LOUISIANA TAX FREE SHOPPING CELEBRATES SEVENTH YEAR, RELOCATES REFUND CENTER

Elected officials and business leaders from throughout Louisiana celebrated the seventh anniversary of the Louisiana Tax Free Shopping (LTFS) program with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new location of the program refund center in the New Orleans International Airport on March 21.

The new refund center at the airport, which was previously located outside of Concourse C, is now situated in the main lobby across from the Delta Airlines counter and adjacent to the Whitney Bank. According to LTFS Director Karen Kelly, "the new location will dramatically increase our visibility and improve awareness among travelers and the local community. This is going to mean more business for the program, which means more dollars for our economy."

According to preliminary data, more than 54,000 international visitor parties spent more than $40 million dollars while visiting Louisiana in 1996. That spending translates into a $292 million economic impact supporting 5,900 jobs and an estimated $96.5 million in earnings. Approximately $16.8 million was generated in tax revenues for state and local governments, which means for every $1 refunded, the state made $6 in new taxes. In addition, the more than 158,000 foreign visitors to Louisiana spent an estimated $149.3 million on hotels, restaurants, transportation services, entertainment, and participating tax free retail stores.

Louisiana Tax Free Shopping is still the only program of its kind in the U.S. which refunds taxes paid by international visitors on tangible items purchased at over 1,000 stores statewide. This incentive has helped increase spending not only in shopping, but in other tourism-related businesses. "On the average, foreign visitors spend seven times more and their stays are five times longer than domestic visitors," said Ms. Kelly. International visitors from over 117 countries visited the state in 1996. The top countries in travel parties and retail spending include: France, Germany, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, and Spain.

U.K. BUSINESS CONNECTIONS SHOW IN MAY

The Louisiana Department of Economic Development now has several booths committed for Louisiana companies atBusiness Connections, the international trade and investment show to be held in Warrington, England, May 20-21. The deadline for registering is fast approaching primarily because of the lead time required to make appointments for participating companies.

Business Connections is now in its seventh year. Last year, there were over 520 companies exhibiting, 200 from overseas, from 14 different countries. There were companies from 21 different U.S. states.

It is the least expensive show of the major events. Booths are free for U.S. companies. The only show cost is a $300 administrative fee for matchmaking. Rooms average $100 per night. Some meals are provided during evening events, and internal transport from hotel to the show is provided at no cost.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA

Louisiana companies interested in doing business in Saudi Arabia are urged to call WTC Managing Director Gene Schreiber, who toured the Kingdom for a week in March at the invitation of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council. He was part of an eight-member group which included the state trade directors of Arizona, Florida, Illinois, North and South Carolina, and Virginia.

The purpose of the mission was to acquire first-hand knowledge about the Saudi Arabian business environment, to meet with key business leaders and government officials, and to establish working relationships that will benefit companies in the U.S. states represented on the mission.

APRIL 30 CONFERENCE ON LATIN AMERICAN BUSINESS

WTC'S GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ADVANCES LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

The WTC's Government Affairs Committee, chaired by Frank H. Walk, Sr., is charged with developing positions on legislative issues in order to promote the WTC's mission of adding wealth and jobs in Louisiana through international trade, port development, and allied activities. The Committee has taken positions on the following current issues impacting Louisiana's international trade:

1. Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock Replacement Project - At the request of the Transportation Committee, the Government Affairs Committee reviewed the project's economic impact, the opposition of neighborhood groups, and the delay times caused by the current lock. The Committee unanimously approved a position in favor of the project because of the benefits to industry and the need to eliminate one of the largest bottlenecks on the U.S. Inland Waterway System. WTC President John Ochsner has conveyed the WTC position in a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
2. Emergency Dredging Funding Request for the Mississippi River and the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MR-GO) - The New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had previously been informed by Corps headquarters that its emergency funding request of $21.5 million was declined, effectively ceasing dredging on the MR-GO. The significant negative impact of the emergency dredge funding denial alarmed the WTC Transportation Committee, which consequently sought an expedited review of the issue by the Government Affairs Committee. Seventy-five percent of shipments utilizing the Mississippi River and MR-GO would be impacted if the draft is reduced as projected by the Corps due to the lack of dredging. The Executive Committee approved a GAC position in support of the funding on March 10, and WTC letters in support were forwarded to Corps headquarters and the Louisiana Congressional delegation. The Corps' emergency funding request was subsequently re-examined by Corps headquarters and formally approved.
3. "Fast Track" Negotiating Status for the U.S. Trade Representative - Without "fast track," any trade agreements developed through the U.S. Trade Representative's offices would be subject to amendment on the floor of the House and Senate, providing opponents of trade agreements with the tools they need to defeat such measures. A WTC position in favor of "fast track" negotiating status for the U.S. Trade Representative was drafted and subsequently approved by the WTC's Government Affairs Committee and Board.
4. Vessel Documentation Office - The Coast Guard's Vessel Documentation Office in New Orleans has been threatened with closure on budget grounds. The office has provided timely and efficient service to the local maritime community, maintaining the smooth, uninterrupted flow of vessel commerce. Due to the need for prompt documentation to ensure quick turnaround of the vessels entering the Port of New Orleans, the Committee and subsequently the WTC Board endorsed a position in support of retaining the Vessel Documentation Office in New Orleans.

ABC'S OF EXPORT/IMPORT BUSINESS SEMINAR

The "ABC's of Export/Import Business Seminar," a seminar on marketing, sourcing, and financing Louisiana exports and imports, provides an introduction to international trade and commerce. Classes are presented by speakers with practical, first-hand experience from the private and public sectors and will begin April 28 through May 14 with six evenings of instruction from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the World Trade Center.

The seminar registration fee is $95 for WTC members and spouses, $110 for WTC tenants and trade-related organizations or $125 for all others which includes all course materials, six evenings of presentations free parking, and a closing reception.

DEVELOPING INTERNATIONAL TRADE FOR MINORITIES ENTREPRENEURS

POSSIBLE TRADE MISSION FROM ENGLAND

Plans are developing locally to receive a trade mission from England sometime in late-October or early-November. The primary interest of the group of 10-12 companies expected to participate will be food and food products.

Contacts made through participation in Business Connections the past two years in Warrington, England has stimulated interest in such a mission. These food and food products companies are interested in establishing contact with Louisiana companies for mutual business development.

PANOLA PEPPER CORPORATION'S HARD-EARNED SUCCESS

In an intensely competitive industry, one tenacious U.S. company, aided by the New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC), has expanded into three international markets, Canada, Japan, and Australia. Total sales in 1996 to these markets reached approximately $100,000. Grady Brown, President of Panola Pepper Corporation, bases the international success on aid from state and national agencies and the support of the local community of Lake Providence, located in North Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta country. "Without their help and continuous support, I don't think the Panola Pepper Corporation would have gotten as far," said Mr. Brown.

Panola Pepper is a manufacturer of hot sauces, spices, and mixes for Louisiana-style meals. Products include the original Pepper Sauce, eight varieties of hot sauces, sliced jalapeno peppers, jalapeno stuffed olives, red beans and rice, jambalaya, and creole gumbo. Formed in 1982 as a winter pastime, Panola Pepper has become a multi-million dollar business with a staff of 35.

Since 1985, the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration in New Orleans has been providing trade statistics, trade leads, and market research to Panola Pepper. As its first priority was to establish a domestic market, the company did not truly begin exporting until the early 1990s. In recent years, Panola Pepper has attended several international trade shows in Canada, Australia, and Japan and, consequently, is now working successfully with brokers, agents, and distributors in these countries. "Without their expertise, Panola would certainly not have been prepared to enter these export markets," observed Mr. Brown."

Panola Pepper was also recruited by the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and the Southern U.S. Trade Association (SUSTA) to attend several international trade shows. The company has attended, as well, many local and regional trade shows sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Mr. Brown stated that all these agencies have been a great help in supporting his company with much needed information and economical participation in excellent trade shows. He noted, "Going it alone would be very costly, time consuming and prohibitive for any small company desiring to enter the export arenas."

According to Mr. Brown, his company's success has been a combination of hard work, determination, and merely being at the right place at the right time. Mr. Brown and his staff are continually on the move, perfecting quality products that are attractive to buyers. The product line has been greatly diversified since the inception of the company. Primarily catering to domestic consumers' tastes, Panola Pepper expanded from one variety of Pepper Sauce to eight varieties of hot sauces and introduced a spice line and "18 Minute" Louisiana-style meals.

This diversification has also attracted companies requesting "Private Label" packaging of these foods. Propitiously, foreign consumers' desire for these distinctive and spicy foods at competitive prices has grown tremendously within the past few years, making the sale to foreign buyers easier and more profitable. Mr. Brown is quick to admit that survival in this market has been an extraordinary experience. He feels quite lucky that Panola Pepper is still around and doing well with very tough competition from companies that have been around for 75 and 130 years.

This strategy, along with the valuable assistance of the New Orleans USEAC, the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and SUSTA, has given Panola Pepper Corporation the ability and driving desire to successfully enter and compete in the international arena.

BATON ROUGE CENTER FOR WORLD AFFAIRS LAUNCHED

On March 21, the Baton Rouge Center for World Affairs, Inc. was formally established. The Center is a newly created umbrella organization for several initiatives of international scope that have been administered successfully in Baton Rouge for several years.

In 1989, Mayor-President Tom Ed McHugh encouraged a group of 15 multi-lingual, multi-cultural individuals to form the Mayor's International Relations Commission. The Commission, led by Chairman Monika Olivier, developed programs for international visitors, assisted in, and created new initiatives in the cultural, educational, and economic development areas. Programs were developed for existing and newly formed Sister Cities connections. In 1995, this volunteer Commission and the ethnic community planned, produced and funded the City's first annual International Heritage Festival which introduced representatives of more than 50 nationalities residing in the Baton Rouge area.

HONG KONG OFFICIAL TO SPEAK ON TRANSITION AND FUTURE OUTLOOK

Mr. David Tsui, Director of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in New York, will be the featured speaker at a special luncheon program on Thursday, May 22 to be held in New Orleans at the World Trade Center's Plimsoll Club. He will speak on "The Transition in Hong Kong and Outlook for the Future".

During his 28-year career with Hong Kong Government, Mr. Tsui has held a wide range of senior positions. In his present assignment he is responsible for leading the development and expansion of Hong Kong's economic and business partnerships throughout the eastern U.S.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Kristine Bradberry is seeking a position in import/export trade with an international company. Ms. Bradberry has a Master's degree from the University of London and work experience in the United Kingdom. Her current work experience includes directing projects in cross-cultural education and working with foreign employees of a major oil company. Call (504) 869-5310 (evenings).

Shannon Hill is a translator of Spanish and French (to or from English) with experience in business, legal and technical usage of the languages. Ms. Hill is highly experienced and offers services at below-market rates. Call (504) 433-4042.

Ike Igbo holds an MBA and PhD 1985/1991 in Marketing Management and Business Administration from Century University, Alburqurque, New Mexico and specializes in international market planning and development. Mr. Igbo is currently seeking a position in related organizations that can utilize his extensive, broadbased experiences to enter, expand and consolidate national and international markets from private and public sector perspectives. Call (504) 454-6428.

Alain Muregancuro graduated from the School of International Interpreters at the University of Mons-Hainaut (Mons, Belgium) with a Bachelor's and Master's degree of Arts in Translation (French, English and Italian). He is fluent in these three languages, intermediate in Spanish and has extensive international experience as a language teacher and a translator. He is seeking a position as a language instructor or a translator. Call (504) 866-5835.