DIAMOND BAR, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Commerce has named SEMA as one of five recipients of the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) for 2011. As a result, SEMA will receive $500,000 in matching funds over the next three years to support U.S. manufacturers that export automotive specialty-equipment products to booming emerging international markets. The grant is intended to stimulate U.S. exports of specialty-equipment products as part of the administration’s National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports by 2014 in support of several million U.S. jobs.

"SEMA is pleased to partner with the Commerce Department to expand the association’s initiatives bringing together U.S. manufacturers with distributors and retailers in the fastest-growing markets in the world," said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. "The fact that SEMA has been selected for a MDCP award from the U.S. Department of Commerce reinforces the value of our growing Business Development Conference program and provides financial support to members seeking to participate in this and other association export initiatives."

SEMA was selected from among nearly 50 applicants based on a number of factors, including export success, performance measurement, partnership potential with the Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) and compatibility with ITA priorities, creativity, institutional capacity and program sustainability following the grant period.

For more information about the Market Development Cooperator Program, visit www.trade.gov/mdcp. For more information on SEMA’s international programs, contact SEMA’s Director of International and Government Relations Linda Spencer at [email protected].