Testimonials

"The Seventh CIBA Global Forum was “a very effective seminar describing the challenges and opportunities facing us as the area embarks on sustainable recharges [of] economic growth with an emphasis on battery energy storage. Excellently coordinated by Binghamton and Cornell universities. This hopefully will let us all work together to rebuild the economy of the Southern Tier so it again leads the world just as it did with IBM and Link Flight Simulation." - M. Stanley Whittingham, Binghamton University Distinguished Professor and 2019 Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry

"The CIBA Forum sent strong messages of Binghamton and Cornell Universities working together. This is wonderful. I have always hoped that Binghamton University and Cornell would collaborate. As two of New York’s ARC region’s most prestigious universities, the effect of the collaboration has to represent a situation where combination is stronger than the sum of the parts!" - George Korchowsky, Program Manager of NYS Appalachian Regional Development Program at New York State Department of State

"I would like to thank the Center for International Business Advancement (CIBA) for holding the 7th Global Trade and Investment Forum, as it was an honor to attend this meaningful event and discuss clean energy and the energy storage industry with the participants. I was especially inspired by Professor Whittingham’s keynote address explaining that the present global supply chain is untenable. As I mentioned at the event, Taiwan Economic Minister Mei-Hua Wang and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced a new ‘Technology Trade and Investment Collaboration (TTIC) Framework’ to promote bilateral supply chain cooperation, such as clean energy, between Taiwan and the US. The Southern Tier area of New York provides a lot of business and market potential for Taiwan. We are looking forward to collaborating closely with Empire State Development, CIBA, and other stakeholders to further promote bilateral economic and business relations. I look forward to participating in this meaningful event again next time." - David Ding, Director of the Taiwan Investment and Trade Office in New York

“It was great to hear all the speakers discuss the potential opportunities and challenges facing new battery technologies and the exciting future being built in the Southern Tier.” - Michael Winn, Managing Director at Scale Facilitation

"After my exciting remote internship in the Summer of 2021 with the Koffman Incubator and as a student members of the Tier Energy Network (TEN), I was looking for an opportunity to come to Binghamton and meet everyone because face-to-face interaction is essential to me. And there couldn’t be a more significant opportunity than the CIBA Seventh Global Forum. Aside from enjoying this outstanding performance from Liz Callaway, the best part for me was the presentation about Li-ion Battery technology and the visit to the Gigafactory in Endicott, which is a testimony that Lab to Market is a reality in the Southern Tier. This event brought me meaningful connections from Binghamton University, Cornell University, C4V and iM3NY, and I am very grateful to Elena Iankova, Director of CIBA, for the invitation.” - Marcellin Adjoumane, Master student in Polymer Chemistry at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse

“Completing the ExportNY program put on by Binghamton University's Center for International Business Advancement has been enormously helpful to our growth as exporters. We have spent the past three years and tens of thousands of dollars trying to grow our exports beyond Canada but have always failed at the last moment due to fear of risk or general unpreparedness. Through the Program we've been educated about exactly what those risks are and the experts, products, and services available to mitigate those risks. We've also developed a solid, step by step plan for selecting the most productive future markets, finding and choosing partners overseas, and maintaining strong relationships from across the globe. Our goal is to expand our existing exports to Canada by tenfold this year alone, and increase the export portion of our business to 20 percent of our total annual revenue by 2025 as a direct result of participating in ExportNY." - Patti Wilcox, Co-Owner of Awestruck Ciders. ExportNY Participant, Spring 2018

“Exporting seemed like a taboo thing to a small business like us. I always thought you had to be this big, gigantic corporation to export your products. But we've learned that even we can export... We'd like to be using every part of the animal for something, which isn't possible in just the United States. There's a whole world out there that could use our leftover products that I didn't even know existed. It's overwhelming and exciting at the same time." - Andrea Cascun, Co-owner of Cascun Farm. ExportNY Participant, Spring 2018

"We've gotten so much information from this Program... And we'll take this information back to our company and it'll help us make better decisions when it comes to these opportunities.” - William Hoover, Product realization manager at CMP Advanced Mechanical Solutions. ExportNY Participant, Spring 2018.

“Participating in the Export NY program throughout the Fall was an invaluable experience for Toonie Moonie Organics. We learned so much about entering the global marketplace...specifically, how important it is for a business to trade outside of the United States, as well as the necessary steps to do so. We wholeheartedly recommend the ExportNY Program to any business looking to broaden their horizons, particularly if they are considering international trade. The resources offered by the various presenters, experts, and students provided an informative and enriching experience. Thank you again Elena for your leadership and mentoring throughout the entire Program.” - James P. Cummings and Kim Condon, Founders of Toonie Moonie Organics Ltd. ExportNY Participants, Fall 2018

“The ExportNY Program surpassed all my expectations from Day One. The caliber of the CIBA team, guest speakers, and fellow business attendees are uniquely exceptional. Through this Program Ice Energy has been able to compile a robust, step-by-step export plan that aligns with our mission and goals. The knowledge, resources, and connections provided within this program are crucial to any company in today's ever expanding global market.” - Alicia Pratt, Supply Chain Purchasing Manager at Ice Energy. ExportNY Participant, Fall 2018

“Our experience with the ExportNY Program was excellent. Our company is already exporting products to international markets but there was a lot of information that we didn't know about. ExportNY is a great opportunity to learn how to take that big step, while having direct access to the experts on international trade. Elena was amazing. She was so helpful and always kept in contact with us. I loved the idea of having students be part of the Program. Dr. Krishna Gupta really appreciates this program and we wish we knew about it earlier. In fact after this experience our exports have been a bit easier because now know what to expect, what to do, and where to go for assistance.” - Jessica Del Rio and Dr. Krishna Gupta, Jessica Del Rio, Administrator, and Dr. Krishna Gupta, CEO & Owner of Porous Materials, Inc. ExportNY Participants, Fall 2018.