"Success is a journey, not a destination," Robert Latko, World Trade Internet Communications' chief executive officer, says with confidence while he, his brother Chris Latko and two other members of the WTIC staff sit down to discuss their company’s goals. "We are successful today, and we are committed to our own personal development. We see the corporation as a learning and growing experience for all of us."

    Taking a break from writing proposals, faxing forms, turning design ideas into Web pages and doing other daily tasks, the group of young executives presented themselves in suits, dress shirts, ties and a professional demeanor which belied their median age of 24. During their very recent college years, the Latko brothers based the foundation for WTIC on both Robert's course work and Chris' previous use of the Internet as a marketing device.

    "I did a lot of research in my entrepreneurship program for the idea," Robert, 26, recalls of his studies in business administration while completing a bachelor's degree at the University of Southern California. "But it was Chris' idea. He had used the Internet as a commerce tool for garment distribution right when it was making its transition about three or four years ago."

    "I find myself thinking like an economist a lot of the time," says Chris, 23, who graduated earlier this year with concurrent degrees in business economics, international business and Japanese language and literature. While attending Indiana University, he learned valuable trade concepts such as price structure, investing schedules, cost analysis, international transactions and international philosophies, all of which apply to his work today as WTIC's president. Yet with their knowledge in business administration and international economics, what makes the Latko brothers want to be just another Web company in San Diego?

    "We don’t," Robert responds with a laugh. "What sets us apart from the hundred-plus Web-based design companies here in San Diego is that we are interested in using the Internet as a tool for international commerce. We have specialized our marketing skills to promote our clients' Web sites before a global audience of qualified individuals interested in buying and selling goods." The morning of this interview he had received no less than 700 e-mail trade leads from buyers and sellers all over the world.

    "I think [what makes us unique is] the fact that our main focus is to increase world trade through the Internet," says Richard Wolford, WTIC's 21-year-old Webmaster. "We’re not really just another Web posting and design company. Granted, we do those functions, but with the intent of increasing and selling product."

    "Also customer service," the company’s graphic designer, Daniel Visser't Hooft, age 28, points out in discussing what differentiates WTIC from other Web companies. "We try to establish a relationship with our clients not only to further promote their products through an international trade ground, but also to build a relationship between them. That way, they are all familiar with each other’s products and services." These specialized principles determine which types of customers will use WTIC's services.

    World Trade's clients, most of whom are located in San Diego, consist primarily of two groups — manufacturing facilities with expertise in international markets that hope to increase distribution channels; and service providers with international focus, such as financial services, customs brokerage and shipping. The company also works for secondary-market businesses that use the Internet as a marketing tool, including creating San Diego Metropolitan Magazine's Web site at sandiegometro.com. The success of WTIC has been supplemented by the San Diego trade market's emergence on the Pacific Rim. The Latko brothers credit this trend to ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations, an economic alliance similar to NAFTA.

    "[The Pacific Rim] is one of the markets that is rapidly growing," Robert says. "San Diego and Southern California's positioning to the Pacific Rim provides an excellent opportunity for Southern California manufacturers to utilize the market. It’s a gateway to the East."

    Another event that opened gateways for WTIC was The American-Russian Business Council's decision in conjunction with the San Diego Unified Port District to open up a direct shipping route to the city of Vladivostok, in the former Soviet Union.

    "With a direct link to Vladivostok, which is connected to the Trans-Siberian railroad, we can, in essence, ship goods from here to Moscow," Robert says.

    "What’s more," Chris interjects, "through NAFTA, the Asian market is putting a lot of money into the maquiladoras in Mexicali and Tijuana, and by the year 2000, tax breaks will be given and tariffs eliminated for investment into those areas — directly affecting the businesses here. Through Internet communications we can really create a triangle between Asia, Mexico and America to move goods throughout." Just last month, WTIC opened an office in Tijuana.

    World Trade also has plans to expand into Japan, Singapore and China to further capture the Asian market. "We actually have an exploratory team right now in the Chinese cities of Beijing and Tianjin looking for market potential," Robert says.

    The company’s employee base consists of Chris and Robert, Wolford, Visser't Hooft, Chief Operations Officer Brad Dawson, Chief Marketing Officer Bradford Bikadi and Systems Administrator Nicholas Bastin. They work with a few independent sellers and researchers. Within the next year, WTIC plans to expand its domestic offices to the East Coast and up the Pacific Coast, in addition to locating worldwide operations in several different countries. As with China, the company has commissioned research studies in Austria and India, and hopes to utilize trade markets in Russia and Mexico as well.

    "In a year from now," Chris says, "I see the company standardizing all operations to make the franchise dream a reality, to be able to establish offices in any part of any country and to create a network between those offices. We'd also like to develop a Web site for the facilitation of international trade much like our current projects and competitors." WTIC intends to establish its corporate offices in Long Beach to take advantage of its vigorous international commercial port, while keeping ties to the existing location in San Diego.

    "San Diego is within the top 25 markets with international trade, plus it’s our hometown," Robert says. "It’s not one of the high-ranking cities (for trade volume), such as Long Beach, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, New Orleans, New York . ..but the success of this office here entrenches in our minds the success of offices we locate elsewhere. San Diego’s location next to Mexico is ideal in terms of trade, and the testing of our concepts and ideas. As well as using the technologies that we’ve learned, we can be the guides for walking the small- and mid-sized manufacturers in San Diego across the bridge to the 21st century."