(Aug. 1, 2012) -- Cliff Paredes, director of the UTSA International Trade Center, and his team delivered a four-month Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Diplomado training program in Honduras to transfer the SBDC model. The Honduras secretary of industry and commerce announced the establishment of the first two pilot SBDCs in the Golfo de Fonseca and Olancho regions. It is projected that six regional SBDCs will open across the country by year's end.

Honduras Vice President Antonietta de Guillen presided over a July 27 ceremony at the Casa Presidencial de Honduras where 130 certificates were awarded to new SBDC professionals. The graduates of the program will be involved in building the Honduran SBDC network to grow small businesses and trade in the Central American nation.

As a part of President Obama's initiative, Small Business Network of the Americas, UTSA has been engaged by the State Department to help establish SBDC networks in developing countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. Building SBDC networks and relationships internationally will expand trade growth opportunities between clients of the 1,000 U.S. SBDCs and their foreign counterparts.

Last year, the UTSA International Trade Center helped San Antonio area clients add $210 million of new trade growth, primarily through partner agencies in Mexico, El Salvador and Colombia. As more countries join the network, trade opportunities will multiply.

"Small business trade growth is the low-hanging fruit for economic development at home and abroad," said Robert McKinley, UTSA associate vice president for economic development. "UTSA's global presence and leadership fulfills our mission of community service and creates job opportunities for our graduates by expanding the San Antonio regional economy."