There’s something about watching history in the making, even if your selection to win the 2018 NCAA tournament was the University of Virginia.
On Friday, March 16, 2018, the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMBC) men’s basketball team achieved a first. Entering the NCAA tournament, aka March Madness, as a number 16 seed, they became the first school to ever beat a number one seed, trouncing the University of Virginia by a score of 74 – 54. And that sound you heard were brackets collapsing around the world.
Although the NCAA is big business, small businesses are part of the global sports supply chain, providing products to domestic and international customers. Robbins Sport Surfaces is one such company. The family-owned business is a supplier of high-performance maple and synthetic sports flooring systems to the National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association, sports arenas, education and fitness markets. Founded in 1894 and based in Cincinnati, Ohio, the small business employs over 200 people in Cincinnati (Ohio), White Lake (Wisconsin) and Ishpeming (Michigan).
To access new markets abroad, Robbins has relied on EXIM Bank’s export credit insurance dating back to 2003. EXIM has insured over $7 million of Robbin’s shipments since 2007 and the company’s export sales have continued to climb as a result.
“EXIM has allowed Robbins to do business in markets where we would otherwise not be able to participate. They provided us with the tools to compete and succeed in the international marketplace. With EXIM Bank, Robbins is taking American-made basketball courts to the global sports community."
- Jay Stoehr, President and CEO
