World Trade Center Arkansas is the recent recipient of a $597,116 grant from the Economic Development Administration that will be utilized to expand its outreach services to Arkansas companies. The funding will be used for education, trade missions and trade shows, and costs associated with developing international business opportunities. “We are extremely pleased to be awarded this Economic Development Administration grant, which will assist Arkansas companies to explore and expand export markets,” W. Dan Hendrix, president and chief executive officer of World Trade Center Arkansas. “More than 50,000 total jobs in all sectors are supported by exports in Arkansas, including more than 14 percent of manufacturing jobs. Nearly 80 percent of Arkansas exporters are small businesses, which can and will benefit from this grant.”