GW-CIBER Annual Export Strategy Consulting Program (in collaboration with WVU)
This program gives students an opportunity to develop their international business skills and knowledge and apply them to real-world problems. The program, led by GW-CIBER in collaboration with West Virginia University (WVU), focuses on the practical aspects of international trade for U.S. firms. Students engage in consulting projects with companies seeking to start or expand their export operations. The ultimate objective is for students to formulate an actionable export strategy plan that addresses the needs of the client for international market entry or expansion. Five GW students and five WVU students comprise two mixed student teams. The GW students travel to WVU in Morgantown for a program launch where they meet with their teammates and the client. Past program clients included a small WV foodstuffs company, which asked the student consulting teams to provide recommendations for market expansion of their line of hot sauces, and a small-business tropical beverage manufacturer that hopes to expand their business internationally. The 2025 program client is a Morgantown, WV-based coffee roastery and café which is considering international expansion.
Testimonial
For the third consecutive year, the WVU’s Robbins Center for International Business & Strategy is partnering with George Washington University’s CIBER in offering a select group of students from both campuses a hands-on project to get them started in international business consulting. The project is designed to improve and document students’ international expansion consulting skills and help a WV-based business globalize its product. This year’s client is the Mountaineer Roasting Company, located in Morgantown, WV. Founded on the campus of West Virginia University in 2017, Mountaineer Roasting strives to roast and present clients with the most exceptional coffees. After establishing themselves as a trusted wholesale roaster for several cafes in the region, they opened their first standalone roastery and café in February 2021. Since then, the company has advanced the delivery of specialty coffee beans in the Appalachian region, availing its product through outlets including Kroger, and web sales. The company is considering international expansion and requires consultation on the most appropriate opportunities. The objectives of this project include assessing and understanding global markets for roasted coffee sales and providing the company with international expansion advice. On February 20th, students toured the company and spent a full day on February 21 on WVU’s campus, meeting with international business experts, WVU researchers and instructors, and the owner of Mountaineer Roasting. Currently, student teams are meeting weekly with instructors from both universities as they ideate a research methodology and learn about the consulting process and delivery. The student teams will present their final plan to be delivered in mid to late April. This is an exceptional offering for WVU students in that the program works with the instructional resources from one of the top-rated international business schools in the world.
– George
Washington University’s – and GW-CIBER. It’s also an opportunity for students from both campuses to help a regional business expand internationally and gain real-world, hands-on consulting experience.
– David D. Dawley, PhD – Executive Director, Robbins Center for Global Business and Strategy, Associate Professor, Management, John Chambers College of Business and Economics, West Virginia University
GW-CIBER Annual International Business Bootcamp
This virtual program is designed for select GW and partner school students who are interested in expanding their knowledge of and practical skills in global business and trade. The program involves a deep dive into learning about the mechanics of international trade through four main domain areas – Global Business Management, Global Marketing, Supply Chain Management, and Trade Finance. These domain areas are the core of the top international business professional certification, known as the Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP), which is offered by NASBITE International, the leading U.S. organization supporting the training and education in the field of global business. Participants in the GW-CIBER International Business Bootcamp are encouraged to sit for the exam and receive financial support to cover the registration fee should they pass it. In December 2024, GW-CIBER launched the 6th edition of the Bootcamp, with more than 50 accepted participants (out of more than 90 applications). Apart from GWU students, over the years the program has included students from Howard University, University of the District of Columbia, West Virginia University, George Mason University, and Southwest Virginia Community College. Several students who participated in the Bootcamp proceeded on to accept full-time jobs in international trade.
Testimonials:
“The GW-CIBER International Business Bootcamp was an incredibly valuable and insightful experience. I gained practical knowledge on key topics like Harmonized System Codes and classifications, incoterms, and foreign market entry modes. The program provided me with tools and frameworks that are essential for navigating the complexities of international business and trade.”
– Carlysle Devane-Schneider, MS in International Business, The George Washington University
“The GW-CIBER International Business Bootcamp provides extraordinary programming for incoming IBUS professionals. The course is structured around the Certified Global Business Professional certification through extensive review of applicable technical and regulatory matrix in International Business. I can’t wait to attend once again and prepare for the CGBP exam!”
– Kyle A. Dimovitz, MS in Business, Management, and Marketing, The George Washington University
GW-CIBER Annual International Trade Trek
This career trek to the Port of Virginia, the 3rd largest port on the eastern seaboard, offers students an in-depth understanding of the international trade ecosystem, including how goods are imported and exported and how regulatory and legal issues shape trade. In the fall, GW-CIBER travels with a group of GW students to the Norfolk / Hampton Roads area where they visit and hear presentations from several companies including Givens Incorporated (a family-owned and operated logistics provider), Virginia International Gateway (the largest privately-owned container terminal in the US), CV International (one of the largest transportation specialists and custom house brokers in the region), Capes Shipping (which provides vessel agency for many of the VA ports), and Old Dominion University’s International Maritime, Ports and Logistics Institute (which provides research and insights on the competitive landscape of the region). In October 2024, the group also attended the Virginia Maritime Association’s International Trade Symposium where the students had the opportunity to network with different actors in the maritime industry and listen to presentations from experts in the field about growth and collaboration in the industry, particularly in the area of environmental sustainability.