Women in International Trade Los Angeles

What Women in International Trade Los Angeles does

Women in International Trade Los Angeles (WIT-LA) is a volunteer-run, nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1986 that serves international trade professionals in Southern California. It is recognized as the founding chapter of OWIT International (Organization of Women in International Trade), a global association with 30 chapters worldwide. The organization provides educational programming on trade policy and regulations, networking events with industry leaders, and an annual Global Trade Awards Gala that recognizes senior women leaders across federal agencies, port authorities, customs, aviation, and corporate trade functions. It also runs two named scholarship programs (Marjorie M. Shostak and Gladys A. Moreau) for students pursuing international trade education, publishes a quarterly newsletter, and maintains an International Trade Resource Guide for members.

WIT-LA's core offerings are non-technological community and education services: educational forums (e.g., the China Trade Policy event held November 30, 2022), networking mixers, the Global Trade Awards Gala (held annually since its 9th edition in 2022), scholarship administration, a quarterly newsletter, and a resource guide. There is no proprietary software platform, mobile application, or technology product; the website (wit-la.org) functions as a membership-enrollment and event-listing portal rather than a SaaS product. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors (12+ named board members drawn from law firms, banking, insurance, port operations, government, and academia) and operates with no disclosed paid staff, using a P.O. Box in Los Angeles as its official mailing address.

WIT-LA's business model is a traditional nonprofit association revenue mix: recurring membership dues (subscription model), event registration fees for forums and the annual Gala, and event sponsorships from corporate and institutional supporters. Go-to-market is community-led, with self-serve online membership enrollment, a quarterly email newsletter, in-person events across Southern California, and word-of-mouth referrals through the OWIT International network. The organization does not have funding rounds, equity investors, or paid headcount; it is structurally a 501(c)-style association rather than an investable technology or services company, and its scale signals (35+ years of operation, regional Southern California focus, single signature annual event) indicate a small, stable operating budget under $1M annually.

Name

Women in International Trade Los Angeles

Legal name

Women in International Trade Los Angeles

Website

https://wit-la.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Women in International Trade Los Angeles (WIT-LA) is a volunteer-run, nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1986 that serves international trade professionals in Southern California. It is the founding chapter of OWIT International (30 chapters globally) and delivers educational programming, networking events, scholarships, and an annual Global Trade Awards Gala.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: WIT-LA generates revenue through membership fees from professionals in international trade. The organization offers membership tiers and encourages joining through their website.
2. Event Sponsorships: The organization hosts an annual Global Trade Awards Gala and other events with sponsor participation.
3. Event Registration Fees: Revenue generated from event registrations including the annual Global Trade Awards Gala and China Trade Policy events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WIT-LA is a volunteer-run nonprofit professional membership organization that provides educational programming, networking opportunities, scholarship programs, and recognition events (including the annual Global Trade Awards Gala) for international trade professionals in Southern California. As the founding chapter of OWIT International, it offers members access to a global network of 30 chapters.

Product overview

WIT-LA is a volunteer-run professional membership organization, not a technology product company. It offers a portfolio of programs and services including educational programming for professional enrichment, networking opportunities, scholarship programs (Marjorie M. Shostak and Gladys A. Moreau), the annual Global Trade Awards recognition program, a quarterly newsletter covering international trade issues, an International Trade Resource Guide, and various events including forums and fundraising dinners. The organization serves Southern California's international trade community and is the founding chapter of OWIT International with 30 chapters worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Programming & Professional Enrichment Educational programming for professional and personal enrichment of members, covering current foreign trade issues, standards, and regulations.
• Networking Opportunities Platform for networking opportunities to enhance and advance career opportunities of members within the international trade community.
• Global Trade Awards Gala Annual awards program recognizing top women leaders in international trade, including ambassadors, government officials, and industry leaders.
• Marjorie M. Shostak Scholarship Scholarship program supporting students pursuing education in international trade or related fields.
• Gladys A. Moreau Scholarship Scholarship program supporting students pursuing education in international trade or related fields.
• Quarterly Newsletter Newsletter published quarterly to keep readers updated on current foreign trade issues, standards, regulations, OWIT activities, and international business community news.
• International Trade Resource Guide Resource guide providing information and tools for the benefit of WIT-LA members and friends in the international trade community.
• WITmas Holiday Fundraising Dinner Annual holiday fundraising dinner event supporting the organization's community outreach initiatives.

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OWIT International (Organization of Women in International Trade)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWIT-LA is the founding chapter of OWIT International, a global organization with 30 chapters around the world. OWIT is the only global business association dedicated to helping women and men excel in international trade.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber): California's largest broad-based business association with deep international trade policy expertise (Susanne T. Stirling, WIT-LA honoree, is CalChamber's VP International Affairs). Competes for the same Southern California trade professional audience but at much greater scale and with paid staff.
• Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional chamber serving the greater LA business community with international trade programming. Overlaps with WIT-LA's Southern California member base on networking, advocacy, and trade policy education.
• Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC): Regional economic development organization that includes international trade as a key pillar. Competes for corporate sponsorships and policy-influencing relationships across the same Southern California trade ecosystem.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: National federation with significant international trade policy and export-promotion programming. Sets the broader trade-association agenda that WIT-LA members participate in and occasionally overlaps on policy education.

Others

• International Trade Administration (U.S. Department of Commerce): Federal agency that runs export-promotion programs and trade missions frequently highlighted in WIT-LA programming (e.g., Julie Anne Hennessy of the LA West office). Not a competitor but a partner/feeder organization whose activity drives member demand.
• NAFTA / USMCA Trade Coalition–style regional trade associations: Industry coalitions and binational chambers (e.g., regional USMCA trade groups) that provide policy advocacy and member networking on cross-border trade, thematically adjacent to WIT-LA's mission of supporting trade professionals.

Regional players

• Port of Los Angeles: Major U.S. trade gateway and frequent subject of WIT-LA programming (e.g., Gene Seroka remarks featured on wit-la.org). Operates community and trade-relations programming that partially overlaps with WIT-LA's networking mission.
• San Diego World Trade Center: Southern California peer trade-promotion organization based in San Diego, offering international trade events, missions, and education. Comparable in mission and structure but does not directly compete in WIT-LA's LA geography.

Direct peers

• World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA): Los Angeles–focused international trade promotion organization offering networking events, trade missions, and educational programming. Most direct functional peer to WIT-LA in the LA trade community.
• Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT International): Global parent association of WIT-LA and the only worldwide business association dedicated to women and men in international trade, with 30 chapters. Direct overlap in mission, programming, and membership model; WIT-LA is OWIT's founding chapter.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wit_losangeles
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wit-la

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Women in International Trade Los Angeles