COMPANY PROFILE

We are driven by the belief that in order for a business to sustain its competitive advantage long term, it must include market expansion for its star products and services in its growth strategy.

With over five decades of combined experience in strategic marketing, market development, export sales, and business management, we are uniquely positioned to help you avoid the many costly pitfalls associated with entering new markets, developing a greater presence in underserved markets, overcoming the various challenges faced with market expansions, and taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the markets of interest.

MISSION AND VALUES

To increase our clients' revenues and profits by offering high-value, cost-effective marketing & consulting services for domestic and international market expansions, in an independent, objective and ethical manner.

 

HISTORY

The beginnings of our company go back to 1996, when Jan Zalud, a Commerce Undergraduate from the University of Manitoba went to Paris to meet with the then Vice-President of Marketing of a rapidly growing US manufacturer of tubular skylights. That led to the first international market development project for Jan. It also marked Jan's strong passion for helping businesses succeed in new, particularly international, markets.

After a number of other export market development projects, Jan decided to officially start his business, originally named Jan Zalud & Associates International, Inc., in 2000. Jan Zalud & Associates International, Inc. (now JZAINTERNATIONAL, INC.) was formed to focus exclusively on identifying and developing export market opportunities in Canada for Czech Republic exporters. The company’s early work was heavily sales-oriented, with hundreds of hours spent on generating product awareness in Canada and the US for our foreign clients’ products through prospecting, personal selling, and as communication liaisons to overcome language, cultural, and regulatory barriers.

GEOGRAPHIC AREAS

 

PROFILES

Jan Zalud

Our Company Founder and President, Mr. Jan Zalud, brings over fourteen years of strategic marketing planning, international business and sales experience across a multitude of industries and markets.

Jan started his career as a Marketing Research Assistant for his former marketing professor to develop a new marketing strategy for a Winnipeg-based railroad components manufacturer. Soon after that, he crossed paths with a California-based manufacturer of unique tubular skylights and helped them set up a distribution system in the Czech Republic, in operation to this day. At about the same time, Jan also participated in the development and implementation of a new communications strategy for a new bank branch of La Société Bordelaise, a regional bank in Montpellier, France.

Jan's other early career accomplishments included work as a Sales Consultant for a directory advertising publisher in Prague, Czech Republic (CR). There, he single-handedly revived two of the company’s key target markets: Prague Embassies and High Commissions, and the CR Department of Foreign Affairs & International Trade (DFAIT). Jan’s business acumen and instinctive ability to create strong business relations at the highest levels resulted in his selling the company's directory products to approximately 40 Embassies and 20 High Commissions in just three months, and in helping to secure an exclusive supplier agreement for the publisher with the country’s DFAIT.

Just before officially starting Jan Zalud & Associates International, Inc., Jan briefly worked as a Living Benefits Specialist for Winnipeg’s Great-West Life Assurance Company where he was responsible for training new financial services advisors at Investors Group and London Life in the skills of marketing and selling the highly technical living benefits insurance products.

Jan takes great pride in developing long-term relationships with his clients, and has a proven track record for success. Today, Jan continues to apply his marketing experience and hands-on approach to business by being personally involved in all of the company's marketing and consulting projects.

 

Kristy Bidzinski

Kristy brings a fresh new approach to our company. She has over 10 years of combined experience in marketing, public relations, and event organization. A graduate of the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Commerce (now I.H. Asper School of Business), she holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) degree with a Marketing Major. Throughout university, Kristy was involved with two entrepreneurial organizations as a Banquet Coordinator and Vice-President. She organized numerous entrepreneurship events with local businesses, including sales of sponsorships and advertising for the events. She also helped maintain the established relationships between the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Commerce and local businesses.

Since graduating, Kristy has both worked and traveled abroad. She gained valuable experience in a customer service and client management role while working for the Government of Canada and the Montrose Mortgage Corporation. Kristy’s public relations experiences include work as a publicist for a candidate in the Miss Universe Canada pageant in Toronto, and participating in the organization of such high profile events as the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival. Kristy's unique ability to quickly connect with external partners has allowed her to create strong synergies resulting in increased brand values and generation of new sales opportunities.

In her three years with JZAINTERNATIONAL, INC. as an independent Associate, Kristy has also developed key skill sets in the company's other core service areas, namely business development and marketing research.

 

Robert (Watson) Laing

Our European Associate is Robert Laing, a partner in Watson Laing Marketing, a UK company formed in 1979.

His background is extremely broad in both business and academic terms.

He has over 30 years of international business experience in home and export sales, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, and trade show organization. Throughout his career, Watson developed a strong track record of leading businesses in a wide range of industries to increased profitability by growing and penetrating new domestic and foreign export markets.

He served a commercial apprenticeship in the Scottish heavy textile industry and designed/marketed/sold such products throughout the UK.

He worked for Hawker Siddeley in satellite design.  In addition to carrying out design engineering work on satellites and launch vehicles, he developed unique processes in parametric cost estimating. During this period he traveled extensively on business throughout Europe, Canada and the United States. He was later promoted to the position of Worldwide Sales and Marketing Manager, Electro-Optics. He spent the next six years selling Hawker Siddeley products to civil and defense customers around the World. He sold to 22 countries. For a further period he was Marketing Manager for the Mediterranean Territory, for Hawker Siddeley Dynamics.

Robert next worked for British Aerospace as Sales Manager, Precision Products Group, traveling extensively and developing business relations in developed and less-developed countries. He was subsequently appointed Marketing Manager North America for British Aerospace Dynamics Group, where he gained further specialized experience in doing business in the U.S. and Canada.

He was also appointed by the Premier of Manitoba to be Agent for the Canadian Province of Manitoba in the U.K. and Ireland, and has been closely involved with most of the London Embassies and High Commissions.

He is an expert on trade show selection, organization, and participation, having spent an astonishing two years of his life in attendance at trade shows of all types in the UK and abroad.  He believes that most companies fail to extract the true potential of such shows.

Robert holds an honors degree in Physics from the University of St Andrews in the United Kingdom, and a college degree in Cost Accountancy.

 

From time to time, we also work with a number of other Associate firms and professionals with proven track records, who bring unique areas of expertise to our projects. Because of our strong relationships with these individuals and companies, JZAINTERNATIONAL, INC. is uniquely positioned to best match your market expansion needs to meet your short and long-term sales and growth objectives.