Evans Consoles Inc., Calgary (Alberta)

www.econsole.com

For Evans Consoles Inc., the Team Canada trade mission to Russia was a resounding success. "The trip reconfirmed our commitment to this market as a strong growth sector for our company," says Alena Poremsky, Regional Sales Representative for Europe at Evans. "The excitement generated by the Team Canada participants motivated us to look more closely at the Russian market and cross-marketing opportunities with other Canadian companies working in Russia."

Evans Consoles designs and manufactures furnishings for technology-intensive environments; these are commanding attention on trading floors, and at call centres and control centres across North America and around the world. The company has recently experienced a surge of interest from process control industries, such as biotech and information/monitoring technologies.

During the 2002 mission, Evans signed dealer agreements with two Russian companies: UG Trans-Expedition Ltd., which focuses on railway projects, and Optima JSC (Joint Stock Company), which delivers integrated information systems and automated control systems, specializing in government contracts. Optima's clients are global leaders in sectors in which Evans has extensive experience, such as power, telecommunications, financial services, and oil and gas. "Optima is a perfect fit for Evans, as we have already manufactured products for some of their partners," says Poremsky. "We are confident that within the next year and a half we will be appointing a representative in Russia to help develop this lucrative market for us."

Evans was also a participant in the 2000 trade mission to Central Europe led by International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew. "That trip really helped us to make a name for ourselves in the region," says Poremsky. "These missions provide ideal opportunities to learn more about the market, and they also open doors to high-level contacts with local companies and government." Poremsky discovered a number of opportunities during the mission, thanks to the help of Trade Commissioners at Canada's embassies--which, she says have assisted Evans to set up meetings and host events in other countries as well. The company has also benefited extensively from the services of Export Development Canada (EDC) in Germany and China.

Evans Consoles, which employs close to 600 people, has won numerous prestigious awards. Since its establishment in 1980, the company has supplied more than 4,000 major corporations worldwide, including NASA, Federal Express, AT&T, Air Canada, Microsoft, Sprint, China Rail, London Port Authority, Scottish Power and Deutsche Telekom in Germany.

02/2002