Jerry Smith

Jerry Smith, founder and Chairman of Transcon Trading Company, is a graduate of Mercer University. He established Transcon in 1979 that acts as an Export Management Company for wide range of U.S. manufacturers.

As a result of his expertise, Jerry has written a number of export-related articles for national publications and appeared as a guest speaker at export seminars and conferences nationwide. He has served on a number of export-related committees and boards. For instance, he is the former Chairman for the South Carolina Governor’s Export Advisory Committee. As a member of the committee, he chaired the Legislative Committee that successfully passed the S.C. Export Tax Incentive law, the second in the nation to pass this type legislation.

He has acted as Chairman of the Small Business Exporters’ Association, a national advocacy organization based in Washington, DC. (Recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Service). Among his accomplishments during his tenure with SBEA, he established the Export Opportunity Hotline at the University of South Carolina, using a national toll free number to call for assistance and guidance by those interested in exporting. Also, in conjunction with the S.C. Export Consortium he initiated and edited the first State’s Export Incentive Study, a one of a kind publication comparing and listing the export services and incentives offered by each of the 50 United States of America.

He has appeared before U.S. congressional committees and met with U.S. cabinet and agency heads on behalf of small business exporters.

He is a former member of the prestigious Society of International Business Fellows. Additionally, he is on the Advisory Board of the South Carolina Export Consortium; serves on the Executive Board of the Midlands International Trade Association; and was formerly on the U.S. Department of Commerce District Export Council.

Also, he served on the Advisory Board of the Export-Import Bank of the United States for 1999-2000. Transcon Trading was a former nominee for the Export-Import Bank Exporter of the Year.

He served as a Captain in the Adjutant General’s Corp of the U.S. Army.

Sonya Kosta Di Nova

Sonya Kosta Di Nova, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transcon Trading Co., Inc., located in Columbia SC, USA, is a graduate of the Master of International Business Studies (MIBS) Program at The Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina (USC), consistently ranked the number 1 Master of International Business Program in the U.S.A. by U.S. News & World Report. Upon graduation, Sonya was awarded the prestigious Allen Dickerman Award for top academic achievement. Prior to MIBS, she was enrolled in the Political Science Department’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) as Fulbright Scholar. Additionally, her European descend brings in her resume a master’s degree from Varna’s Economics University.

Sonya’s professional experience includes a number of positions within the area of international business: Director Economic Analysis and International Business Relations for Regional Government Office; Marketing and Sales Manager for the Bulgarian Foreign Trade Office; Director European Distribution for Carolina Exports International USA; Special Projects Manager for the Solvay Group in Europe; Business Intelligence and Market and Economic Analysis in The Department of Strategic Planning and New Market Development at Amoco (BP) Corporation in Chicago, USA.

At Transcon, Sonya has been in charge of planning and implementation of marketing and sales strategies, development of new markets and distributor networks, and trade show participation to grow export sales in all categories of business. Her responsibilities have included Account Management, Director of Pet Division, Marketing and Sales Director, Executive Vice President, and now President and CEO. As such, in addition to overseeing all domestic and international marketing and sales and new business development activities; she assumed the oversight of all operational and financial functions of the company.

Sonya serves on the Board of the SC Export Consortium. She is also an Adjunct Professor at The Moore School of Business, USC (University of South Carolina). Sonya speaks fluent English, Russian, and Bulgarian and also some Macedonian and Italian. She represents Transcon as a member of such renowned organizations as the SCWTC (South Carolina World Trade Center), SCWAC (South Carolina World’s Affairs Council), MITA (Midland’s International Trade Organization), APPMA (American Pet Products Manufacturers Association).

Frederic Belinga

Frederic is originally from Cameroon, Africa. He is a graduate of the University of Paris Sorbonne with special studies in International Transportation and Distribution. Additionally, he is a graduate of the University of Yaounde, majoring in business management. He has extensive business experience in land and sea transportation. Frederic has numerous professional travels throughout Europe and the Sub-Sahara region and speaks French fluently. Frederic is a Senior Account Manager concentrating on a customer base in Europe and the Middle East.

Margarita Roman

Margarita is a graduate of Coruniversitec, Bogota, Colombia. Her business experience includes customized label design work for such companies as Proctor & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive and Unilever. She customized and oversaw several trade lines with customers throughout Colombia and South America. Margarita speaks fluent Spanish and English. Margarita is an Account Manger, specializing in developing growth markets in South America. Additionally, she oversees the company graphics development for sales literature and specialized labeling, often required for international markets. Margarita is also responsible for developing sales bulletins that are Email broadcast to Transcon’s customer base.

Marina Plotnikova

Marina is originally from Kazakhstan, where she graduated from East-Kazakhstan State University. She has since acquired her Masters of Business Administration from Clemson University. Marina has had a variety of experiences in export related activities including work as a Trade Consultant with the S.C. Export Consortium and as an intern with IAP World Wide Services where she worked in the Procurement and Logistics Department… Talented in linguistics, she speaks fluent Russian and English.

Tony Fenik

Tony has the position of Leads Manager, a uniquely created position at Transcon. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Tony was on both the President’s and Dean’s Honor Role. He has extensive computer skills and experience with a wide variety of software programs. As Leads Manager, he is responsible for managing the initial inquiries from international customers. His follow-up with our numerous leads and inquiries is manifold and an important part of supplier services. Tony speaks fluent English, Slovak and Czech.

Larry Buza

Larry is also a graduate of the Master of International Business program of the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies. Larry speaks Korean and some Chinese, having spent a number of years in both countries. As an Account Manager, he focuses on developing our Asian accounts for both pet and equine business. Additionally, Larry is responsible for our web development and database programming.

Steven Niedringhaus

Steven is a graduate of the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, with majors in International Business and Finance. He is an Account Manager working with clients in Europe, S.E. Asia, and the Middle East. Steven was a President’s List and Dean’s List student at the University of South Carolina. Steven is proficient in German communication, having both studied in Germany and taken German language studies while at the University of South Carolina.

Affiliate Offices

Transcon maintains working relationships with offices in the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, China and Chile supporting market information gathering and on-ground contacts for Europe, the Far East and South America.

Interns and Graduate Assistants

Transcon employs part time graduate assistants and full time interns from the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina. Their responsibilities include market research and assistance to Senior Management and Account Managers. Currently, they are composed of students from Germany, South Korea and France.

Note: All of the Transcon staff has extensive international travel, including attendance at approximately 60 international trade shows.

Recognition and Awards

Transcon has been featured in publications like Columbia Business Monthly, Times Magazine, Pets International Magazine, The State newspaper, Columbia Metropolitan Magazine, The Port News and TradeRoots Magazine. Transcon has been the Recipient of the President’s “E” Award, the Nation’s Highest Honor for Excellency in Exporting, the SCWTC Trader of the Year Award, and most recently, the ThinkGlobal/Commercial News USA Exporter of the Year Award.