39th NCBFAA Annual ConferenceEC2: Education, Compliance, Collaboration-The Metrics to Success

April 7-10, 2013The Westin Mission Hills, Rancho Mirage, CA

Following the NCBFAA Annual Golf Tournament, participants gather amid the Masters Plaza palm trees to await the announcement of this year’s winners and enjoy lunch.

Flanked by Tournament sponsors James Zulke of Avalon Risk Management and Harold Grunfeld of Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt LLP, Annual conference Chairman Rene Romero addresses the golfers.

With nearly 70 First Timers joining us at this year’s Conference, the First Timers Reception was bubbling with excitement. (l to r) Kevin Downie, Agility Logistics Corp and Susan Buechel, OHL chat with NCBFAA Area 8 Director Rudolfo Delgado; NCBFAA Treasurer William S. App listens to Mitchell Glickman, Livingston International, Inc.; Roberta Coppersmith, NCBFAA Chairman Jeffrey Coppersmith, and NCBFAA Educational Director Federico Zuniga pose with Abbie Booth, F. H. Kaysing Company, LLC; NCBFAA Transportation Committee Chair Jan Fields and Brian Bartolotta, Business Contract Solutions; Brendan Sherman, Cori Rogers and Juraj Antala with Zepol Corporation; Elizabeth Lee, Global Fairways, Inc., NCBFAA Area 5 Director Marie Armelagos and Ms. Booth.

Old friends and colleagues gathered in the Masters Plaza as for the NCBFAA’s Welcome Reception open to all 2013 Annual Conference registrants.

First thing Monday morning everyone gathered in the Ambassador Ballroom for the Affiliated President Network-sponsored Opening Breakfast presided over by NCBFAA Chairman Jeffrey Coppersmith (lower right) filling in for NCBFAA President Darrell Sekin who was not able to attend.

Conference Chairman Romero thanks everyone for coming to the Conference.

Bill Sterrett, President, Roanoke Trade announces the winner of the NCBFAA 2013 Scholarship, Madison Correnti.

NEI Director Zuniga introduces the CCS and CES scholarship winners.

Lisa Tree, CargoWise edi addresses the Opening Breakfast audience while presenting her company-sponsored NCBFAA CCS Award.

NCBFAA CCS Award recipient Diego Hernandez, DHL Express, acknowledges the award and expresses his appreciation for the honor.

Pam Berry(l), Marisol International receives the Avalon Risk Management-sponsored NCBFAA CES Award from Avalon’s Lisa Gelsomino.

The first official order of business for any Annual Conference is the Annual membership meeting open to all Regular Members where they can receive reports from the Officers, Counsels and Committees.

NCBFAA Chairman Coppersmith (l) and Conference Chairman Romero preside over the ceremonial ribbon-cutting to officially open the 2013 Exhibitor Marketplace.

NCBFAA Chairman Coppersmith (l) doing his best President Sekin impersonation presides over the Annual Meeting. NCBFAA Vice President Geoffrey Powell (center left), Treasurer William App, Jr. (center right) and Secretary Amy Magnus update members on NCBFAA activity.

A number of NCBFAA Committee and Sub-Committee Chairs reported on their work including those featured below:

By-Laws Committee Chair Lee Hardeman

Customs Committee Chair Mary Jo Muoio

NCBFAA Customs Counsel Alan Klestadt

Transportation Committee Chair Jan Fields

Transportation Sub-Committee on NVOCC Chair Rich Roche

Transportation Sub-Committee on Export Compliance Chair Paulette Kolba

Transportation Subcommittee on Freight Forwarding Chair Melzie Wilson

Transportation Subcommittee on Air Freight Chair Donna Mullins

Transportation & General Counsel Ed Greenberg

Regulatory Agencies Committee Chair Roger Clarke

Membership Committee Chair Bruce Goodwin

NCBFAA Educational Institute Chair Ken Bargteil

PAC Committee Chair Kathy Murray

GAC Committee Co-Chair Jerry Becnel

GAC Committee Co-Chair Mary Peglow

Legislative Representative Jon Kent

Arnold Schwartzandplayer, Operations Manager, Party Karts played by Vincent Iacopella, The Janel Group

Donald Grump, CEO, Grump Group, LLC played by Scott Case, Position: Global

Jessica Romo Stimpson, LCB and Corporate Representative All Everything Logistics played by Karma Ruiz, World Wise Consulting, Inc.

Reprising the 2011 Moot Court with a twist, the first session on Monday afternoon involved a Mock Trial that explored the dark recesses lurking behind every international commercial transaction and supply chain increment, exposing some of the perils waiting in the shadows for the unsuspecting freight forwarder, customs broker, logistics provider and the unwitting importer and shipper. Under the always astute, often surprising purview of the Honorable Judge Leo Gordon (center), Court of International Trade, flanked on the left by Defense Counsels Andrew Spector, Arnall, Golden, Gregory and LLC and Leonard Feldman, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. along with on the right Plaintiff Counselors David Street, GKG Law and Frank Desiderio, Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt LLP argued real life regulatory and commercial issues in an enlightening and entertaining presentation of facts

Witnesses for Defense Witnesses for Plaintiff:

Vincent Gambini, Invisible Transport Solutions, Contract Service Manager, Vinny's Trucking and Catering d/b/a Specialty Services Trucking played by Len James, John S. James Co.

The Mock Trial session proved to be one of the most popular of the Conference with an attendance exceeding 200 people.

To further explore the circumstances giving rise to the controversy just tried, (l-r) Moderator and Trial Bailiff Ken Bargteil, NCBFAA NEI Chairman, Mike Brown, Avalon Risk Management, Judge Gordon, and Richard W. Bridges, Vice President, Roanoke Trade develop the issues that gave rise to adjudication of claims and explain how to best protect your businesses and assets from the consequences.

Tuesday’s first well attended session provided an export regulatory update that covered the latest Foreign Trade Regulations (Census), CBP updates regarding ACE, the outbound Manifest Program and how a "Trusted Trader-C-TPAT” program for exports might influence these programs, and how licensing agencies such as the BIS are using export data. Moderated by Paulette Kolba (r), NCBFAA Transportation Committee Member, this session included Joe Cortez, Chief, Regulations, Outreach and Educations Branch, Foreign Trade and, by teleconference, Gerry Horner, BIS, Office of Technology Evaluation.

Tuesday’s second session addressed security in the air environments which has become crucial due to rapid transit and dealing with various regulations throughout the world. Representatives from government and trade discussing the challenges that international air carriers faced included the Moderator Donna Mullins, NCBFAA Airfreight Subcommittee Chair; Derek Duiser, Manager, Cargo Security, Delta Air Lines, Inc.; Kester Meijer, Director Operational Integrity, KLM Cargo Worldwide Operations; Preston Schnyder, CBP; and Jon Kent, NCBFAA Legislative Representative.

Questions on the success and effectiveness of Negotiated Rate Arrangements (NRAs) were addressed in Tuesday’s first afternoon session by panel Moderator Rich Roche, NCBFAA NVOCC Subcommittee Chair; Ed Greenberg, NCBFAA Transportation & General Counsel; and Ken Bargteil, NCBFAA NEI Chairman.

During lunch on Tuesday, the Affiliated Association Presidents Network, under the leadership of APN Committee Chair Scott Larson convened for a luncheon discussion of relevant issues pertinent to the NCBFAA and the industry at large.

Tuesday’s final panel focused on ever-changing regulations while dealing with the ticking clock of customer expectations and business objectives. Panelists included (l to r) Geoff Powell, NCBFAA Vice President; Frank Parker, Jr., President, Parker & Company; Moderator Melzie Wilson, NCBFAA Transportation Sub Committee Chairperson; and Pam Brown, Vice President, Future Forwarding.

Tuesday evening provided all attendees with an opportunity to enjoy an evening of dining and live music with friends and colleagues at the Oasis Dinner Celebration, which was co-sponsored by Platinum Sponsor Avalon Risk Management and Gold Sponsor Great American Insurance Group.

Flanked by the evening sponsors’ gobos, the NCBFAA’s Chairman Jeff Coppersmith and Avalon’s Lisa Gelsomino welcome all to the celebration.

Wednesday’s well attended kickoff panel addressed various provisions of the FSMA law, where various regulations stand, future development goals, and U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) enforcement struggles as well as the filer review processes from both the FDA and practitioner points of view. Panelists included (above l to r) Moderator Roger Clarke, NCBFAA RAC Chairman; Tony Taube, FDA; John E. Verbeten, FDA; and Maggie Smith-Ranney, Coppersmith Global Logistics.

Wednesday’s second morning session looked at CBP’s new Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEE) initiative, which is a major component for its Trade Transformation project. By bringing specialized knowledge to a team that will be a source of information for importers, brokers, and CBP to help develop more uniformity to the import process and allow CBP to learn more about the trends of specific industries, this new concept could be a “game-changer.” Moderated by Daniel Meylor (l), NCBFAA Board Member, Area 9, the panel composed of Mark Shacklette, UPS Supply Chain Solutions; Anne Maricich, CBP; Sherri Hoffman, CBP; and Richard Belanger, Sidley Austin LLP discussed the interaction between CBP, the importer, and the broker to lead to more compliant entry processes.

Todd C. Owen, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles, CA addressed participants as Wednesday’s Keynote Luncheon speaker and provided attendees with the annual CBP Headquarters update on ongoing programs and perspective ones.

Following lunch, Conference participants joined in a session on the Role of the Broker. The discussion on this began as a review with CBP of 19 CFR 111 to address evolving business practices of Customs Brokers and how regulation might change in the 21st century. It has evolved to become a part of Trade Transformation with a look at possible changes of the Custom Broker's relationship with CBP. Taking a close look at this developing issue was a panel of experts (l to r): Moderator Mary Jo Muoio, NCBFAA Customs Committee Chair; Ken Bargteil, NCBFAA NEI Chairman; Alan Klestadt, NCBFAA Customs Counsel and on teleconference Elena Ryan, Director, Trade Facilitation and Administration, Office of International Trade, CBP.

The final session of the Conference included a panel on Business Resumption Planning that reviewed the lessons learned from recent disasters and discussed the need for cooperative business resumption planning by all stakeholders at the port level. Panelists included (l to r): Moderator Mary Ann Comstock, NCBFAA Board Member, Area 1; Jerry Becnel, J.W. Allen & Co., Inc.; Charles Riley, John A. Steer Co.; and Daniel Meylor, NCBFAA Board Member, Area 9.

During the Wednesday Closing Reception, along with the recognition of sponsors and retiring leadership, two people who are very special to our Association were chosen for singular honors. Mary Peglow who has been a stalwart supporter of ours for many years was granted Honorary Membership in the NBCFAA and NEI Chairman Ken Bargteil was named 2013 recipient of its coveted NCBFAA Centurion Award for his out-spoken and long-standing advocacy of the NCBFAA’s vital role in American commerce.

NCBFAA Chairman Jeffrey Coppersmith acknowledges Mary Peglow as an Honorary Regular Member. Mary becomes only the thirteenth individual so honored by the Association.

NCBFAA Chairman Jeffrey Coppersmith presents Ken Bargteil with his crystal NCBFAA Centurion Award distinguishing him as one of the seven Centurions named to date.

Throughout the Conference, Sunday to Wednesday from Noon to 5 p.m., refreshments and beverages were available to all registered participants thanks to the generous courtesy of Roanoke Trade.