Todd Acker
Regional Manager for International Sales, FedEx Services
Introductory Presentation - FedEx 'Global Trade Manager'

Todd Acker has been in the transportation industry for 25 years starting with a national LTL carrier in 1983. In 14 years he transferred from Denver to Chicago to Oakland back to Denver and finally back to Chicago. After joining FedEx in 1999, he moved to San Jose and he has been working in the International Market for the last 9 years.

Acker is currently the Regional Manager for International Sales responsible for Northern California and the state of Hawaii. He also manages the International Route Development for FedEx's U.S./Japan lane. Acker is a graduate of Northern Colorado University with a degree in Business Administration.

Garrett Ashley
Undersecretary for International Trade, Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, State of California
PANEL VI - 'State of the State' Trade Overview

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Garrett Ashley as the Undersecretary for International Trade for the State of California’s Business Transportation and Housing Agency in February 2006. In this capacity, he leads and coordinates the State’s efforts related to international trade promotion and policy. In addition, he chairs the statewide California Trade Partnership, a group of local, state and federal trade promotion organizations collectively gathered to advance the state’s export efforts.

Ashley created and implemented the business delegation program for the Governor’s trade missions to Mexico in 2006 and Canada in 2007. He also participated in the U.S. Department of Commerce led trade mission to India in November, 2006. He is a member of the United States Trade Representative’s Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee (IGPAC), the Bay Area World Trade Center Board of Directors, and the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) Advisory Board at the University of Southern California.

From 2003-2006, Ashley was Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Office where he planned and executed the Governor’s trade missions to Japan and China. He was also responsible for the day-to-day operations in the office, including personnel, scheduling, advance, constituent affairs, field offices, and information technology.

From 2001 to 2003, Ashley served as the first Executive Director of TechNet Orange County. TechNet is a nationwide trade association of high tech CEOs. During his tenure, Garrett increased membership and revenue, established an executive committee, and advised its members on state and federal policy as it related to the high tech industry.

Ashley’s public policy and government experience extends to Congress where he served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Steve Kuykendall (CA-36) from 1999 to 2001.

From 1995 to 1999, as Chief Deputy Director at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), Ashley was second in command and directly responsible for overseeing all strategic communications and day-to-day operations. He also managed legislative issues for the agency and successfully worked to gain legislative approval and budget authority for a new $30 million state of the art emergency operations center.

Ashley’s political career began as an advance representative for California Governor Pete Wilson in 1991, and prior to that, as an intern for Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM).

Ashley received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of New Mexico.

Charles M. Brown
President, Flying Circuit, Inc.
PANEL IV - Security and Qualification, Imperatives for Online Global Trade

Charles Brown has been involved with the communications industry for over 25 years and is an innovator in developing and implementing new communications services.  A veteran of the Internet and wireless industries who has served as a principal in three cutting-edge start-ups, Brown is experienced in all aspects of business development, product management, marketing, finance and start-up management. 

He is currently one of the founders of Maeva Data Syste(MDS), a firm that is building a worldwide network of “Distributed Data Havens” which provides unmatched privacy and security for data storage and retrieval for large and small businesses, and for individual privacy.  Brown studied accounting, philosophy and literature at Rockhurst University and earned a BSBA in 1973.

Reid Conrad
CEO, Near-Time
PANEL I - Web 2.0 and the World of Global Collaboration

Reid Conrad has over 18 years of experience in the software industry. Prior to co-founding Near-Time, Reid co-founded Commerciality, a strategic consulting firm for middle stage software companies. Previously, Conrad co-founded Extensibility, a leading provider of XML solutions, and served as its President and CEO which was acquired by TIBCO Software, Inc. in September 2000. Extensibility was named one of the top 100 emerging companies by Computerworld in 2000. Prior to Extensibility, he founded the Enterprise Solutions division at Tiger Direct, acquired by Global Direct in 1995. Conrad served as the Executive Vice President of Qualitas, growing the memory management vendor's customer base 7 fold over a 3 year period.

Conrad serves on several boards and is the Chairman of of the Council of Entrepreneurial Development, the largest independent entrepreneurial development organization in the US. Conrad holds a BA from the University of the South and an MBA from the American University.

Joe Davis
Pacific Regional Sales Manager, PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions
PANEL III - Web-based Market Research, Qualified Trade Leads & Competitive Intelligence

Joe Davis is the Pacific Regional Sales Manager at PIERS, the authoritative web based source for the most comprehensive data on waterborne trade between the U.S. and the rest of the world. A division of Commonwealth Business Media and United Business Media and an affiliate of the Journal of Commerce, PIERS (Port Import Export Reporting Service) provides Import/Export Trade Data to more than 8,000 private industry, trade association, domestic and foreign government clients in more than 40 countries.

Since 2001, Davis has worked with PIERS’ clients including Importers, Exporters and Banks to grow their businesses by helping them identify Suppliers and Buyers from around the world using PIERS web based trade information solutions.   

Prior to joining PIERS, Davis held information sales and management positions at Dialog and ADP.

Davis is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany. He lives with his wife in Piedmont, California.

John Dunlop
CEO, InterNetLC.com
CEO & President, AVG Letter of Credit Management, LLC
PANEL V - Global eCommerce Financing Services

John Dunlop started AVG Letter of Credit Management in 1990, when he became fascinated by the apparent chaos of international trade finance, and he began structuring the documents and processes.  AVG came to the attention of Escrow.com in Irvine, CA which needed an international component to their services, and he was appointed Director of International Services.  From that experience Dunlop learned three very important things: how not to run a dot.com company; the tremendous need of American exporters for simplified online international trade finance information  and the need for short-term preshipment loans for small to medium sized companies.

InterNetLC.com became possible in February, 2002 when the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, France published the requirements for international banks in over 200 countries to accept international trade documents over the Internet.  Dunlop applied these guidelines to his years of experience providing Letter of Credit transaction management and documentation services to build a website, utility software and related services.

His contacts at the US Department of Commerce and in the international banking industry (including Ex-Im bank) have been his advisors and main source of leads since InterNetLC.com emerged from beta testing its utility software in July 2003. 

In January 2004, Dunlop was appointed to the San Diego Area District Export Council (a group of industry leaders who assist the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Specialists) in recognition of the free software, education and finance available to traders through the InterNetLC.com website.

On August 21st, 2006, Dunlop was presented with the US Department of Commerce’s Export Achievement Certificate by Colleen Litkenhaus, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Domestic Operations, U.S. Commercial Service, recognizing John’s work providing international trade financing services to small-to-medium sized companies.

August 2005, Professor Jaephil Hahn of Dong-A University, South Korea was approved to teach a course on international trade practices entitled "Electronic Trade Process, with special emphasis on InterNetLC.com's eTrade Finance Platform."  The InterNetLC.com ‘system’ was also included in an academic paper and a textbook on international commerce export and import practices.  The academic paper is distributed to members of a Korean foreign trade-related academic society and the textbook to Dong-A University students.

In 2006 InterNetLC.com opened a branch office in Beaumont, TX, where Dunlop spends most of his work days.

Since 2004, InterNetLC.com’s Export Transaction Financing™ has financed over 100 transactions involving more than 20 countries in the world.  They have secured a $20,000,000-a-month line-of-credit for exporters rejected by their commercial banking services, and for guarantees from Ex-Im Bank or the SBA.

Dunlop lives in La Jolla, CA.  He has three grown children and a grandson.  His hobbies include paddling outrigger canoes in the ocean and country and western dancing.

Keith Ensminger
Principal, Kramer Translation
PANEL II - Online Translation and Interpretation Services

Keith and Marisa Ensminger started Kramer Translation in 1995. Ensminger manages multilingual translation projects for individuals, corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies in over 50 languages. Translation services include a comprehensive package for multimedia projects like contracts, marketing, surveys and video. The principals have been in the communication profession for over 30 years and, with their network of native speaking translators, work closely with clients deliver professionally written translations that are clear and culturally relevant. Ensminger studied art and comparative religion at Goddard College in Vermont and earned a MA in Educational Administration from the University of Southern California in 1987. 

Michael Faherty
Western Regional Director, Travelex Global Business Payments
MODERATOR - PANEL V - Global eCommerce Financing Services

Mike Faherty, Western Regional Director at Travelex Global Business Payments joined Travelex in May 2007 and is responsible for its Houston and Los Angeles offices. A graduate from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Mike has a keen understanding of the issues facing the international business community and the simplified solutions that will make them more efficient. Prior to his role with Travelex, Faherty held leadership positions with Compaq and Hewlett Packard.

Brian Farley
Sales Manager, DigitalPersona
PANEL IV - Security and Qualification, Imperatives for Online Global Trade

Brian Farley has been involved in the biometric authentication market since 1998. Over the last decade Farley has been involved in the implantation of biometrics for a wide variety of applications with private and government sectors from numerous countries. Having deployed hundreds of thousands of fingerprint devices for millions of users Farley has experience in the technical, cultural and legal challenges surrounding security and strong authentication for international trade and commerce through the internet.

Farley is a graduate of Georgetown University and has worked and studied in Shenzhen, China. DigitalPersona is a manufacturer of biometric authentications solutions for consumer, corporate, and original equipment manufacturers. DigitalPersona is partnered with, and licenses technology to Microsoft.

Daniel Feldman
Co-Founder and VP Inside Sales, OFID Microdevices
PANEL IV - Security and Qualification, Imperatives for Online Global Trade

Daniel Feldman is co-founder and VP, Inside Sales of OFID Microdevices, a Santa Cruz start-up focused on creating next generation hardware-based solutions for secure data access, logistical integrity and transactional security. 

Feldman has a 25 year background in writing, publishing, teaching, sales and marketing and non-profit management. He formerly served on the faculties of Sonoma State University (SSU) and College of Marin. Feldman studied human factors design at the UCLA School of Design and received an M.A in Applied Behavioral Science from Sonoma State University. He has studied internal Chinese martial arts for 40 years under 14 Chinese masters and has coached over 2500 students.

Martin T. Goppelt
West Coast Sales Agent, Trade Risk Group Insurance Agency
PANEL V - Global eCommerce Financing Services

Martin Goppelt is the West Coast Sales Agent for Trade Risk Group, the leading independent broker of credit insurance in the U.S.  Credit insurance protects your accounts receivable against non-payment and can be a very useful tool to expand your business both domestically and internationally. Many clients have found that the use of credit insurance helps them increase sales, mitigate risk and improve their lending relationship.

Goppelt  has been involved in International Trade Finance for many years. Previously he was employed as an International Trade Finance Office for Comerica Bank. In this position, he helped importers and exporters secure payment through the use of various instruments including Letters of Credit. Documentary Collections, Foreign Exchange and the use of EXIM Bank financing. He has also worked for Coface, one of the leading underwriters of credit insurance in the world.

Goppelt is active in various trade associations, having served as President of VITA, Valley International Trade Association. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. He is a native of Santa Barbara, CA.

Jane Hagen
Founder and VP Marketing, GroveSite
MODERATOR - PANEL I - Web 2.0 and the World of Global Collaboration

Jane Hagen is one of the founders of GroveSite, an innovative Web 2.0 collaboration service.  GroveSite offers secure, hosted online workspaces that make it easy for global teato work together.  Using simple point-and-click for any non-technical person can create and manage a secure team site to share documents and images, track project tasks and issues and track discussions.  GroveSite is used by major retailers and manufacturers to coordinate product design and development.  GroveSite is also used to support online communities such as the TradePort Collaborator and various US Commercial Service project teams.

Under Hagen’s marketing leadership, GroveSite has been recognized as a leading vendor in Gartner’s “Who’s Who in Enterprise Social Software” (July 2007) and in Gartner’s “Magic Quadrant for Team Collaboration and Social Software, 2007” (October 2007).

Hagen's career in providing technology solutions spans thirty years. Jane worked at the Los Alamos Scientific Lab in the 1970s on state-of-the-art systems. She worked as a technology strategist and consultant at a leading management consulting firm in Boston, where she was the first woman promoted to partner. Hagen complements her technology experience with a deep understanding of the challenges of helping organizations adopt and benefit from new technologies. She has a Masters in Management from MIT and a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science.

Cliff Hsia
Product Evangelist, Alibaba
LUNCH SPEAKER

Cliff Hsia is the Marketing Manager/Product Evangelist for Alibaba.com's USA team. He leads Alibaba.com's Web 2.0 projects in North America and evangelizes Alibaba.com's products, services and messages through establishing, monitoring and participating in online trade discussions and communities. He also develops and delivers online and offline trainings, workshops and seminars to educate the North American market about Alibaba.com.

Hsia previously worked at Alibaba.com’s HQ in Hangzhou, China in 2007, leading online marketing and sales campaigns for the International TrustPass Department.

Lynne Johnson
VP Design and Product Development, Ricardo Beverly Hills Luggage
PANEL I - Web 2.0 and the World of Global Collaboration

Lynne Johnson is the Vice President of Design and Product Development for Ricardo Beverly Hills, maker of popular, moderately priced luggage that can be found at Macy’s, Costco, Kohl’s and other retailers.  Prior to joining Ricardo, Johnson spent 5 years with Target Sourcing Services, developing products for Target stores with suppliers in Asia and Europe from 2001 to 2003, then later leveraging that experience at corporate headquarters to help their sourcing and design teams evolve better tools for communicating product development needs with off shore vendors.  She holds degrees in Industrial Design and Fine Arts and has over 30 years experience designing and developing a broad array of products in the U.S. and overseas.

Tony Livoti
President, Monterey Bay International Trade Association
Introductory Remarks

Tony Livoti has been involved in small business development his entire career – starting and successfully operating a creative management company in Hollywood, a small manufacturing company in Felton, California,  working as a business broker in the sale of businesses throughout the Monterey Bay region and forming and operating an Export Management Company for companies throughout California. (EMC).

In 1984, Mr. Livoti saw a need for an international trade association for the burgeoning Monterey Bay region and its array of entrepreneurial enterprises, and as a result, founded the Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA).

Under his leadership, the MBITA in 1995 became a founding partner in the BAYTRADE public-private sector export promotion program that has helped generate over $350 million in ‘new-to-market’ exports representing exporting companies throughout 17 counties in Northern California.  

Under his guidance as its President, MBITA has grown over the years to become a wholly self-sustaining non-profit with over 200 members and clients and foreign cooperative partnerships throughout the Pacific Rim, the European Union, and the Americas.

MBITA has also become a leader in California on utilizing web based solutions for conducting, facilitating and consummating global trade transactions for small to mid-sized enterprises.  This includes desktop to desktop global eCommerce training and a web based eTraining program for online global trade in partnership with the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and the GLOBE project. 

MBITA manages TradePort.org owned by the L.A. Chamber of Commerce (LACC) and the Bay Area Economic Forum (BAEF) and has created and currently operating the U.S’s first statewide ‘intranet’ for trade promotion services called the TradePort Collaborator supported by 40 public and private sector trade promotion organizations located throughout the California.

Andreas Mueller
Co-founder and Strategist, Bloofusion
PANEL I - Web 2.0 and the World of Global Collaboration

Andreas Mueller is the co-founder and strategist behind Bloofusion, an online marketing agency. Mueller frequently participates in seminars and moderates panels that focus on SEO and Paid Search. One of the top crowd pleasers has been the Bloofusion Search Engine Boot Camp series in both the US and Europe. Venues include: the American Marketing Association, the SVAMA Marketing Series, WebGuild Annual Conference, the Business Marketing Association, SD Forum, Lighthouse Venture Forum and various Fortune 1000 firms. Mueller is the co-author of "Search Engine Marketing for Decision Makers" and is heading up research in Mobile SEO and SEO via Disruptive Online Communities. Bloofusion has offices in California and Germany.

Mueller currently serves as VP of Promotions on the American Marketing Association Board (Silicon Valley) and is member of Webguild Silicon Valley and the CMO Council as well as the Global Committee of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO). He has a bachelor's degree from Alma College (Michigan) and a master's degree from the University of California, Davis.

Jock O'Connell
Principal Consultant, The ClarkStreet Group
PANEL VI - 'State of the State' Trade Overview

Jock O'Connell is widely regarded as one of California's foremost authorities on world trade, global economic trends and the internationalization of the Golden State's economy. A former staff advisor to the California Commission for Economic Development and a current member of the California Economic Strategy Panel's Technical Advisory Group, he is the Principal Consultant of The ClarkStreet Group, a private firm specializing in the analysis of economic, technological, and political trends affecting international commerce. He is also affiliated with Beacon Economics, a research and consulting firm with offices in Los Angeles and in the San Francisco Bay Area.

O'Connell grew up on the coast of Maine and received his B.A. in political science from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts before pursuing a doctoral degree in international relations at the University of California at Davis. He has also studied at the Institute of European Studies (University of Vienna) in Austria and at the London School of Economics, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.

O'Connell is the author of numerous articles on economic, political and trade issues that have appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury-News, Sacramento Bee, the California Journal, and Salon.Com. He has served as a lecturer at the University of California at Davis, the California State University, Sacramento, and the University of California Center in Sacramento, where he teaches a course on the Globalization of California's Economy.

Claudio Pinto
Director, Transware Inc.
MODERATOR - PANEL II - Online Translation and Interpretation Services

Claudio Pinto is a veteran of international sales, marketing and distribution, currently as the Director of Transware Inc.   Pinto consults with clients on the merits and perils of multi-lingual web marketing and training programs. As the Executive Director of a global information services company, Pinto developed revenue channels for a multiplicity of products and services in the information services industry, including trade statistics, news services and specialty databases in engineering and health services.

An economics graduate from UC Berkeley, Pinto develops research reports on intellectual property, energy, B2B trade systems and agriculture for investment and regional development prograacross the Americas.

Chantal Ray
Consul Economic Affairs, Ontario International Marketing Centre (OIMC)
MODERATOR - PANEL VI - 'State of the State' Trade Overview

Chantal Ramsay is the Consul (Economic Affairs - Ontario) at the Ontario International Marketing Centre (OIMC) in the Canadian Consulate General in Los Angeles. The International Marketing Centre’s territory includes Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada and Hawaii – encompassing the territories of both Consulates General in California. The role of the OIMC is to work with Ontario based companies wishing to do business in the territory, to attract investment from US and multinational companies into Ontario and to raise awareness of the Province in the region.

Prior to this posting, Ramsay was a Senior Manager with the Investment Branch of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ontario in Toronto.
Ramsay is a graduate of the Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario  - Honors Bachelor of Science in Language with a minor in Economics. She speaks Spanish, French and Italian.

R. Sean Randolph
President, Bay Area Council Economic Institute
PANEL VI - 'State of the State' Trade Overview

Sean Randolph is President of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, a public-private partnership of business, labor, government and higher education, that works to foster a Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland and the Silicon Valley. The Economic Institute produces authoritative analyses on major economic policy issues, including infrastructure, globalization, energy, science & technology, and governance, and mobilizes California and Bay Area leaders around targeted policy initiatives.

Dr. Randolph has previously served as President & CEO of the Bay Area Economic Forum, which merged with the Bay Area Council in January 2008, and as director of international trade for the State of California, where he developed trade strategy and directed international business prograto stimulate exports and introduce California companies to overseas markets. Before service with the state, he was Managing Director of the RSR Pacific Group, an international business consulting firm specializing in Asia and Latin America, and prior to that served as International Director General of the Pacific Basin Economic Council, a 15-nation international organization of leading U.S., Asian and Latin American corporations.

His professional career includes extensive experience in the U.S. Government, including the U.S. Congress staff and the White House staff. From 1981-85 he served in the U.S. State Department on the Policy Planning Staff, as Special Adviser for Policy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and as Deputy/Ambassador-at Large for Pacific Basin affairs. From 1985–88 he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs, where he managed nuclear non-proliferation, energy research, and global oil and gas issues.

Dr. Randolph holds a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, a Ph.D. from the
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts and Harvard Universities), and a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, and he also studied at the London School of Economics.

He serves as chairman of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), a California state commission that regulates development in and near San Francisco Bay and works to ensure its environmental integrity and maximum public access.

He is also a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Pacific Council on International Policy, and he serves on the Boards of Directors of the Bay Area World Trade Center and the University of San Francisco Center for the Pacific Rim, and on the President’s Advisory Council of Excelsior College (New York). Dr. Randolph speaks frequently before business and government audiences, and writes for U.S. and international media on global, national, state and regional economic and policy issues.

Ernest J. Scalberg, Ph.D.
Dean, Fisher Graduate School of International Business
PANEL II - Online Translation and Interpretation Services

Ernest J. Scalberg, Ph.D., has been Dean of the Fisher Graduate School of International Business and Associate Vice President at the Monterey Institute for International Studies since August 2001. In 2005, Dr. Scalberg created a unique research, consulting, and training Center at the Institute – the GLOBE Center -- to adapt products for foreign markets.  He also expanded the Institute’s specialized non-degree prograin the areas of language training, translation and interpretation, international policy, and business.  These new prograinclude an on-going series of credit option courses for Beijing Municipal Government officials and enterprise managers related to trade and business issues.

Prior to his appointment at the Monterey Institute, Dr. Scalberg was Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration and Dean of Faculty of the Schools of Business at Fordham University from 1994 to 2001.  Dean Scalberg created a portfolio of new international degree options at Fordham, including the Beijing International MBA Program, a joint venture with University of Peking, which has been ranked the number 1 MBA program in China by both Chinese and U.S. business media.

Prior to joining Fordham, Dr. Scalberg was Associate Dean of UCLA’s business school. In the 1980’s he established UCLA’s Executive MBA Program and a new style of MBA program for fully employed professionals, both nationally ranked in the top five. In 1990 he moved to Hong Kong for three years where, in a partnership agreement between UCLA and the Hong Kong government, he created a new school of business at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The School has been consistently ranked in the top 100 business schools worldwide since its founding.

Dr. Scalberg received his Ph.D. in higher education and organizational behavior from UCLA in 1978. He is the recipient of six U.S. Government research and project grants and has authored more than 20 publications on a variety of higher education and business issues. He has served as a director, advisor, or trustee for ten non-profit organizations and is listed in Who’s Who in Hong Kong and Who’s Who in the World.  

He is currently a Trustee for Select Sector SPDR, an S & P 500 Index Investment Fund on the American Stock Exchange, and a Director for TDAX Funds, a life-cycle ETF on the New York Stock Exchange.   He also serves as an Advisor to the United States and China Foundation, the International University in Geneva (Switzerland), and the Marina Technology Cluster in California.

Richard Schneider
President, Richard Schneider Enterprises
PANEL II - Online Translation and Interpretation Services

“This line of business seeto have chosen me.” His parents: Hungarian and Russian introduced on blind date in Mexico. Schneider’s mother and father instilled in him the importance—and joy—of language. The family moved to Mexico City when Richard was three years old and he grew up bilingual.

After working for translation agencies in the 1970’s, Schneider decided to create his own company. He opened Richard Schneider Enterprises, Inc. (RSE) on October 1, 1980: starting with a post office box, a beeper, and $30. Most important, Schneider founded his business on a genuine desire to serve and a sincere passion for the profession.

Schneider chose “Idio for his website domain because the word refers to spoken or written language particular to certain regions. RSE employs interpreters and translators that bring these dialects to mutual understanding.

“I get tired remembering those days, but it was worth it.” Serving as interpreter as well as front and back office, Schneider was then a one-man show. Clients would call with a pressing need for a Spanish interpreter and he would fly out of the office to fulfill the request. Other callers would simply have to wait for his return.

That was some 26 years ago. Now, Schneider credits a loyal and hard-working staff for running operations smoothly. He still serves last-minute interpretation and translation needs, but these days a wealth of professionals deliver the outstanding services for which his company is known. Now RSE serves clients of all industries, specializing in translation and interpretation services in 140 languages.

Today RSE employs industry-specific advanced technologies. Equipment and software allow them to monitor diverse ongoing projects and keep track of every step along the way. Among the technology they put to use is SDLX translation memory software, Quark, Windows XP, Microsoft Office XP, eRSP scheduling software, OCR text recognition, and Adobe Suite.But Schneider relies most upon the human element for each project. “I guess that is the old-fashioned in me,” he reflects. “People-to-people interaction will always be foremost. That personal touch inspires our success, whether our work involves obscure languages in remote regions, or familiar languages in popular areas.”

George Tastard
Director, Sacramento U.S. Export Assistance Center
PANEL III - Web-based Market Research, Qualified Trade Leads & Competitive Intelligence

George Tastard joined the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1995 and became the Director of the Sacramento U.S. Export Assistance Center in October 2002.  Prior to arriving to Sacramento, Tastard was posted to the following domestic operations offices: Newport Beach, Long Beach, Ventura, Charlotte North Carolina and San Francisco. 

Tastard is originally from Southern California and received his degree from California State University, Fullerton in International Business and is fluent in German and Spanish.  He has lived, worked and traveled in Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa.  Tastard utilizes over 15 years of international sales and marketing experience in the private sector as well as in government to assist American firin selecting and penetrating overseas markets.  He maintains close relationships with industry specialists overseas to identify actual export sales opportunities for American firms.

Eric Taussig
International Business Development, Alibaba
MODERATOR - PANEL III - Web-based Market Research, Qualified Trade Leads & Competitive Intelligence

Eric Taussig focuses on strategic business development initiatives for Alibaba. He spearheads the identification, structuring, negotiation, closing and implementation of strategic partnerships and alliances in the North American region. He also manages much of Alibaba's relationship with Yahoo!

Taussig joined Alibaba with ten years of combined experience in international business development, cross-border strategic planning and entrepreneurial operations. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and has lived and worked in both the United States and Asia for companies such as Claria Corporation in San Francisco, Citicorp Securities in New York and JPMorgan’s Media and Technology group in Hong Kong.

Taussig earned his MBA in corporate development and international management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his MA in Asian politics on fellowship from the University of Chicago.

He speaks Mandarin and is an avid cyclist. He lives with his wife, Vithamon Taussig, in San Carlos, California.

Harold 'Lynn' Vann
Vice President and Business Banking Manager, Wells Fargo Bank- Northern California Business Banking
PANEL V - Global eCommerce Financing Services

Harold “Lynn” Vann takes pride in helping small business owners save time and money.  As Business Banking Manager, Vann manages a team of professionals who deliver expert advice and fast, friendly service.  They provide Wells Fargo’s comprehensive suite of credit, deposit and treasury management products including international services. 

Vann has been with Wells Fargo Bank for 18 years as Business Development Officer, Relationship Manager, and most recently Business Banking Manager.

Andrew Zhong
Marketing Director, G2 Sources Inc.
PANEL III - Web-based Market Research, Qualified Trade Leads & Competitive Intelligence

Andrew Zhong is the Marketing director of G2Sources Inc., a leading International trade intelligence and service company headquartered in San Jose, California, U.S.A. and with 20 branches in the main cities over China generating complete export bill of lading data to and from China.

G2Sources has garnered 5 years of North American import data to analyze the real, accurate and complete trade record from imports and exports between North America and China.  G2Sources then constructs a quick and prompt TRADERFAX search query system where the user can search the updated trade information immediately finding  detailed trade information of both the buyer and seller while detecting what the competition is doing and also discovering the ideal buyer.  G2Sources  has more than twenty branches in China managing  all the export bill of lading data in  China that can generate specific competitive intelligence  reports.