COMMERCE IN THE NIS by Linda Nemec Assistance programs run by the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration focus on helping U.S. companies make contacts and do business in the Newly Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. Now is the time to take advantage of these programs, which are funded primarily by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). ABCs Some of the largest untapped markets in the NIS are outside Moscow. Business people hesitate to travel to these regions because the cities are not well known, they aren t easy to reach, and it has been almost impossible to "phone home" and otherwise conduct business from there. The opening of the American Business Centers (ABCs) in major cities outside Moscow solves these problems for U.S. companies. ABCs are offices away from home, complete with computers, telecommunication services, E-MAIL connections, copiers, and secretarial services, as well as regional market information and business counseling. After using the ABCs in Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg, Eddy Van den Branden of Valleylab commented, "Local ABCs are a dream come true for every businessman who wants to facilitate an introduction into Russia and the CIS." In Russia, ABCs are open in the Far East (Khabarovsk and Vladivostok), the Urals (Yekatarinburg and Chelyabink), Siberia (Nizhnevartovsk and Novosibirsk), and St. Petersburg. By mid- 1995, ABCs will open in Volgograd and Nizhny Novgorod. In the other NIS countries, ABCs will open in Minsk, Belarus; Kiev, Ukraine; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; and Almaty, Kazakhstan. CABNIS Establishing a market presence in the NIS is critical for doing business there. Membership in one of 12 Consortia of American Business in the NIS (CABNIS) is a low-risk, low-cost way to do so. Consortia offices in the NIS provide your company with tailored export promotion services. On-site consortia representatives identify and pursue specific trade opportunities, and keep you up-to-date with developments in your industry sector. Consortia have been formed for telecommunications and electronics; biotechnology; food industries and agribusiness; building products; environmental technologies; information systems; coal-extraction technologies; and semiconductor equipment and materials. Regional consortia also serve St. Petersburg and the Russian Far East. The Alaska-Russia Company, of Anchorage, Alaska, is a member of Troika, a consortium that promotes trade between the U.S. and the Russian Far East and has an office Khabarovsk. According to Kathleen Tarr, food export manager for the Alaska-Russia Company, "The Troika office was instrumental in assisting us with contacts....it helps a tremendous amount to have someone on-site over there, who can get firsthand information. They re our only on-the-ground contact. SABIT The most common advice on doing business in the NIS is to find the right partner. Internships offer a low-cost way to make contacts, train, and really get to know potential partners. More than 185 U.S. companies have formed lasting business relationships with NIS managers through the U.S. Department of Commerce s Special American Business Internship Program (SABIT) since 1990. These firms have hosted an NIS executive or scientist for one to six months, gaining valuable insights without leaving the United States. Travel costs are paid for by the program, and participating firms receive grants to defray the costs of providing professional training to interns. According to Michael Carrol of North American Agriculture, an Illinois company that has hosted several interns, the opportunity of working side-by-side with our personnel in the United States under the SABIT program probably accomplished as much as several years of working experience in the NIS. BISNIS The main goals of BISNIS are to inform the business community about U.S. Government programs that promote trade and investment in the NIS, and to ensure that the vast amount of NIS business information collected by the U.S. Government is available to the business public. Most readers know BISNIS through its publications--BISNIS Bulletin, BISNIS Search for Partners, and Commercial Opportunities. Many are also familiar with the Flashfax, an automated fax system that makes hundreds of documents available around the clock. BISNIS also publishes Sources of Finance for Trade and Investment in the NIS. BISNIS also counsels U.S. companies on trade and investment. Ten NIS trade specialists are available for one-on-one consultations and to answer specific questions. An overseas network of employees working at embassies in the NIS, linked via INTERNET, is just an E-MAIL message away. BISNIS has several NIS business databases at its disposal and is in constant touch with U.S. Government agencies that offer financing.