Made in Elements
Channel Architect, led by veteran U.S. commercial diplomat Tom Hanson, has entered a strategic partnership with Carstens Consulting Global Inc., headed by international business strategist and career U.S. Army officer David Carstens. Drawing on decades of combined military and diplomatic experience across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, the partnership delivers secure, results-driven market-building strategies for exporters and government stakeholders, with a focus on natural and organic personal care, food products, and innovative recycling and waste-management solutions in complex global markets.
Channel Architect, based in Santa Barbara, California, announced its appointment by the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to lead a state-funded export initiative supporting California small businesses entering the Canadian market. The program targets companies in Emergency Preparedness, Mitigation, Response & Recovery (EP&R), cybersecurity, and safety and security solutions, and launches with Channel Architect’s 2025 Training & Market Strategy Program—designed to help eligible firms access Canadian buyers, unlock new revenue opportunities, and leverage U.S. government export support. “If your business is ready to go global, Channel Architect is here to help make it happen,” said Tom Hanson, Global Trade Advisor at Channel Architect.
Channel Architect led a strategic market assessment in Brazil for the Almond Board of California (ABC), with Principal Tom Hanson leveraging his prior experience as a U.S. commercial diplomat based in Brazil. Working with a select team of industry and regional experts, Hanson conducted in-person engagements with leading importers, buyers, distributors, and key stakeholders across Brazil’s food trade to evaluate regulatory conditions, logistics, infrastructure, buyer dynamics, market perception, financial considerations, and competitive pressures. The assessment identified clear opportunities to expand California almonds’ market presence in Brazil and delivered a practical roadmap to guide ABC’s next steps—establishing a repeatable model for evaluating additional high-growth markets worldwide.
Channel Architect (Santa Barbara, California), led by Tom Hanson, and LCL Advisory (Bucharest, Romania), led by Ciprian Ladunca, have formed a strategic partnership delivering trusted advisory services across Romania, the United States, and other high-growth global markets. The collaboration accelerates market entry, expansion, and investment outcomes for organizations of all sizes across multiple industries.
In its first year alone, the partnership advised 16 Romanian and U.S. companies—helping clients identify and secure new business opportunities, form strategic partnerships, and navigate incorporation and market-entry processes on both sides of the Atlantic. Notable engagements included advising a Bucharest-based firm at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, D.C. on optimal U.S. locations and industry partners, and counseling U.S. investors at the AmCham Romania–US Chamber of Commerce Business Forum on Romania’s advantages as an EU and NATO member state.