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How an Illinois company does businesses in Iraq

Kai Ryssdal Jun 18, 2014
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How an Illinois company does businesses in Iraq

Kai Ryssdal Jun 18, 2014
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Jason Speer, President of Quality Float Works Inc., a float metal ball manufacturing company, has travelled several times to Iraq since their expansion into the troubled country:

“People still don’t even believe me, I have to show them some pictures,” says Speer, about his business trips to Iraq.

Speer says he saw investing in Iraq as an opportunity.

“The country needs to be rebuilt,” says Speer. “Everything has been destroyed over the years of neglect. I think there are a lot of opportunities for American businesses especially.”

Doing business in Iraq is definitely not easy. Just shipping the float metal balls can be a tricky process. Speer says they work with a local business man that assists with the logistics of getting their product into the country, but sometimes their products sit for weeks at a time, just waiting for the paperwork to be handled and to be cleared.

Listen to the full interview in the audio player above.

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