Business Booms for Trade Exchange of America and Its Members

Added : ( Tue Feb 26 2002 )

Contact: Adrienne Lenhoff
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Business Booms for Trade Exchange of America and Its Members

TEA Reports Volume Increases of 25%

Detroit, Mich., February 26, 2002 – Barter could very well be the boon for steadying the faltering economy and rising unemployment rates. Trade Exchange of America (TEA), whose membership has weathered several recessions since the formation of the Exchange in 1978, reports a 25 percent increase in income and trade volume over the past twelve months.

TEA is one of the largest privately held trade exchanges in the country and one of the first to introduce a successful Internet based business model, www.tradefirst.com. Its more than 5000 members are promoted within the exchange via proactive brokering by its staff, targeted e-mails, banner ads on its Web Site, monthly newsletters, weekly faxes, an annual membership directory and sponsorship of trade expositions throughout the year. Local and global organizations belong to TEA and members find that the benefits of barter are as varied and creative as they choose. TEA members cite increased cash flows, expanded customer bases, expanded utilization of inventories and manufacturing facilities, improved employee benefits, increased profits and market share, and the attainment of tangibles and luxury items that may have seemed unattainable in the past.

"When businesses are conserving cash resources, the question becomes ‘do we buy that new piece of equipment, put that new roof on our building or advertise to retain or increase our market share?’ Innovative business minds turn to barter," cites TEA founder and president, Frederic Detwiler. "By accruing trade dollars, our members are able to conserve their hard cash reserves and increase their bottom lines. With trade dollars they are able to purchase that piece of equipment, contract for that new roof, complete their advertising buys and often have enough trade dollars left that they can creatively reward their employees for jobs well done."

Trade dollars are the parallel of cash dollars. Many companies who actively barter analyze all of their cash business expenditures and convert many of those cash transactions to trade dollar transactions. Unlike one-on-one trade transactions that force participants to be dependent on one another to provide the exact goods and services needed by each of the respective participating companies, membership in exchanges such as TEA offer members the opportunity to trade for what they need, when they need it. Much like a bank, TEA and various exchanges around the world, track deposits and withdrawals, assist in brokering deals when needed and provide the availability of lines of credit to their members. Trade transactions mirror cash transactions so closely that the IRS requires Exchanges to issue 1099’s and report member incomes derived from trades.
The International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA) cited that overall trade volume surged in North America during the last recession, rising 24 percent over the years 1989-1991 compared to 19 percent during 1987-1989. Trade growth for 1984-1994, averaged 15.3 percent per year. It is estimated that more than $16 billion was bartered last year in the U.S. alone, and barter is becoming one of the fastest-growing segments of the world's economy.

In many ways TEA’s proactive marketing approach within its membership acts as a market maker for its members. If their bottom line increases and new customers and distribution outlets are developed then productivity goes up both in market booms and boons.

About Trade Exchange of America:
Trade Exchange of America (TEA) is a nationwide e-commerce network of businesses that work together, trading their goods and services in order to generate new business, offset cash expenses, and increase profits by utilizing excess capacity and inventory.

TEA has been an innovative leader in the rapidly growing e-commerce business-to-business model of computerized barter. Since opening in 1978, TEA has become one of the largest independently-owned trade exchanges in the country, with over 5,000 member companies providing thousands of different products and services. Through its Web Site, www.tradefirst.com, TEA effectively brings the benefits of barter to companies throughout the country, with the added ability of being able to provide current members with full account and listing information, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The President and Owner of TEA, Frederic Detwiler, is a founding member of the International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA). His leadership abilities have helped carve a path for the entire barter industry.

Trade Exchange of America has operated multiple regional trading centers in Michigan, Ohio, and Florida, and has strong relationships with the most prominent barter companies throughout the U.S. and the world.

Submitted by: Adrienne Lenhoff Add your press release for free.

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