On May 24, 2017 Conkle, Kremer & Engel attorneys Mark Kremer, John Conkle and Eric Engel attended a conference to promote export development in the health and beauty industry. The program was jointly presented by Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti’s Export Program and Beauty Industry Market Access (BIMA). The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development was represented at the program by Eric Eide, Director of International Trade, who spoke of the Los Angeles City government’s interest in helping Los Angeles businesses develop exports as a means of economic growth.
This conference focused on the export opportunities that are available to Los Angeles area health and beauty businesses. Mr. Eide and other speakers such as Patty Schmucker of American Made Beauty emphasized that international opportunities abound, because 96% of the world consumers, representing 72% of worldwide buying power, reside outside the United States, yet less than 2% of U.S. companies engage in export to those consumers. The “Made in the USA” labeling is a way to leverage the natural advantage that U.S. beauty and cosmetics manufacturers have from being constantly promoted worldwide through Hollywood movies, celebrities and culture in media. Harlan Kirschner, President of The Kirschner Group, Inc., a preeminent global sales representative organization for the beauty industry, spoke about the importance of thinking about export from the very inception of launching new product lines so that the products are globally compliant and export-ready when the time comes. Mr. Kirschner offered tips such as hiring local college professors of languages for quick and inexpensive translations of product labels and marketing materials.
Emilio Smeke of Daily Concepts, himself a highly successful graduate of the BIMA program, encouraged entrepreneurs to do their homework and choose well the product lines and marketing most likely to succeed in the particular foreign markets they want to develop. Mr. Smeke offered, for example, that in the U.S. people shower or bathe on average less than once per day, but in Mexico people shower or bathe up to twice per day. Mr. Smeke expressed the importance of carefully listening and observing the markets that you want to develop, offering the sage advice that people were given two eyes, two ears and one mouth, and should use them all proportionately.
CK&E attorneys regularly participate in programs to advance their clients’ interests, including leveraging government and private initiatives to promote business growth through international sales.
Emilio Smeke at Mayor Garcetti’s Export Program
Harlan Kirschner at Mayor Garcetti’s Export Program
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