Working with the U.S Commercial Service to promote exports through business counseling, education, and community outreach.
The Tennessee District Export Council provides leadership and international trade expertise to complement the U.S. Commercial Service’s export promotion efforts. We represent the interests of the U.S. exporting community and provide business counseling on the export process, trade education through seminars and events and community outreach to encourage Tennessee firms to export.
We follow a value and results-driven approach to serve as a model for fellow District Export Councils nationally and adhere to the goals of:
1. Promoting export opportunities
2. Advocating trade promotion policies
3. Supporting businesses in developing export successes
We invite you to browse through our site, attend our events, and use us as a resource to grow your exports.
News & Updates
May 2024 is World Trade Month
Join us in a celebration of Commerce in Tennessee.
In Tennessee, we are all about business. Small, medium and large! In over 200 years of commerce, TN businesses have been at the forefront of Commerce. They are standard bearers in every sector of the economy. From Memphis to Kingsport, Tennessee commerce thrives! World Trade Week is a celebration of What we do and Who we are. Join us in this celebration.
Is your Freight Forwarder right for you?
How do your know if it is right?
Looking for Prince Charming? Not every Freight Forwarder is the same. Recently, we heard of freight forwarder who shipped an order for a customer in South Africa to someone else in Zambia. They blamed it on their warehouse personnel who put the wrong labels on the shipment. At the end of the day, the US exporter had a customer who was unhappy with the delivery that they offered. The US exporter resupplied the same parts at no additional charge to its customer. In the meantime, the original shipment was seized by Zambian customs because it stayed in bond too long. The forwarder claimed limited liability for its mistake. It paid out pennies on the dollar. Guess who got stuck holding the bag? It was not the forwarder. At the end of the day, every US Exporter should make sure that their forwarder is a partner in their business!
Do you know your customer? If not, it may be a problem!
Are you doing enough due deligence?
According to the Bureau of Industry and Standards (BIS), the burden is on the US Exporter to know its customer and the application in which its product will be used. BIS offers seminars across the country to provide training to businesses with export compliance information. Their office has personnel who stand ready to consult and provide information to assist US exporters. Contact the TN DEC if you have questions.
IC-DISC (Interest Charge - Domestic International Sales Corporation
What is an IC-DISC?
The Internal Revenue Service provides an opportunity for U.S. exporters to reduce their income tax liability under an interest charge domestic international sales corporation ("IC-DISC").
Read more: IC-DISC (Interest Charge - Domestic International Sales Corporation
What is an Export?
Any item that is sent from the United States to a foreign destination is an export. How an item is transported outside the United States does not matter in determining export license requirements.
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Are you thinking about starting a business of your own? Starting a business is an exciting proposition, but it’s also an incredibly challenging undertaking. These resources will help you learn about what it takes to start a business
Plan ahead by learning about export documents, what you need to know and how to leverage them.