When he founded West Chester-based chemical distribution company Chemtech International with just $400, Kaushik “Kosh” Daphtary had the vision of selling his products to companies around the globe, writes Gene Marks for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

For years, he struggled to understand the complicated rules of doing business in other countries. It was also not easy for him to make contacts and expand. Then, in 2002, he met a team at the then-fledging World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia and things improved significantly. 

His company took advantage of free services provided by the center for its small and mid-sized company members who wish to trade overseas. He also used the organization to determine the risks and rewards of selling to and understand the rules of conducting trade in different regions. 

“The World Trade Center helped us to set up meetings with potential customers and distributors overseas,” he said. “They helped us by acting as a representative for our company in different countries. We could not have done this on our own.” 

The company became one of the first members of the center, and Daphtary has been actively involved with it ever since. 

Read more about Chemtech International in The Philadelphia Inquirer.