Detroit, Michigan
September 9-10, 2009
Day 1: Wednesday, September 9, 2009
7:30-8:30 AM REGISTRATION & CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST Renaissance Foyer
8:30-9:00 AM WELCOME AND
INTRODUCTIONS Cartier Ballroom
Craig Muerlin, Chair, West Michigan District Export Council (DEC)
Terry Kalley, Chair, East Michigan District Export Council (DEC)
Gary Locke, U.S. Secretary of Commerce
9:00-10:15 AM PLENARY SESSION: THE FUTURE OF THE
NAFTA Cartier
Ballroom
Sponsor: KeyBank
Moderator – Michael Bellardine, Director-Senior Vice
President Global Trade and Payment Services, KeyBank
Elaine Feldman, Assistant Deputy Minister, North America,
Foreign Affairs and International Trade (Canada), invited
Beatriz Leceygui, Under Secretary for International Trade,
Mexico, invited
Brian Brisson, Regional Director, Western Hemisphere
Operations, U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce
10:15-10:45 AM NETWORKING
BREAK Renaissance Foyer
Coffee with Exhibitors
10:45-12:00 PM CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Session A – Doing Business in Canada and Mexico: What You Need
to Know NOW, Michelangelo
U.S. Embassy Senior Commercial Officers will present the latest
business trends in Canada and Mexico. What are the best prospects
for U.S. products and services? How has the business climate
changed in Canada and Mexico as a result of the economic
downturn? What are the most common mistakes new exporters make
when trying to enter these markets? Come and learn what it takes
to be successful in these two dynamic markets.
Ann Bacher, Senior Commercial Officer (Mexico)
Stephan Wasylko, Senior Commercial Officer (Canada)
Session B – Transportation and Logistics: Ensuring Your
Products Reach Your Customer and Greening the Supply Chain,
Renoir
Speakers will discuss the legal and efficient means to get goods
across the border, and the newest methods to promote the greening
of the supply chain. Highlights will include an outline of
the legal documents necessary for cross border traffic,
instruction on how to avoid border delays, tips on how to reduce
communication costs, and advice on how to effectively challenge
amps fines. Discussion will also include an update of how
the transportation industry has made effective steps in climate
protection and greening of the supply chain.
Debbie Dent, Director, Carrier Consulting Division, Border
Connect (Canada)
Paul Millenbach, Attorney, Foster, Swift, Collins &
Smith PC
Session C – NAFTA Payment Strategies: Banking Practices,
Regulations and Foreign Exchange Risk Management,
DaVinci
Gain knowledge of banking practices, rules and regulations for
Canada and Mexico. Learn how to set up a virtual address
and lockbox in Canada to better compete with local
companies. Learn how to take advantage of Canadian dollar
and Mexican peso accounts for receivables and payables.
Review best practices and tools to help get paid. Get the
latest currency forecasts and learn about hedging strategies to
manage market and currency risks. Listen to case studies of
U.S. companies that have successfully worked with U.S. and
international banks to expand into Canada and Mexico.
George Hoffman, CTP. Senior Vice President and Group
Project Manager, PNC Bank
Lorna Kennedy, Vice President, Royal Bank of Canada
(Canada)
Michael Wahl, Foreign Exchange/Capital Markets, National
City
Session D – Don’t Be Stopped at the Border: Customs and
Immigration Issues, Greco
Speakers will recommend strategies for getting your exports
cleared through customs more efficiently; outline common mistakes
exporters make and highlight red flags which can cause
problems/delays at the border; share special tips related to
paperwork; and outline any available mechanisms that can help
expedite the process for exporters that do large volumes of cross
border shipping. Presentations will also include basic
information on immigration laws and regulations for those looking
to send employees across borders to staff an office, facilitate
sales, or deliver a service.
Amy E. Hatfield, Supervisory Customs Officer, U.S.
Department of Homeland Security
Susan Oswald, Interim Superintendant, Canadian Border
Services Agency (Canada)
TBD, Customs and Immigration Official from Mexico
11:30 AM-12:00 PM LUNCHEON
REGISTRATION Renaissance Foyer
12:00-1:30 PM KEYNOTE
LUNCHEON Cartier Ballroom
Sponsors: Federal Express and PNC Bank
Introduction of Luncheon Sponsor: Brian Brisson, Regional Director, Western Hemisphere Operations, U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce
Introduction of Keynote Luncheon Speaker: TBD, PNC Bank or FedEx Representative
John Engler, former Governor of Michigan and President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
1:30-2:45 PM CONCURRENT
SESSIONS
Session A – Protecting and Enforcing Intellectual Property:
Tools and Strategies for SMEs, Greco
Did you know that intellectual property rights may be one of your
businesses’ most important assets? Learn the basics of
intellectual property rights, including the value that
intellectual property rights may have for your business. Speakers
will share information on how to protect and enforce intellectual
property rights in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada and highlight
tools and programs available to assist small businesses.
Lic. Jorge Amigo Castañeda, Director General, Instituto
Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI) (Mexico),
invited
Skip Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Trade
Agreements and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce
TBD, Partnership for Prosperity and Security Colleague
from Canada
Session B – University Resources for Trade in North
America, Renoir
Presenters will outline specific university programs and
resources related to trade in North America, including:
TechTown’s Soft Landings site for NAFTA in Detroit; Michigan
State’s globalEDGE and A Basic Guide to Exporting Online Modules;
and the Van Andel Global Trade Center’s University/Business
Partnerships: Addressing the Global Trade Learning Curve.
Randal Charlton, Executive Director, TechTown, Wayne State
University
Sarah Singer, Assistant Director, Michigan State
University CIBER
Mark Bleckley, Associate Director, Grand Valley State
University, Van Andel Global Trade Center
Session C – Direct Sales in Canada and Mexico: Sales and
Warranty Law, Michelangelo
This panel includes Mexican, Canadian and U.S. business lawyers
addressing sales laws in Canada and Mexico, as well as the UN
Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of
Goods. Presenters will discuss why U.S. companies should
have their U.S. sales forms reviewed by foreign counsel.
Presenters will also address consumer protection laws in Canada
and Mexico and how they can affect your warranty.
Andre Asselin, Attorney, De Grandpre Chait LLP
(Canada).
Fernando Cuevas, Attorney, Cuevaslugo Abogados
(Mexico)
Adolfo Lugo, Attorney, Cuevaslugo Abogados (Mexico)
William Northcote, Attorney, Shibley Righton LLP
(Canada).
Brian Renaud, Attorney, Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith
PC
2:45-3:15 PM NETWORKING
BREAK Renaissance Foyer
Coffee with Exhibitors
3:15-4:30 PM PLENARY SESSION: FINANCING THE
DEAL Cartier Ballroom
This session will showcase the services and programs of the Export-Import Bank of the United States and the U.S. Small Business Administration and how these finance tools can help you and your bank put the last piece in place.
Moderator: Richard Corson, Director, Pontiac U.S. Export
Assistance Center, U.S. Commercial Service
Jan Blaho, Business Development Officer, Export-Import
Bank of the United States
John O’Gara, Senior International Credit Officer, U.S.
Small Business Administration
5:00 –7:00
PM RECEPTION Coach
Insignia
Sponsor: Michigan District Export Council (72nd
Floor)
Robert Noble, Consul General of Canada
Vicente Sanchez-Ventura, Consul of Mexico
Day 2: Thursday, September 10
8:00-9:00 AM REGISTRATION AND CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST Renaissance Foyer
9:00-10:15 AM CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Session A – Border Security: Achieving a Balance Between
Security and Openness, DaVinci
Speakers will discuss the ways in which business and government
are working together to ensure secure and open borders in North
America. Highlights will include information on the NAFTA
and the FAST program, as well as what the U.S. Customs and Border
Patrol is doing to ensure that high risk cargo is not entering
the United States.
Amy E. Hatfield, Supervisory Customs Officer, U.S.
Department of Homeland Security
Sarah Hubbard, Vice President, Government Relations,
Detroit Regional Chamber
Cecilia Ochoa Levine, President, U.S. Department of
Commerce U.S. Mexico Border District Export Council (DEC) and
former member of the President’s Export Council
Session B – Fundamentals of NAFTA and Filling Out a NAFTA
Certificate of Origin, Greco
Enhance your knowledge of the NAFTA and learn the NAFTA
documentation requirements to receive preferential duty treatment
in Canada and Mexico. Topics will include: NAFTA
definitions; understanding the roles of exporters, producers and
importers; choosing the proper preference criterion; basics of
tariff shift and regional value content; determining country of
origin; and how to complete the NAFTA certificate of
origin. This session will be pertinent for both the
exporter of goods and the suppliers who support the exporters.
Mark Bleckley, Grand Valley State University Van Andel Global Trade Center
Session C – Staffing in Canada and Mexico: Laws and
Implications, Renoir
This panel includes Canadian, Mexican and U.S. business lawyers
discussing the differences between labor and employment laws in
the United States, Canada and Mexico. The session will not
only be applicable to U.S. companies with offices in Canada or
Mexico or those planning to hire employees, independent
contractors and/or agents in those countries, as U.S. companies
can unwittingly cause foreign labor and employment, tax, and
other laws to apply to them if they do not structure their
foreign distributor/agent/sales representative relationships
properly. Presenters will also discuss typical provisions
in agreements with foreign sales representatives and suggest
performance standards.
Andre Asselin, Attorney, De Grandpre Chait LLP
(Canada)
Bryce Chandler, Attorney, Shibley Righton LLP
(Canada)
William Northcote, Attorney, Shibley Righton LLP
(Canada)
Jorge Olvera, Attorney, Cuevaslugo Abogoados
(Mexico)
Jean Schtokal, Attorney, Foster, Swift, Collins &
Smith PC
Session D – Doing Business in Canada and Mexico: What You Need
to Know NOW, Michelangelo (repeat of September 9 AM Session
A)
U.S. Embassy Senior Commercial Officers will present the latest business trends in Canada and Mexico. What are the best prospects for U.S. products and services? How has the business climate changed in Canada and Mexico as a result of the economic downturn? What are the most common mistakes new exporters make when trying to enter these markets? Come and learn what it takes to be successful in these two dynamic markets.
Ann Bacher, Senior Commercial Officer (Mexico)
Stephan Wasylko, Senior Commercial Officer (Canada)
10:15-10:45 AM NETWORKING
BREAK Renaissance Foyer
Coffee with Exhibitors
10:45-12:00 PM PLENARY SESSION: SMALL BUSINESS
PANEL Cartier Ballroom
Sponsor: Lexwork International
Ready to increase your sales to Canada and Mexico, but not sure where to begin? This interactive panel discussion will feature successful international sales managers from small businesses. Panelists will share their “in the trenches” stories ranging from international payment pitfalls to best internet marketing practices and more.
Moderator: TBD, Lexwork International
Raymond Gaynor, President, International Solutions,
LLC.
Michael Gibbons, International Sales Director, Yard King,
Inc.
Yannick Greiner, Global Sales Director, Penda Corporation
12:00 PM CONFERENCE ADJOURNS
1:30-5:00 PM Individually Scheduled Meetings with U.S.
Embassy Commercial Specialists from Canada and Mexico
Greco, Michelangelo, Renoir and DaVinci