Bryant helping firms expand internationally

SMITHFIELD – Bryant University’s International Business Practicum has grown to 22 participating companies this year from its original six in 2009, and is being credited with helping some of those firms expand.
“[Most] companies are either launching or are in the process of formalizing plans to launch [internationally],” said Madan Annavarjula, coordinator of the school’s international business program. “The companies benefit from working with students who are current in their knowledge, motivated, and willing to do the work they might not have time or resources to do.”
Approximately 50 of the companies who participated over the last few years now have launched products internationally or expanded existing operations, including Hanna Instruments in Smithfield, which is pursuing ventures into Panama and South Korea and Gripnail, a metal-fastener manufacturer in East Providence that soon will begin exports to South America. &#8226