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A monthly partnership publication of
the Louisiana Department of Economic Development
the New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center
and the World Trade Center of New Orleans |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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| On
Wednesday, March 16 Louisiana Economic Development, the World Trade
Center, and other organizations are sponsoring a breakfast briefing in the
WTC’s 29th floor Board Room from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on “The
Outlook for Louisiana Trade and Investment with Europe” featuring David
Smallman, European Representative, Louisiana Economic Development.
Mr. Smallman will be available for individual consultations following the
briefing. To register, call the WTC at (504) 529-1601, ext. 222, or click here.
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| On
Tuesday, March 22 the Honorary Consulate of Serbia and Montenegro, the
World Trade Center, Transoceanic Shipping Co., and other organizations are
sponsoring a luncheon briefing in the WTC’s Plimsoll Club at 12:00 noon
on “Economic Opportunities in Serbia and Montenegro” featuring H.E. Dr
Ivan Vujacic, Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro in the United States. To
register for the briefing, call the WTC at (504) 529-1601, ext. 271 or 222
or click here.
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| The 18th
annual North American Small Business International Trade Educators (NASBITE)
International Conference will be held in New Orleans March 20-23. The
conference includes a welcoming reception at the World Trade Center on
Sunday evening, March 20 and three days of conference sessions at the
Sheraton Hotel, including three keynotes and 40 breakout presentations on
important topics about the new U.S. trade agreements, global business
education, business outreach, technology and innovation, and trade skills.
The March 21 keynote morning speaker is James Fendell, President of the
Association of American Chambers of Commerce of Latin America (AACCLA).
Conference and registration information is available on-line at www.nasbite.org.
Interested Louisiana companies and organizations wishing to attend only
part of the conference are offered a special one-day registration rate;
call Jeannie Englebert at (800) 747-2482.
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| An
alliance of organizations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and
Northwest Florida are joining together to hold the 2005 Gulf Coast States
World Trade Conference on May 25-26 at the Plimsoll Club of the World
Trade Center in New Orleans. The event will commence with a Welcoming Jazz
Reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25. The following
day’s program will commence with a presentation on U.S. trade policy
issues by Mark Smith, Managing Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.
S. Chamber of Commerce. The keynote luncheon speaker is Hon. Rhonda Keenum,
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Promotion and Director General
for the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service.
The agenda also includes panel discussions on Canada and Brazil
featuring Bob Armstrong, the President of I.E. Canada, the Canadian
Association of Importers and Exporters; Thomas Boan, Minister Counselor
for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa; and Frank Carrico,
Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Sao Paulo;
and other speakers. An afternoon panel of directors of the ports along the
Gulf will address the topic “Port Perspectives on International Trade”
and will be moderated by Gary LaGrange, President of the Port of New
Orleans and current Chairman of the Association of American Port
Authorities.
Additional information about the conference is available on-line at www.wtcno.org
(details to be posted shortly) or by calling the World Trade Center at (504) 529-1601, ext. 222.
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| Makerere
University in Kampala and the Southern University College of Business in
Baton Rouge are the principal organizers of a “Uganda Day Business
Forum” to be held at the World Trade Center in New Orleans on Friday,
April 1. The forum speakers are some of the members of a large inbound
Trade Mission of senior officials from Uganda’s Ministry of Trade and
Industry, the Uganda Investment Authority, the Ambassador of Uganda to the
United States, and 35 Ugandan businessmen and women and entrepreneurs and
Ugandans living in the U.S.
Located in East Africa, Uganda has a population of 26 million and an
economy that continues to grow at over five percent per year. The country
offers a wide range of trade and investment opportunities for U.S.
companies. Uganda’s main exports are coffee, fish products, tea, gold,
cotton, flowers, and horticultural products (total exports reached $495
million in 2004). The main imports are capital equipment, vehicles,
petroleum, medical supplies, and cereals (total imports were $1.2 billion
in 2004). Information on the April 1 Uganda Business Forum is available
online at www.wtcno.org (details to be posted
shortly) or by calling
the WTC at (504) 529-1601, ext. 222 or 271.
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| The
European Manufacturing Partnership Forum (EMPF) is a program initiative of
the U.S. Commercial Service in Belgium to promote products of small and
medium- size manufacturers to Belgium and the rest of Europe. The events
take place on May 31-June 4 in Brussels (business seminar and reception)
and at Europe’s largest university campus in the city of
Louvain-La-Neuve near Brussels. Included in the program is a “Doing
Business in Belgium/Europe” seminar organized by the U.S. Commercial
Service and the Belgian Manufacturers Federation, and a business
matchmaking event (as part of Futurallia 2005) with up to 20 pre-selected
and pre-scheduled appointments in three days. The $1,450 registration
includes first-class hotel in Brussels, meals, hospitality, local
transport, matchmaking appointments, U.S. Embassy reception, and more. For
details on EMPF and Futurallia 2005 go online at: www.buyusa.gov/belgium/en/200.html, or e-mail Allen Patch at allen.patch@mail.doc.gov
or Deborah Doherty at deborah.doherty@mail.doc.gov.
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| On
Wednesday, March 9 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. the Louisiana State
University in Shreveport Small Business Development Center will host a
program on “International Trade: Taking the First Steps” in the LSUS
Education Building. The program will provide information on exporting and
importing opportunities for small businesses. To register, call (318)
797-5144.
On Wednesday, March 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Southeastern
Louisiana University, the Louisiana International Trade Center/SBDC, and
other organizations will sponsor an Import/Export Seminar at the Southeast
Louisiana Business Center in Hammond. The seminar will provide insight
into various aspects of international trade, with the goal of aiding and
encouraging businesses in the Northshore area with new and existing export
initiatives. To register, contact the SLU SBDC at (985) 549-3831 or sbdc@selu.edu.
In April the LITC/SBDC will offer an intensive program targeted to
companies interested in international trade at the World Trade Center in
New Orleans. The April session will consist of four 4 ½-hour afternoon
seminars (12:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.) to be held on April 4, 6, 11, and 13.
Participants will learn step-by-step the “how-to” of international
market research, preparing products for export and import, pricing
strategies, terms of sale and quotations, export and import documentation,
export shipping and import entry procedures, trade financing, and methods
of payment. To register, contact the SBDC at (504) 539-9292.
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| March 9 -
“The Conflict in Northern Uganda,” George Piwang, Director, Center for
Peace Studies, Gulu University, Uganda, 5:00 p.m. Co-sponsored with the
World Affairs Forum at Tulane University. No charge. See www.
WorldAffairsForumTulane.com.
March 18 -”The American Dilemma in Colombia,” Amb. Curtis Kamman,
formerly U.S. Ambassador to Colombia, Bolivia, and Chile, Plimsoll Club,
WTC. Pre-paid members of WAC/N.O. and co-sponsoring organizations $35,
pre-paid non-members $40, at the door $45. Send checks to WAC/N.O., 2
Canal Street, WTC Suite 2323, New Orleans, LA 70130.
March 28 - Symposium: 50th Anniversary of the Austrian State Treaty.
Lindy Boggs Conference Center at University of New Orleans. 6:00 p.m,
Free. Co-sponsored with UNO CenterAustria.
April 7 - “The U.S. and the World: Views from Abroad,” Dr. Reinhold
Wagnleitner. 3:00 p.m. Free. Co-sponsored with UNO CenterAustria. See www.centeraustria.uno.edu.
For details on the programs above, visit www.wacno.org
or contact the World Affairs Council of New Orleans office at (504)
523-2201 or e-mail wacno@bellsouth.net.
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| The
Export-Import Bank of the United States recently signed a framework
agreement with China’s Ministry of Finance that will make it easier for
Ex-Im Bank to help finance the purchase of U.S. exports by Chinese
government entities. Ex-Im Bank, which has more than $4.1 billion in
exposure in China, recently helped finance U.S. exports to China of
railway track inspection equipment, air-quality monitoring equipment,
high-tech hospital supplies, and components for an ethylene production
plant. Ex-Im Bank (www.exim.gov), the
official export credit agency of the United States, helps finance U.S.
exports by providing loan guarantees, export credit insurance and direct
loans. In fiscal year 2004, Ex-Im assisted in financing $17.8 billion of
U.S. exports to worldwide markets.
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| The 21st
annual International Program for Port Planning and Management (IPPPM) will
be held at the World Trade Center in New Orleans March 28-April 8. The
program is sponsored by the Port of New Orleans, the World Trade Center,
and the University of New Orleans National Ports and Waterways
Institute/College of Urban and Public Affairs. The objective of the
program is to help maritime industry executives sharpen practical skills
and strengthen conceptual understanding in a broad array of general
maritime planning and management fields. During the last 20 years, 593
participants from 102 countries have graduated from IPPPM. For more
information, contact: Director, IPPPM, by phone at (504) 280-6519, by fax
at (504) 280-6272, or by e-mail at psimon@uno.edu.
The website address is www.uno.edu/cupa/ipppm.html.
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| The 2005
edition of the Louisiana International Trade Directory, the official State
of Louisiana export-import directory, is now available from the World
Trade Center. The Directory contains over 1,800 updated listings of
Louisiana exporters, importers, trade-related services, and international
trade organizations. The hard-copy Directory costs $40 ($20 for WTC
members) and the CD-Rom costs $100 ($50 for WTC members).
To order a Directory, click one of the following links:
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| The U.S.
Commercial Service will lead an oil and gas equipment and services trade
mission to Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia on June 6-14. Pre-screened
business appointments, strategic meetings with government and industry
decision makers, plus market briefings and ground support from the local
U.S. Embassies will position the participating U.S. firms to maximize
opportunities in Asia’s fast-growing oil and gas sector markets.
Participants will also benefit from a bonus company promotion at the USA
Pavilion at the 2005 Oil and Gas Asia (OGA) , a leading oil and gas trade
show for the Asia/Pacific region. For details, contact Matthew Wright,
Project Manager at the U.S. Department of Commerce, by phone at (202)
482-2567 or via e-mail: Matthew.Wright@mail.doc.gov
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| The U.S.
Congress has confirmed Carlos Gutierrez as the new Secretary of Commerce,
replacing Donald Evans. In his confirmation hearing, Gutierrez promised to
fight unfair trade practices that impede competition among companies. Mr.
Gutierrez was born in Cuba in 1953, but in 1960 fled with his family to
America shortly after Fidel Castro took power. He lived in Miami Beach,
then New York, and eventually settled in Mexico City. At the age of 20, he
started with Kellogg’s in Mexico City selling Zucaritas (Frosted Flakes)
to “mom and pop” type stores. Over the next ten years he worked his
way up to general manager of Kellogg’s operations in Mexico. He
transformed the Mexican plant from the company’s least productive to its
most productive. Gutierrez was transferred in 1982 to Kellogg’s
corporate headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan as a supervisor of Latin
American marketing services, and eventually became the company’s CEO.
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| The FedEx
website under the International Tools section offers “Global Trade
Manager” as a one-stop shop for international shipping assistance.
Shippers can obtain international documentation for 42 countries; estimate
duties and taxes; file a Shippers Export Declaration; use the
International Resource Center; and view the Denied Parties Lists (a
searchable database that identifies individuals, companies, and other
business associates that have been denied the privilege of engaging in
international business transactions with the United States by the U.S.
Government.) Visit www.fedex.com for a
demonstration of Global Trade Manager. (Note: As reported in the October
2004 “Louisiana International Trade Bulletin”, the U.S. Department of
Commerce/U.S. Commercial Service has partnered with FedEx to provide
ongoing support to Commercial Service efforts aimed at boosting exports by
U.S. small and medium-size businesses.)
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| The U.S.
Commercial Service in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia invites U.S. medical sector
firms to participate in the 10th Southeast Asia Healthcare Show &
Conference on April 13-15. The event is open only to trade and
professional visitors and is an excellent venue to showcase products and
increase exports. There are two ways to participate, either with a booth
(US$370 per square meter), or as part of the U.S. Pavilion catalog show
(US$150). Go online at www.buyusa.gov/malaysia/en/64.html
to register.
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| Conference
call briefings with U.S. Embassy and Consulate officials and Mexican
industry experts; on the following dates and topics; details and
registration are posted at www.buyusa.gov/mexico/en/108.html.
March 9: Selling Your Restaurant Equipment in Mexico
March 15: Selling Machine Tools and Accessories in Mexico
April 6: Selling Automation, Sensors and Controls in
Mexico
July 13: Selling Food Processing Machinery in Mexico
RepCan 2005, Toronto - the 9th year for Canada’s largest multi-sector
event; June 14-15; (optional matchmaking program in Montreal on June 16);
details at www.buyusa.gov/Canada.
U.S. Pavilion in Fieldays 2005, New Zealand - the largest agricultural
trade show in the Southern Hemisphere; June 15-18; details at www.fielddays.co.nz
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| To
request a three-page list of country-specific wood packaging material
requirements, including information on acceptable treatments and marking
requirements, call the U.S. Export Assistance Center in New Orleans at
(504) 589-6546 or e-mail at jo.daugherty@mail.doc.gov.
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| Dr. John
Ochsner, Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Surgery at Ochsner Clinic
in New Orleans, received the World Trade Center’s Thomas F. Cunningham
Award at a special luncheon in the Plimsoll Club on February 16. The award
is presented in recognition of outstanding service toward better social,
educational, economic, cultural and political relationships between the
United States and the countries of Latin America and the promotion of
better understanding and friendly relations between them.
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| On July
6-9, the 18th annual International Business Exchange (IBE) will be held in
Coimbra, Portugal. The IBE is a horizontal matchmaking event, where local
and regional officials, together with representatives of small and
medium-size businesses, have a chance to meet, explore potential business
ventures, and develop international relationships with the 15 member
regions of the SESAME network. The International Business Exchange also
offers lectures and workshops. Topics at the Coimbra IBE will include:
metropolitan and urban area management, international cooperation
networks, business tourism, health, environment, infrastructure and
technology, among others. In addition to one-on-one business meetings
(available to those interested in matchmaking), lectures and workshops,
participants will be able to experience the local cuisine and take tours
of the historic city of Coimbra. For further information about the SESAME
network, visit their website are www.reseausesamenetwork.org.
For additional information regarding the IBE, contact Le Centre
International by phone: (337) 291-5474, fax: (337) 291-5480, or e-mail at lecentreassociate@lafayettegov.net.
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| The
Access Eastern Mediterranean Program (AEM), an export promotion program
offered by the U.S. Commercial Service in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon,
Morocco, Turkey, and West Bank/Gaza, offers U.S. exporters of automotive
aftermarket products and services a low cost, effective way to
simultaneously explore market opportunities in all these markets via a
single, unified service between April 21 and May 21. During the month-long
basic event, American Embassy Commercial Specialists in each of these
markets will proactively promote the U.S. participant’s
products/services to hundreds of local contacts. They will identify
potential agents and distributors in each of their respective markets, and
the U.S. firm’s product/service descriptions and company information
will be posted to the regional AEM website. Included in the activities is
a product catalog show at Automechanika Istanbul. The Commercial Service
will also help U.S. firms quickly close any deals made by providing
various follow-on services at half the normal cost. Details and
registration are online at: www.buyusa.gov/easternmed/automotive.html.
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The Louisiana International Trade Bulletin is a monthly
partnership publication of the:
Louisiana Department of Economic Development
New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center
World Trade Center of New Orleans
If you are not currently on our mailing list, click here to fill out an on-line
subscription form for postal or email delivery.
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Purchase the Directory in