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Wednesday Webinar with SBA Seattle District is an ongoing series of free, virtual, webinars covering a variety of topics to benefit small business owners. On the fourth Wednesday of each month is Are You Ready to Export? featuring conversations with different members of the Washington Export Outreach Team (WEOT). For 2025, the focus will be Partners in Exporting: how WEOT agencies collaboratively work together along with other organizations to support Washington businesses to sell their goods and services internationally
Join the Export Finance Assistance Center of Washington (EFACW) to learn how they assist small businesses in Washington state. EFACW provides tailored export training programs developed through strategic partnerships, led by nationally recognized experts in export and international trade. This February, learn about EFACW's collaboration with Mike Allocca, the training he offers, and how businesses can benefit from his expertise and insights.
Zara Castillo | Director, Export Finance Center of Washington (EFACW)
Zara, an alumna of University of Washington, holds certifications in Global Finance Management and Global Marketing Strategies from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and is a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) accredited by NASBITE. As the Director at EFACW, Zara works with small businesses to navigate export finance challenges and help them identify solutions to enhance their international trade efforts. Zara often works with local and federal agencies and trade organizations to provide comprehensive resources and support for exporters.
The Export Finance Assistance Center of Washington (EFACW) was established by the Washington State legislature in 1983 with the mission of providing free export finance advice and counseling to small and medium-sized exporters, as well as to those in Washington State considering entering the export market.
Mike Allocca, MBA, CGBP | President, Allocca Enterprises, Inc.
Mike is a national expert in export compliance and documentation with over 25 years of experience. He has received several awards, including the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Presidential Excellence in Export Services Award, and is a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP). In 2006, he founded Allocca Enterprises and works with exporters and importers across the United States. He served on the District Export Council in Columbia, SC, for four years and was a member of the National District Export Council for three years, where he held the roles of Secretary/Treasurer and Chair of Outreach and Education.
Allocca Enterprises, Inc. specializes in providing education and training for international trade compliance. They offer customized solutions for organizations engaged in importing or exporting, regardless of their size. Their services assist in the development and maintenance of compliance programs for both export and import activities.
Washington Export Outreach Team (WEOT)
Washington Export Outreach Team (WEOT) is a collaborative team of local, state, regional, and federal export assistance agencies who provide you with the tools and resources needed to sell goods and services internationally. WEOT was formed in 2013 in response to a national mandate for Federal Government Agencies to work with local resources to provide a higher level of support for companies conducting business international trade.
About the Host
John Brislin is SBA's International Trade & Finance Specialist (Export Finance Manager) for Washington State, Northern Idaho and Alaska. He has over 23 years of private-sector international banking and trade finance experience working at Bank of Boston (Bank of America) and Bank of California (U.S. Bank). John has over 12 years of public-sector export trade finance and risk mitigation experience working at Export Finance Assistance Center of Washington (EFACW), Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank) and SBA Office of International Trade (SBA OIT). He looks forward to working with Small Businesses so they can turn their export opportunities into actual sales and to achieve the ultimate goal of getting paid—especially on time—for those sales.
