AEP Customers Become Viable International Traders Through Export Assistance Program

Jan. 12, 1998•News Release

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 12, 1998 -- An export assistance program offered by American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP) can help its customers break into a new market or develop additional business contacts abroad. AEP has long been involved in helping communities within its service area attract employment-generating opportunities in foreign countries, said Christine Sorg, AEP's international development manager. "AEP understands that U.S. companies must export if they are to survive in a global economy," Sorg said. "That's why we formed the Going Global program in 1993 to help customers benefit from international trade. "Our Going Global program helps businesses enter new markets or increase sales in the desired location by offering counseling and the opportunity to meet international partners through a series of trade events," Sorg said. Previous trade show participants, such as Columbus Show Case and Micross, say the export assistance program was crucial to their exporting successes. Columbus Show Case, a Columbus, Ohio-based company that makes and sells department store displays and display cases throughout the United States and South America, attended a trade show with AEP in October in Santiago, Chile. Although Columbus Show Case had been to Chile earlier, AEP's intervention helped the company locate a sales agent to market its product line in that region, said Chip Aschinger, vice president - international sales. "I would highly recommend this program to anyone who has been thinking about trying to establish themselves into a market," Aschinger said. "It will be much quicker than trying to do it all alone. "The trip to Chile probably saved me two or three additional trips down there to find the right person to represent me and establish contacts with my customers." Julie Hamlin, sales and marketing manager at Micross in Wheeling, W.Va., says before attending a trade fair with AEP in 1994, the company, which makes laser printer ribbons and magnetic ink character recognition ribbons, had limited exposure to the Mexican marketplace. Hamlin says AEP helped Micross arrange meetings with others sales agents and distributors, and build a stronger relationship with its current Mexican product distributor. "Today, we have an ongoing blanket order arrangement with the distributor. And we're planning to go back to Mexico every year to renew that relationship," Hamlin said. During the last four years, AEP has helped more than 90 industrial customers enter new markets in Mexico, Canada, Chile and the United Kingdom. To do this, AEP has relied upon the services of in-house professionals, as well as outside consultants who have the experience, language skills and cultural understanding necessary for successful exporting. As part of its trade program, AEP representatives schedule individual appointments, provide market research, arrange briefings, locate translators and coordinate logistical support, and attend the shows to provide on-site support. Trade show participants pay their own travel and lodging, but AEP will share a portion of the costs for some events, Sorg said. AEP will continue in 1998 to assist a limited number of customers at exhibit shows in Mexico, Brazil and Great Britain. Trade show highlights include: Ecologia '98 - Mexico City, January 27-29: Held at the U.S. Trade Center in Mexico City, Mexico, this show seeks to help U.S. companies tap into the rising demand for equipment and services to deal with the full range of severe pollution problems in Mexico. Exhibitors will be given two trade leads in advance of the show; five outside appointments with prospective agents, distributors or joint-venture partners during the show. There will also be an opportunity to attend specialized workshops on various aspects of doing business in Mexico with various groups, including the national oil, railroad and power companies. RepCom '98 - Monterrey, Mexico, March 31-April 2: The U.S. Trade Center in Mexico City, in cooperation with the U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey, will present a horizontal show featuring only products that are 51 percent U.S. origin. The show will focus on finding the right agent or distributor for U.S. companies to market their products in the Monterrey industrial region. Hospitalar '98 - Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 17-20: South America's largest exhibition for products, equipment, instruments and services for hospitals and health clinics. Brazil, which has a population of 159 million, has more than 7,000 hospitals and 23,300 health clinics. British International Motor Exhibition - Birmingham, England, mid-October: This biennial exhibition is a showplace for new automobiles and features accessories, components, garage equipment, trade magazines and services related to the automotive industry. Repcom '98 - Mexico City, Mexico, Dec. 1-3: Held annually at the U.S. Trade Center in Mexico City, this multiproduct show is designed to help new-to-market U.S. companies find import contacts from among the more than 2,000 trade visitors expected to attend. AEP, a global energy company, is one of the United States' largest investor-owned utilities, providing energy to 2.9 million customers in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. AEP has holdings in the United States, the United Kingdom and China. Wholly owned subsidiaries provide power engineering, consulting and management services around the world. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio.

For More Information, Contact: Jeri Waters Media Relations American Electric Power 614/223-1917

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