By the end of 2008, Buetec Broderie of Cameroon was inaugurating a new knitting, dyeing and sewing factory, adding 100 new employees, and developing a marketing plan for its products: custom embroidered high quality knit garments. With over a $1 million investment over the past year - $3million over the last few years altogether - the dynamic entrepreneurs behind Buetec has succeeded with help from USAID's West Africa Trade Hub. Francois Guemto's entrepreneurial intelligence and ambition explain Buetec Broderie's success, said Joop de Voest, the Trade Hub's apparel sector expert. "After his initial success 10 years ago, competition increased," de Voest said. "He knew he had to stay a step ahead. His background as an engineer shows: He doesn't take risks that he has not calculated. He does his homework."

The company's success reflects teamwork and a neverending, passionate quest to learn more about their industry, Francois Guemto said. He and his wife, Bettina, run the company. "I know that I may not know the answer but I know where I can find an answer," Guemto said. He turns to the Trade Hub's technical experts, including de Voest, for answers. In February, at de Voest's insistence, the Guemtos traveled to South Africa to visit a company doing exactly what they wanted to do, de Voest said. In June, Abou Fall, the Trade Hub's AGOA services coordinator, traveled to Cameroon to help the company understand how to take advantage of the tariff-free advantages provided under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. Fall also assisted the company in dealing with tax issues. All of the effort is now paying off. Buetec Broderie is poised for even more success as strategic partners seek to partner with the company.