Laurent Kahl is an international trade consultant with the UGA Small Business Development Center. He has extensive private sector experience in the international trade field with over four decades working for both private and semi-government entities.

Prior to joining UGA SBDC International Trade Center, Laurent was a self-employed consultant for GlobalFootprints, an import/export consultancy that helped small- and medium-sized businesses navigate and succeed in the global market. Prior to founding GlobalFootprints in 2013, Laurent also worked for a wide range of large multi-nationals enterprises including HELLA in South America; Habasit America in Latin America; International Paper selling in the Middle East, Latin America and Canada; Kaiser Aluminum selling to the Americas; and Hercules International selling to the European Union and the Caribbean Basin.

Laurent has additional international logistics experience working for the Port of Charleston as a Regional Cargo Sales Manager in New York City. As for his Import experience, he created his own importing venture, Filter Supply America, where he represented a major German manufacturer of industrial filters - Mann + Hummel - that were distributed and sold in the U. S. and Canada. Laurent also acted as an Manufacturers Representative for LM Handling SPA., a family owned company based in Modena, Italy that manufactured high quality, custom made, high speed industrial conveyors and accessories.