Trading Nations: United States, Canada, and the Future of Commerce

The Consulate General of Canada with The Colorado Business Roundtable and World Trade Center Denver have begun an ongoing discussion Trading Nations: United States, Canada, and the Future of Commerce.

Panelists included:

Tyler Rauert International Corporate Attorney at Messner Reeves LLP
John Addison Colorado Department of Agriculture
Sam Walker Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer, Molson Coors Brewing Company

And including visiting Canadian elected Members of Parliament from the Standing Committee on International Trade: Mark Eyking (Liberal), Chair of the Committee Randy Hoback (Conservative), Vice-Chair Tracey Ramsey (NDP), Vice-Chair Sukh Dhaliwal (Liberal) Peter Fonseca (Liberal) Kyle Peterson (Liberal) Dave Van Kesteren (Conservative)

Dr. Douglas Jackson, Karen de Bartolome and Joe Rice to Join General David Petraeus, 400+ State Leaders for Washington Summit on America’s Global Leadership

Colorado leaders to gather in Washington for foreign policy event with the heads of USAID, Peace Corps, Save the Children

WASHINGTON DC – The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) will host General David Petraeus, Dr. Doug Jackson, Karen de Bartolome, and Col. Joe Rice for a Summit on Monday June 13 to discuss how America’s efforts abroad advance our interests overseas, spur economic growth, and keep us safe here at home. Dr. Jackson, Ms. Bartolome and Col. Rice are joining other leaders in Washington to urge lawmakers to support America’s International Affairs programs. In addition, the Summit will tackle what’s at stake for our role in the world in this unpredictable 2016 election.

Dr. Douglas Jackson serves as the President/CEO of Project C.U.R.E. In addition to his work at Project C.U.R.E., Dr. Jackson has taught at the university level in the disciplines of finance, investments, leadership development, legal and international issues. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer to colleges and universities, as well as civic, corporate and community organizations.

Karen de Bartolome is the Executive Director of WorldDenver. As the Rocky Mountain Region’s Executive Director for the Institute of International Education (IIE), she oversaw the administration of the Fulbright and other scholarship exchange programs for the Rocky Mountain Region, as well as the Denver World Affairs Council, The Diplomats Ball, and the Department of State-funded International Visitor Leadership Program. Prior to this role, Karen had her own consulting practice in marketing and leadership development and worked with the University of Colorado in international development.

Joe Rice is the Director of Government Relations at Lockheed Martin Space Systems and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Phoenix. He is a Colonel in the United States Army Reserve, where he has served as the Senior Governance Officer for the Province of Baghdad, Iraq, May 2003 to April 2004. Served as the senior military officer on the inter-agency team tasked to form and advise the first post-Saddam Baghdad City Council. He served in the Colorado State House of Representatives from 2007-2011 and was Mayor of the City of Glendale from 1996-2003. 

Dr. Jackson, Ms. Bartolome and Col. Rice will be available for interviews during or after the Summit to discuss the importance of America’s development and diplomacy efforts overseas and why they matter to Colorado. Liz Schrayer, President and CEO of the USGLC, and Jason Gross, Executive Director of the USGLC, will also be available.

Why this matters for Colorado: Colorado is home to some of the largest global brands and organizations with rapidly growing international operations in emerging markets. Last year, Colorado exported more than $22.5 billion in goods and services overseas, and trade supported more than one in five local jobs, making U.S. international engagement a strategic issue for the state.

For additional information and a full list of speakers, visit: http://summit.usglc.org/

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (www.usglc.org) is a broad-based influential network of 400 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic, military, and community leaders in all 50 states who support strategic investments to elevate development and diplomacy alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world.


CONTACT: Nick Moenck, [email protected], 202-730-4155

Webinar: Understanding the Changes to the Duty Drawback Program

Ryan Thought Leadership Academy presents, "Understanding the Changes to the Duty Drawback Program." This 60-minute webinar was recently released and is available on-demand. Register here.

Event Description: After years of hard work to modify the regulations for duty drawback under Title 19 U.S.C. 1313, the conference report for drawback simplification has been signed by President Obama. This regulatory change will have a sweeping effect to the drawback program, making the identification, recovery, and compliance of duties more straightforward. Please join us to learn more about these incredible changes and how you might take advantage of them.

Target Audience: Any tax, customs, or international trade professional.

Webinar Speakers:
Pete Mento, Principal and Practice Leader
Ryan Customs and Foreign Trade
Pete Mento is Practice Leader for Customs and Foreign Trade, based out of Ryan’s Boston-Burlington office, and specializes in providing duty minimization, elimination and recovery services, global trade management, trade compliance assistance, trade audit defense, and transportation cost recovery projects.

Mr. Mento is one of the most sought after speakers on topics of international trade in the world. A former professional standup comedian, his ability to mix humor with economics, history, and regulatory insight has resulted in lectures to sold-out crowds in 30 countries in six continents.

Mr. Mento has years of leadership experience in the industry. He is former Vice President, Global Customs and Trade Policy, for a global logistics firm where he managed the Customs and Trade operations for all 305 global offices. He was National Permit Holder for the fourth largest customs broker in North America, oversaw the global Trade Policy consultancy and duty recovery team, was a sought after lecturer on trade issues, presenting at more than 200 public seminars and symposiums, and successfully argued trade policy issues in 81 customs jurisdictions.

He has a Master of Liberal Arts degree in Government Trade Theory from Harvard University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation and Technology from the Maine Maritime Academy, and is a United States Licensed Customs House Broker, National Permit Holder for Ryan, LLC.


Ray E. Shaw, Principal
Ryan Customs and Foreign Trade
Ray E. Shaw, a Principal at Ryan, specializes in providing foreign trade zone, duty drawback, customs valuation, and other value-added services to assist clients proactively manage their import duty, tax, and fee burden and reduce costs. Mr. Shaw serves clients across a broad range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, beverage, chemical, electronics, footwear and apparel, home products, medical equipment, military procurement, nuclear enrichment, oil field equipment, petroleum and petrochemical refining, pharmaceutical, production equipment, shipbuilding, and vessel supplies. He has extensive executive leadership experience in global customs, international trade, and export licensing, for global accounting firms and Fortune 500 companies.

Mr. Shaw lectures on various customs duty and import tax topics for Ryan clients and the Ryan Professional Development Program. Additionally, he has appeared as a speaker for organizations including the American Petroleum Institute, Association of Latin American Free Trade Zones, National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones, National Business Institute, Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, Tax Executives Institute, and the United States - Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Shaw is a Licensed United States Customs Broker and received his Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) Accounting degree from Bryant and Stratton College.


Stacy Hallon, Manager
Ryan Customs and Foreign Trade
Currently, Ms. Hallon is a Manager within Ryan’s Customs and Foreign Trade practice. She began her career in international trade working at the Dallas World Trade Center, International Business Center, which conducts training for professionals seeking to obtain specialized practical knowledge on various aspects of international trade.

Early in her career, Ms. Hallon moved over to third-party logistics. She has worked in both Dallas and Miami offices of both Japanese and American third-party logistics companies. While working in the field of third-party logistics, the primary areas of focus were freight forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing, distribution, and supply chain maximization. She has developed expertise in the areas of bonded warehouse operation, in-bond movement, and Food and Drug Administration.

Most recently in 2008, Ms. Hallon’s role expanded to be responsible for her designated regions’ broader overall regulatory compliance program within an international logistics provider. This more recent role allowed her to develop expertise with export compliance as well as a working knowledge of many federal government agencies, such as Department of State, Department of Commerce, and Department of Transportation, Transportation Security Administration. Ms. Hallon graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications in 1991.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact:
Mark Conrad Saxelby
Director, Customs and Foreign Trade
Ryan
5251 DTC Parkway, Suite 1045
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111
720.524.0022 Ext. 21-2246
www.ryan.com

Two Colorado Companies Announced as Winners of 46th Annual Governor's Excellence in Exporting Award

(DENVER) -- Colorado companies TEI Rock Drills and Ice-O-Matic were announced on May 19, 2016 as the two winners of the 46th Annual Governor's Excellence in Exporting. This award recognizes Colorado companies that have contributed to the state's economic growth through international trade. Exporting currently brings approximately $20 billion in commodity and service exports into Colorado.

TEI Rock Drills was established in 1980, and currently exports 45% of their products to every continent except Antarctica. TEI is the international leader in the design and manufacture of drilling attachments, limited access drills and drill rig components. TEI manufactures many patented features into their limited access rigs and drilling attachments. Each of their unique items is available individually to the contractor and equipment manufacturer. All 46 employees work at their headquarters in Montrose.

Ice-O-Matic is headquartered in Denver and has 210 employees worldwide. The company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of commercial ice making equipment. In the last six years, Ice-O-Matic has more than doubled in size and their export sales have been the fastest growing segment of their business. Their exports now represent more than 25% of company sales. In 2010, Ice-O-Matic export sales totaled $10.6 million; in 2015, they exported more than $25 million worth of machines to 55 different countries.

Both companies were formally awarded by Fiona Arnold, executive director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) at World Trade Day, the region's leading international trade event. This year's World Trade Day theme is "Exploring Your Trans-Pacific Partners." The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is an agreement that proposes free trade between the US and 11 other key trading partners bordering the Pacific Ocean. This plan still needs to be ratified by each country's congress which includes: the removal of tariffs, harmonized standards, labor and environmental alignment and a dispute resolution mechanism. For more information about World Trade Day, please visit http://www.wtcdenver.org/event-2029453.

CAP Worldwide Team Moves Over 400 Tons of Freight to Over 68 Countries

CAP Worldwide team moves over 400 tons of freight to over 68 countries

CAP Worldwide, a member of the Colorado Business Roundtable, moved massive amounts of freight to over 68 countries worldwide during the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase Jan. 30 through Feb. 14, 2016. 

In 1955, a group of mineral collectors and rock hounds from the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society held a free exhibition, open to the public, at a local elementary school. Year after year the show became larger and is now one of the largest gem, fossil, mineral and jewelry shows in the world. According to the Visit Tucson website, this show attracts 55,000 tourists annually to this two-week long show. Various show sites are set up through the Tucson area in hotels, parking lots, warehouses and tents in and around the city. In total, the city hosts 40 registered shows over a two-week period with approximately 3,000 exhibitors.

The CAP Worldwide team operated for three weeks out of a warehouse in Tucson designated for customers to gather their mineral specimens, fossils, gems and jewelry. The team aided in packaging the customers’ freight to get it ready to either load into ocean containers or to prepare it for air moves. Several of CAP Worldwide’s customers also arranged for live loading at the shows for stress-free conveyance. Additionally, the team facilitated the paperwork to ensure proper clearance into the customers' respective countries as paperwork requirements vary per country.

Shipments are still moving all around the world with customers still arranging for freight moves. As of today, CAP Worldwide has moved over 400 tons of freight into 68 countries globally. 

CAP Worldwide is an International Air Transport Association (IATA) endorsed agent and FMC licensed NVOCC offering complete export and import air and ocean freight services. CAP’s strong partnerships with the world’s premier air and ocean carriers allows CAP to offer competitive rates and transit times using their global agent network.

Hover on the map below to view all of the countries CAP Worldwide shipped to from the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase

Representative Perlmutter, USTDA Director Zak, 160+ Colorado Leaders Urge U.S. Engagement Overseas

COBRT was pleased to be a partner for this special event! This article was originally posted here by U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC).

CoBank President Mary McBride and DaVita Village Trust Director Lori Vaclavik join call for strategic investments in American global leadership, economic development and diplomacy

DENVER — Representative Ed Perlmutter and USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak joined the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition on February 18, 2016 to discuss how America’s engagement abroad spurs economic growth here in Colorado and promotes our national security.

“It’s critical that we strengthen all our foreign policy tools – development and diplomacy alongside defense – not just for our national security, but also for demonstrating our values as a nation,” said U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter. “Ensuring the U.S. remains a competitive and global leader is equally important for the success of Colorado businesses and future growth of our local economy.”

“I’m grateful for this opportunity to describe how USTDA’s win-win program helps to both foster sustainable growth in emerging economies and to create jobs across America and right here in Colorado,” said Leocadia I. Zak, Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. “Our activities advance our national interests, provide a critical return on investment and build lasting partnerships between Colorado firms and the world’s fastest-growing markets.”

Denver is headquarters to some of the largest global brands and organizations with rapidly growing international operations in emerging markets. Last year, Colorado exported more than $20 billion in goods and services overseas, and trade supported more than one in five local jobs, making U.S. international engagement a strategic issue for the state.

“The global economy is growing more integrated every day, and growth for U.S. businesses, including those in Colorado, will increasingly depend on serving markets outside of our borders. America’s strategic investments in diplomacy and development help to open new markets for U.S.-produced goods and services and are critical to advancing our nation’s broader economic interests,“ said Mary McBride, the President of CoBank.

“Our nation is engaging across the world in new and more effective ways by providing people a hand up, not just a hand out. American aid agencies are building bridges and creating sustainable communities globally,” said Lori Vaclavik, Director of DaVita Village Trust. “This matters to us here in Colorado, because together we’re demonstrating our nation’s highest values.”

Jason Gross, Executive Director of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, said, “In today’s interconnected world what happens overseas affects us here at home. From violent extremism in the Middle East, to pandemics in West Africa and Latin America, to the instability in Central America, we cannot afford to step back, and leaders here in Denver understand this fully. They recognize how important our development and diplomacy tools are to keeping us safe and creating opportunity here in Colorado.”

Costing a mere one percent of the entire U.S. federal budget, international affairs programs supports all of America’s civilian tools of development and diplomacy to strengthen our national security, build economic prosperity, and demonstrate our nation’s humanitarian values around the world.

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (www.usglc.org) is a broad-based influential network of 400 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic, military, and community leaders in all 50 states who support strategic investments to elevate development and diplomacy alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world. 

Grants Available for Minority and Women-Owned Colorado Businesses Interested in Exporting

The Colorado Minority Business Office announced today that a third round of export grants are available to minority and women-owned small and medium-sized businesses in Colorado. Grants of up to $10,000 are available to companies that are new to exporting or are expanding into new export markets.

Export grants encourage Colorado's small and medium-sized businesses to develop a strategic plan for export markets. Grants may be used for international business development and marketing projects including client development, foreign trade shows and conferences, trade missions, foreign business-to-business matchmaking services, targeted overseas advertising and more.

Businesses interested in applying for a grant must attend the Leading Edge for International Opportunities class, a 48-hour training course that provides training for small businesses on all aspects of international trade. The Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is covering the cost of the course through the World Trade Center, which is available in-person or via recorded webinar. Completion of the course will provide businesses with certification to the NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional, an annual membership to the World Trade Center of Denver, and attendance to the 2016 WTC Annual Meeting. Additionally, the Colorado International Trade Office will provide consulting to grant recipients.

The deadline for grant applications is Feb. 29, 2016 at 4 p.m. Late acceptance will be approved based on individual exceptions. To find out if your business is eligible and to apply, please visit http://www.advancecolorado.com/business-colorado/minority-businesses. For more information, please contact LeRoy Romero at 303-892-3764 or [email protected].

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