In 2008, Illinois exported $53.4 billion in manufactured goods, which supported more than 409,000 manufacturing jobs. That year, Illinois exported $7.5 billion in agricultural products which supported more than 86,800 agricultural jobs. In one year, Illinois exports more than $16 billion in services. Foreign companies employ more than 243,000 workers in our state.

And, smaller businesses in Illinois benefit from trade. Nearly 90% of the 15,607 Illinois companies that exported goods in 2007 were small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.

Illinois’ top export markets in 2008 were Canada ($14.9 B), Mexico ($4.2 B), China ($2.5 B), Australia ($2.4 B) and Japan ($2.4 B). Opportunities for small business are available.

The Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce is interested in assisting our business members interested in international trade. We want to hear from you. If you would like to share your business’s trade experiences, please click this link to take the survey: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2ygpw5ngb57a7u8/start

Thank you!