ’25, a marketing and international business double major at CSU, said she participated in the OEIP to explore new opportunities at the university and found the program beneficial in several ways. 

“The international experience has always piqued my interest, so I was like, you know what, this is a great opportunity,” she said. “It was honestly just one of those things that I just tried on a whim because it seemed really interesting to me.”

She also highlighted the importance of cultural awareness in global business, a lesson she learned during the internship, saying, “I had to adapt to the way that different cultures speak to meet the needs of international customers,” and that the most meaningful part of the experience was being included in decision-making: “I was a part of those conversations of ‘what do you think we should do; how do you think we should tackle this problem; how do you think that we should go about doing this?”

That access offered insight into real-world business operations and helped her build lasting professional connections. Ondernak currently works as an inside sales associate at Karg Corporation, where she was placed during her internship and later accepted a full-time position after it ended.

Offering further student support, the center recently launched GoGlobal!, a student organization that builds community for students interested in international careers and serves as a pipeline to internships, jobs and future study abroad opportunities. 

“We found that there are so many students that are interested in global things,” said Ward. “The purpose of the student association is to create a home for the students. Like-minded students that want to share something international.”

Reinforcing Commitment to Student Success and Global Impact

Looking ahead, organizers see student engagement as central to the mission of the Global Business Center. 

“The biggest goal for me has a lot to do with student success and student involvement,” said Ward, adding that expanding global opportunities will help “bring CSU students to the world.”

Hart said the statewide recognition underscores the university’s broader impact. 

“Part of our strategic plan is to be part of the community, helping drive the economy with talent and in various kinds of programs. The award is a rubber stamp that we get funded every year by the federal government and by the state and for them to say that we're the top performing best in class program means a lot,” she said, adding, “The team that worked super hard, [the award] is great validation of that.”

As CSU expands its global footprint, the Global Business Center’s work ranges from helping businesses navigate international markets to preparing students for global careers and continues to gain momentum. 

“I’m very hopeful that very soon we will be able to announce more faculty-led international study tools,” said Ward. “There are many people in other countries that want to develop a closer relationship with Cleveland in general, and with CSU specifically.”