World Tradewinds
November - December 2004 - Issue N. 126
A Publication of the Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA)
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MBITA CORPORATE
SPONSORS:
MBITA PARTNERS & AFFILIATES:
UPCOMING
EVENTS:
Global
California: President Vice President Members: Dr. Victor Cordell Marcelo Siero Jim Faith Staff: Lidia Thompson
725 Front St. Ste 104 If you would like to have an article published on this
newsletter please contact the editor by email.
This newsletter has been created by MBITA's editor MBITA Members and Corporate Sponsors' Newsletter
Links CalTrade Report |
IN THIS ISSUE: |
MBITA's UPDATE
Stay tuned!
Please go to MBITA
newsletter archives to see MBITA Members profiles and visit MBITA's
Export Promotion Services.
President tlivoti@mbita.org
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MBITA New Member:
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MBITA welcomes its new member Coface North America. Headquartered in New Jersey, with offices and affiliates in 21 states and provinces, the company is a global provider of credit insurance and credit management solutions, serving companies of all sizes and industries, in all regions of the world. Coface North America helps companies minimize the risk of trading on credit. Their three main areas of business are credit insurance, credit reporting and collections services.
Coface delivers the credit management approach that successful companies require - local service that is backed by global expertise. Their specialists work with clients to find the right mix of services that meet their company's unique activities, budget and risk level. Coface North America is also a provider of Kompass business-to-business data in the US and Canada.
Coface North America is a unit of the Coface Group, a world leader in trade-risk management, serving 85,000 clients in 92 countries worldwide. Leveraging over 50 years of experience and a database of 44 million companies, Coface sets the global standard in assessing creditworthiness and protecting companies worldwide against the risk of non-payment. Coface is rated AA by Fitch and Aa3 by Moody's.
Services for small businesses
Credit Reporting Services
- Coface international network can deliver reports from over 200 countries.
The @rating Solution - Coface has a unique system for rapidly and reliably
tracking company creditworthiness.
For companies of all sizes
International
trade involves a number of business obstacles - limited sources of credit,
high cost of credit, inadequate access to reliable information on trading
partners, and most importantly, a lack of tools to show that your company
is credible and reliable.
Coface can help overcome these obstacles:
o Gather information
on your trading partners
o Protect your
transactions
o Get country
risk ratings and information
o Collect past
due accounts here and abroad
o Cover your
political risk
o Research procurement
solutions
o Become certified
as a reliable company
For large companies with far-flung operations, Coface provides worldwide
service through its global network.
Global presence
Coface
is committed to offering companies high quality local service through
its subsidiaries, branches and partners present in all five continents.
In addition to their direct presence in 56 countries, Coface has created
a global network of credit insurers and credit information companies,
CreditAlliance, that extends its reach to 92 countries. This network shares
information in order to provide common products and standards worldwide.
In this way, Coface is able to offer unparalleled technical knowledge
and local service around the globe.
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Contact: Martin T.
Goppelt |
MBITA
would like to introduce its new member Farnsworth
International Trade Management, the 'Freight Doctor'. Marjorie
Farnsworth, President and Founder of the company, has 15 years of hands
on experience working as an importer, exporter, customs broker, freight
forwarder, distributor and manufacturer. Throughout her career she has
negotiated marine insurance and freight forwarder contracts, as well
as import and export letters of credit
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Ms. Farnsworth's specialties as a management consultant are (1) assessing and correcting import-export operations in the areas of global logistics, trade finance, regulatory compliance and risk management, (2) assessing export readiness and assisting in the development of overseas markets. |
Hands on Experience Areas
Farnsworth International Trade Management's services are focused to help mid-size importers and exporters keep their operations low risk and cost effective. The area where the company can save the most money is international logistics. Other areas where the company can reduce cost and risk are through services such as C-TPAT certifications, review of marine insurance terms, review of banking and incoterms, among other things.
Marjorie
Farnsworth has saved millions of dollars in supply chain operations
costs for companies such as Hewlett Packard, ACCO North America and
Motorola. Other past companies served are Fidelitone, Marubeni Transport,
AN Deringer, Mid America Tile, Organic Bath Company and Seino America.
The main benefits of working with a seasoned, objective outside professional such as Ms. Farnsworth to assess and improve any international trade operations are saving money, more predictable costs and expanded market outreach.
Examples of Results Delivered
1.
Saved $1M per month by closing down an ineffective foreign trade zone
for HP
2. Saved $700K per year by restructuring international inbound operations
for ACCO North America
3. Developed and managed international project teams to move convoys
across Europe to Siberia and charter Russian aircraft into Africa.
Marjorie
lived in Taichung, Taiwan from 1981-1982, and in Taipei, Taiwan from
1984-1985 and has extensive knowledge of Chinese business practices
and social culture. She also is a member of several professional associations,
including the International Business Alliance at the San Francisco
Chamber, Project Management Institute, the Institute of Management
Consultants and others.
Marjorie holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Missouri-Columbia,
a Two Year Certificate in Project Management from the University of
California at Davis, a PMP certification (PMI certified project manager)
and also has worked as a customs broker. She received a fellowship
from Stanford to study Chinese at National Taiwan University in Taiwan
in addition to receiving an MA in Chinese from the University of Chicago.
Contact:
Marjorie Farnsworth
Farnsworth International Trade Management
365 Masters Ct, Ste 1, Walnut Creek, CA 94598
Tel: 415-302-4460 or 1-800-301-0039
Web: www.farnsworthinternational.com
email: Marjorie@farnsworthinternational.com
New
MBITA Member: Soilweb, Inc.Soilweb, Inc., a new MBITA member, helps growers make more profit with methods of sustainable and organic agriculture that really work. Decades of research at universities have culminated in a scientific understanding that reveals how beneficial bacteria, fungi and other micro-organisms in the root zone work to increase the health and productivity of plants. The company was founded five years ago through a spin-off of this research at Oregon State University.
To
get this result in agriculture, Soilweb, Inc. shows growers how to stimulate
a larger mass of healthy roots, increase nutrient uptake and gain the
eight ways that beneficial microbe populations near roots help increase
yields. Soilweb, Inc. has expertise in these processes and has worked
with a number of agricultural concerns, large and small to help bring
a new avenue of profit beyond best use of traditional fertilizers.
Specifically, Soilweb, Inc. can help growers with biological control of some major root rot diseases, control of nematode and phylloxera infestations, control of root feeding insects and stimulation of vitality in crop plants that is visible and profitable. These capabilities position Soilweb, Inc. to provide means of plant protection that will help growers replace methyl bromide which will soon come off the market because of its destructive effect on the ozone layer.
Soilweb, Inc. is active in the US, Latin America and the Russian Far East. The company distributes products that are superior in one or more aspects of crop production. Official testing of a product in 2004 at a major Russian agricultural institute on more than a hundred acres documented dramatic increases in yields of major crops that will be publicized.
Soilweb, Inc. was founded by Jim Barlow who holds a B.Sc. degree in agriculture from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, 1974. While at Cal Poly, Jim took advanced courses in soil microbiology and maintained the collection of pure culture microbes in the Department of Plant Pathology. Research for his under graduate thesis and later experience gained in the commercialization of applied soil ecology technology in agriculture has now led to our knowledge of how to identify superior products that really work for growers. Jim has authored articles and columns in a leading agricultural magazine and has been a speaker on more than one hundred occasions at major conferences across the US, New Zealand and the Russian Far East since 1994.
If you are involved with crop production, forestry, turf, golf greens or ornamental horticulture anywhere in the world, Soilweb, Inc. has leading science that will help you be more successful.
Contact:
Jim Barlow, President
Soilweb, Inc.
1800 Half Rd. - Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Tel: 1-408-779-7344
- Fax: 408-782-8387
Web: www.soilweb.com
email: jim@soilweb.com
MBITA
welcomes its new member, Siham Benkacem Lahlou. Ms. Lahlou is an international
business professional in search for job opportunities in Southern California
through the MBITA network.
Ms. Lahlou is experienced
in all procedures and regulations related to the import/export business,
with excellent translation skills. She is fluent in Arabic, French, English
and her multicultural background enables her to communicate effectively
with people from several countries and cultures.
Ms. Lahlou worked for the Ministry of Economy & Finance in Casablanca,
Morocco as a main office inspector at the Department of Vehicles, as well
as for the Export Department of Merchandise. ·Among her duties,
she authorized temporary importation or exportation of goods and monitored
the status of each account to ensure that the merchandise was re-exported
at the designated time frame. She calculated tariffs and taxes on imported
goods and inspected all merchandise and secured approval from the Administration
of Customs & Indirect Taxes.
Ms.
Lahlou completed her Bachelor's Degree at the University of Hassan II,
Casablanca, Morocco with a major in Economics and holds an M.B.A. from
the University of Redlands, Ca., with a focus in global business. Her
cumulative GPA is 3.808. She also completed Customs Inspector courses
at the Customs Center in Casablanca, Morocco.
For her resume, click here.
Contact
Siham Benkacem
Lahlou
26200 Redlands Blvd Apt. 62
Redlands, CA 92373
Tel. 909-799-0842
Email: siham@verizon.net
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New TradePort service center selected for the San Fernando Valley region of California |
MBITA, managers of TradePort.org which is California's premiere global trade portal, has added the Valley International Trade Association (VITA) as a trade promotion service center to TradePort's emerging 'click & mortar' statewide infrastructure. "This makes ten TradePort service centers that now provide statewide regional 'on-the-ground' support for TradePort users", states Tony Livoti, president of MBITA. There are 1.6 million people in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California with over 4600 various manufacturing enterprises.
"The
success of online global trade hinges on having 'on-demand', real-time
consulting and eTraining,. TradePort is now researching and reviewing
new online tools for eLogistics and online banking and the TradePort
service centers will be there ready to support users for these and other
online tools through new, interactive, collaborative technologies",
continues Tony Livoti.
VITA has become a new MBITA member as well. Founded in 1979, VITA is a non-profit association dedicated to assisting San Fernando Valley businesses compete in the global marketplace. In 1998, VITA expanded and became a full strategic partner of both the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley and the Center for International Trade Development (CITD), with the aim of providing greater outreach to its members and clients.
To promote international trade, the Alliance, through its association with VITA hosts the annual conference 'Going Global' plus has a monthly Global Trade Leads networking breakfast held on the third Wednesday of every month at the Alliance Office in Van Nuys.
VITA is currently working with the West Los Angeles office of the U.S. Commercial Service, the Economic Alliance, MBITA and other non-profit affiliate organizations to develop a statewide economic development and business assistance infrastructure for exporting and importing that will include a database of the San Fernando Valley export community and consulting services.
Contact
Martin
Goppelt
Valley International Trade Association (VITA)
5121 Van Nuys Blvd. Suite 200
Sherman Oaks, CA 1403-1497
Tel. 818-379-7000
Fax 818-379-7077
email: martingoppelt@aol.com
In
1998, the Economic Alliance
initiated the Southern California International Trade Conference "Going
Global", held annually in the San Fernando Valley. The trade
conference is designed to give individuals and small to medium-sized
businesses the opportunity to hear from international trade experts,
as well as provide networking opportunities. The conference has become
regional in scope and annually draws more than 250 people.
This year the event was sponsored by the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports, VITA and the Economic Alliance and was held at Hilton Universal City & Towers in Universal City, on October 22. Over 200 attendees came looking to network and find out about opportunities in ‘Going Global’. MBITA and TradePort had an exhibit booth and co-chaired a Global eCommerce workshop with Alibaba.com.
Barry
Sedlick, the Undersecretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing
(BTH) agency, Mr. Jack Kyser, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist
at Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. (LAEDC), and Mr. Steven
Nichols, President and Chairman of the Board for K-Swiss Inc. all
gave presentations to the enthusiastic conference attendees.
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| Mayor James Hahn of Los Angeles meets with a delegation of 16 Chinese government and community leaders from the Heilongjiang province of China at the 'Going Global' conference |
The
Honorable James K. Hahn, Mayor of the City of Los Angeles was the
keynote luncheon speaker. Martin Goppelt, Executive Director of VITA,
also gave an opening presentation and made a brief introduction of
TradePort.org. Economic Alliance's CEO Bruce Ackerman in his opening
remarks said "A lot of the economy in the San Fernando Valley
is somehow touched by the international flavor and we are continuing
to get our arms around that."
The
WSO invites a limited number of vendor companies to send senior representatives
to participate in the Summits. Each company has products and/or services
that are of particular interest to the delegates. The WSO strictly limits
the number of vendors at each Summit, and also within each product and
service sector so as not to saturate any particular area.
WSO
Summits form an integral part of many successful companies' business development
activities, working alongside exhibitions, conferences, advertising and
other lead generation programs. As well as helping organizations quicken
their time to market and shorten their sales cycle, WSO Summits are incredibly
cost effective when compared with more traditional sales methods.