SUNRNR of Virginia, Inc., a Shenandoah Valley based solar generator manufacturer was recently one of nine small business owners and elected officials invited by the White House Business Council to attend a briefing with President Obama and senior Administration officials. This Small Business Exporters Roundtable was assembled to discuss President Obama's export and international trade agenda.

SUNRNR of Virginia, Inc., a Shenandoah Valley based solar generator manufacturer was recently one of nine small business owners and elected officials invited by the White House Business Council to attend a briefing with President Obama and senior Administration officials. This Small Business Exporters Roundtable was assembled to discuss President Obama's export and international trade agenda.

The President spent an hour with the group asking questions and listening to what business owners had to share about their export experiences, challenges, and the benefits. In a short address following the discussion, President Obama said he would "… make sure that outstanding goods and services made right here in the United States of America have access to global markets. Ninety-five percent of the customers of the world are outside our borders, and we've got to make sure that we're able to sell to them…And that's why we're going to make sure that the trade deals of the future reflect the labor protections, the environment protections, the protection of property -- intellectual property that's so important to our businesses. But we're going to pry those markets open. I'm not going to settle for the status quo because we think we can grow enormously." http://wh.gov/iWzv9

SUNRNR was also selected to be the featured company from Virginia in a joint project of the Office of US Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce titled "United States of Trade: 50 Stories in 50 States that Show the Impact of Trade Across the Nation." The publication gives facts and figures, as well as company details about the importance of trade opportunities to small businesses across the nation.

SUNRNR currently exports to Canada, Japan and several African countries, with exports accounting for 7% of sales. The SUNRNR team is looking to expand into more international markets that could benefit from portable energy systems. Jenny French's personal reflections on the White House Roundtable experience, "SUNRNR Goes to Washington DC and Beyond: Poised for Export" provides more insight into small businesses that export.