Sonya Kostadinova

Sonya Kostadinova, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transcon Trading Co., Inc., Export Management Company, 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 descent brings in her resume a graduate degree from Varna Economic 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 Offices; Marketing and Sales Manager for a State Foreign Trade Office; Director European Distribution for Carolina 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 Inc. (British Petroleum) Corporation in Chicago, USA.

Having worked for multinational companies’ Head Quarters and Subsidiaries alike, Government Agencies, as well as run her import/distribution company in Europe prior to owning an export management company in USA, Sonya has gained extensive experience in all facets of international business. Having been herself in the shoes of exporters/importers, manufactures/suppliers, customers/distributors, logistics companies, and government regulatory agencies, coupled with her involvement in strategic planning, supply chain, finance, accounting, regulatory, marketing, advertising, and sales management on two continents, gives her a very unique competitive edge.

Kostadinova is an Adjunct Professor at The Renowned Moore School of Business at USC, teaching two IBUS “Exporting and Importing” classes a week, essentially unveiling International Trade in Action and the international business related functional areas such as financing, marketing, negotiations, logistics, government regulations, etc. along with the legal aspects of an international (export/import) transaction.

Sonya serves on the Board of the ECI-Find New Markets (former SC Export Consortium), the Advisory Board of the SCWTC (South Carolina World Trade Center); and on the Executive Committee of MITA (Midlands International Trade Association). Sonya speaks fluent English, Russian, and Bulgarian and also some Macedonian and Italian. She represents Transcon as a member of SCWAC (South Carolina World’s Affairs Council), USEA, APPMA (American Pet Products Manufacturers Association), SBEA (Exporters Association), and other renowned professional organizations.

Tony Fenik

Tony has the position of Network Systems Administrator / Marketing Manager, a uniquely created position at Transcon. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with minor in Business Information Systems and later his Masters of Business Administration degree, 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, organizing marketing campaigns and trade shows, and measuring the effectiveness of our marketing and sales capabilities in order to continuously improve Transcon’s processes. His follow-up and database organization with our numerous leads and inquiries is manifold and an important part of supplier services. Tony speaks fluent English, Slovak and Czech.

Katia Duvall

Katia holds a position of Account Manager at Transcon. She is originally from Peru and lived in Canada for over 20 years. She has a Bachelors of Commerce with Major in Management Information Systems from Concondia University in Montreal, Canada. She also has a Graduate’s Certificate in Marketing from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She has over 10 years experience dealing with international clients. She is an Account Manager working with clients in Latin America, Italy and Portugal. Katia speaks fluent English, Spanish and French and has conversational fluency in Italian and Portuguese.

Joe Pearson

Joe brings 11 years of International Business experience to the position of Account Manager at Transcon. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina’s top ranked Masters of International Business (MIBS) program with a concentration in Global Corporate Finance, finishing in the top 10% of his class. After the MIBS program, Joe spent nearly 8 years as Vice President of Administration for a cotton trading company, responsible for managing exports in excess of 8000 TEUs per year to more than 25 countries. In that position, he developed a deep knowledge of all major modes of transportation, letters of credit, marine cargo insurance, and warehousing.

He has served on the Transportation, Documentation, and Insurance Committee for the American Cotton Shipper’s Association, has been member of the Midlands International Trade Association, is a board member of the South Carolina International Trade Conference, and is a 2010 graduate of Leadership South Carolina. Joe speaks excellent Spanish and has lived and worked in Costa Rica, Panama, and Mexico.

Janne Funderburk

Janne was born in Philippines and got her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration in University of the East, Manila. Her eleven years extensive experience working in an export oriented manufacturing company helped develop her knowledge of manufacturing processes per customers’ specifications as well as marketing and logisitcs as part of the export process. She has a wide experience dealing with retailers and wholesalers from high end to low end market. She worked in a buying office dealing with sourcing products and shipping to Asia, USA, Europe and Middle East.

Geoffrey Sexton

Geoffrey is a native of Columbia, South Carolina. He is a graduate of the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, and has a Bachelor of Science degree with major in Marketing and minor in Japanese. He is an Account Manager working with clients in Europe, Africa, S.E. Asia and AU & NZ, as well as the Middle East. Geoffrey was a President’s and Dean’s List student at the University of South Carolina, as well as a Moore School of Business Honor Graduate. Talented in linguistics, he speaks fluent English, Japanese, and conversational Spanish.

Affiliate Offices

Transcon has developed working relationships with offices in Europe, Middle East, Asia, and South America supporting market information gathering and on-ground contacts in these markets.

In Japan, particularly for OEM business, Tadashi Hatano takes care of customers interested in equine supplements, pet food, and construction pencils in specialty fields as well as he is acting as marketing manager, which is backed with his experience accumulated as a manager in international business at a company of Hitachi group for over 35 years. Also he is a member of Association of International Business Advisers.

Recognitions 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 is 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 the ThinkGlobal/Commercial News USA Exporter of the Year Award.