LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska's small business owners say state employees nestled in offices more than 6,000 miles away have saved them from making irrevocable mistakes in the global market. The Nebraska Center Japan in Yokohama celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and during the past decade, exports to the country have more than tripled, thanks in part to the center's physical presence as a touch point for economic development in the region. Jeremy Baker, global sales manager for Oxbow Animal Health in Murdock, said representatives at the center guided the company through cultural nuances that don't exist in small-town Nebraska. "You can read about it, but to actually have an individual who can prevent some pitfalls: the proper way to greet an individual, the proper way to receive a business card, the proper way to acknowledge a business card," Baker said.