EAST VALLEY GLOBAL BUSINESS UPDATE
BUSINESS WITHOUT
BORDERS By JESSE A. MILLARD
I
t’s 2018 and easier than ever to take your business beyond U.S. borders and into the global marketplace. The global banking system is there to help with any transaction, free trade is allowing goods to fly across borders and the Internet allows us to be anywhere, anytime. Still, despite these tools and resources, many business leaders still have trouble finding the right guide to help them grow their business internationally. Thankfully, Metro Phoenix is a hub for global connections. The Global Chamber, a growing network of cities tethering the Greater Phoenix region to places like Mexico City, Johannesburg, Madrid and Tokyo is headquartered inside SkySong, The ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center. Global Chamber acts as a connector for businesses across the globe that are looking to expand beyond their homeland borders. In this global world and economy, the Global Chamber has been very busy. Doug Bruhnke founded Global Chamber three years ago with
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AB | March - April 2018
the goal of connecting 525 metro areas together to help community business leaders find success in global marketplaces. In just three years, Global Chamber has grown into more than 200 cities, Bruhnke says. EXPANDING HORIZONS Bruhnke has always been something of an international connector. He worked in international marketing and sales at DuPont for 19 years and went on to work on the international side of things for a string of big league companies, including General Motors, Johnson & Johnson and Microsoft. Often, Bruhnke would be one of the few, if not only, advocates for expanding the business into global marketplaces. Eventually, Bruhnke would host monthly meetings, where business leaders would get together to talk about their global efforts. He quickly saw a growing demand for help in the global marketplace.