ND Global News - Vent (and learn) about unfair trade barriers, Tips for Getting Paid, Fast track into the French AgTech Market and more

 

ND Global News - March 2018
Newsletter of the U.S. Commercial Service in Fargo, North Dakota

LOCAL NEWS AND EVENTS
- How Have You Been Affected by Unfair Barriers to Trade? Opportunity to Meet US Commerce Department Officials
- Solving Exporter Mysteries - Tips for Getting Paid by Your Overseas Buyers
- US Commercial Service Impact in North Dakota and NW Minnesota
- AgriNEST - Fast Track Your Ag Tech Company's Entry into France and the EU
- European Union's General Data Protection Regulation Event Coming to Minneapolis
- North Dakota Trade Office Offering Global Business Connections Conference
- Nampo USA Pavilion Sold Out - Show Intel Market Intelligence Gathering Still Available for May Show
- Ukraine AGRO USA Pavilion - Information Stand and Catalog Program Still Available for June Show

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS AND EVENTS
- Mexican Regulations on the Importation of Used Vehicles and Trucks   
- Rural California Hat Making Company Finds Success while Partnering with US Commercial Service
- Baltimore Dredging Company Uses US Commercial Service Gold Keys to Reach Foreign Markets 
- Report on Rotorcraft Industry Released by ITA
- Doing Business with the United Nations Seminar

WEBINARS
- Canadian Non-Resident Importer Program Webinar Set for May

LOCAL NEWS AND EVENTS

How Have You Been Affected by Unfair Barriers to Trade? Opportunity to Meet US Commerce Department Officials
Have you lost business opportunities due to unfair barriers to trade? We want to hear from you! Officials from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Trade Agreements and Compliance will be in Fargo on April 4 and 5, as part of the ND Trade Office’s Global Business Connections Conference to share the latest efforts of the US government to address trade barrier issues, and to hear from local businesses. Mr. Steven Presing and Mr. Baron Green from the Office of Trade Agreements and Compliance will be speaking at the conference and meeting with ND District Export Council members during their visit. In advance of their visit, the local U.S. Commercial Service office is seeking to identify cases where local businesses have been impacted by unfair trade practices.  We seek your feedback by March 31. Any info you provide will be held in strict confidentiality. Please answer the following question with as much detail as possible by emailing Heather.Ranck@trade.gov:

How has your company/industry has been impacted by trade barriers or market access issues?

Here are some specific examples that typically fall into the category of trade barriers or market access issues:
- High or unfair tariffs
- Customs classification or barriers at border
- Burdensome rules of origin, certification of origin, or import licensing requirements
- Unfair standards, testing, labeling or certification requirements
- Intellectual Property Rights protection issues
- Discrimination in government procurement
- Concerns about corruption

Solving Exporter Mysteries - Tips for Getting Paid by Your Overseas Buyers
The February mystery was how regular exporters in this region prefer to get paid by international buyers. We gathered insights from numerous North Dakota and Minnesota District Export Council (DEC) members and we share their insights in this report.

US Commercial Service Impact in North Dakota and NW Minnesota
Over the past two years, the US Commercial Service (CS) in Fargo, North Dakota, with a staff of one full time Trade Specialist and several interns, has helped 163 companies on 349 different trade cases in North Dakota and the 9 counties in NW Minnesota covered by the Fargo CS office. Those firms employ over 11,000 American workers, according to Dun & Bradstreet. Assistance ranged from finding overseas buyers to overcoming trade barriers to organizing ag machinery USA Pavilions at overseas trade shows, to finding answers to specific logistics questions, and an enormous range of individual issues that companies face in their day-to-day work trading across borders. For more information on the overall impact of the US Commercial Service, visit our website at www.export.gov/northdakota or check out this one page Impact Statement for the US Commercial Service at large.

AgriNEST - Fast Track Your AgTech Company's Market Entry Into France and the EUs
Gain market insights, business relationships, and a successful entry into the French and European market by applying to participate in AgriNEST. AgriNEST encourages small to medium companies without a current foothold in the European agricultural market to pitch their innovative products and ideas. The conference will include B2B meetings with clients and business partners, a spot at the largest French Ag Tech conference in Paris, roundtables with executives of agricultural companies, startups, etc. This event is sponsored by the U.S. Commercial Service, Canadian Trade Commissioner Service in Paris, and Business France. For more information, email Heather.Ranck@trade.gov or click here.

European Union's General Data Protection Regulation Event Coming to Minneapolis
The US Department of Commerce is offering a conference in various sites across the country in order to educate businesses who currently are doing business in Europe, or who wish to in the future how the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will affect business operations. There are new EU data protection requirements when transferring personal data from the EU to the United States and this conference will help you navigate the regulations. Discover about how to adapt to GDPR by learning which processes and tools should be put in place, how to turn GDPR into a business advantage, etc. The conference will be in Minneapolis on March 23rd. For more information, click here. 

North Dakota Trade Office Offering Global Business Connections Conference
The North Dakota Trade Office (NDTO) will offer a Global Business Connections conference this April. Meet exporters and international business professionals, network with experts, etc. Speakers include Peter Zeihan, a geopolitical strategist and author of The Accidental Superpower and The Absent Superpower, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. For more information, click here.

Date: April 4-5, 2018
NDTO Member Cost: FREE for first attendee, $150/additional attendee
Non-Member Cost: $200
Student/Government Cost: $75

Nampo USA Pavilion Sold Out - Show Intel Market Intelligence Gathering Still Available
The USA Pavilion at Nampo, a program spearheaded every year since 2010 by the US Commercial Service at the largest ag show in Africa, has sold out of booth space, with several North Dakota companies participating. Companies can still sign up for the Show Intel program, where companies can be included in the official USA Pavilion catalog distributed at the show and throughout the region; and a CS Trade Specialist will walk the show and gather leads and feedback specific to each companies' needs. Registration deadline is March 31. STEP funding may be available to cover your participation. Click here for more information.

Ukraine AGRO 2018 USA Pavilion - Information Stand and Catalog Options Still Available
The US Commercial Service has organized a USA Pavilion at the largest agricultural exhibition in Ukraine - AGRO 2018 - for the first time, scheduled for June 6-9 2018. Booths are no longer available but there is still a small window of opportunity for companies to sign up for an information stand (if your company is represented elsewhere on the show grounds) or in the USA Pavilion catalog. Contact Heather Ranck - Heather.Ranck@trade.gov for more information.

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Mexican Regulations On the Importation of Used Vehicles and Trucks
The U.S. Commercial Service has prepared a report for companies seeking to import used vehicles and trucks into Mexico. For an overview of how this may apply to you, click here for an overview from the U.S. Commercial Service in Mexico. For more comprehensive vehicle/truck importation regulations, click here. 

Rural California Hat Making Company Finds Success while Partnering with US Commercial Service
American Hat Makers, based in Watsonville, California has worked with the U.S. Commercial Service office in San Jose, California, and several international offices. Founded out of the back of a Chevy Station Wagon in 1972, American Hat Makers now exports all over the world.  The company has utilized Gold Key programs to find new distributors in Japan and Southern China.  Revenue generated through exporting helps maintain 40 local jobs in the rural county of Monterey.  Garth Watrous, the son of the company’s founder and manager of international sales, describes his participation in the U.S. Commercial Service’s Gold Key program akin to being "treated like royalty."  Mr. Watrous was thrilled that the U.S. Commercial Service was able to introduce his company to new overseas distributors in Japan and China. For a brief video about the company, click here.

Baltimore Dredging Company Uses US Commercial Service Gold Keys to Reach Foreign Markets
Ellicott Dredges, based in Baltimore Maryland, has worked with the U.S. Commercial Service office in Baltimore, MD.   Ellicott (founded in 1885) built all of the dredges used in the construction of the original Panama Canal.  The company has worked with the Commercial Service utilizing both the Gold Key Service and Advocacy programs.   They use the Gold Key to understand opportunities in new overseas markets, and Commercial Service Advocacy programs to help win important foreign government contracts.   The company's CEO, Peter Bowe, stated that exporting is very important for their business and helps support and maintain jobs at the company. For a brief video about the company, click here.
(Source: ITA)

Report on Rotorcraft Industry Released by ITA
The International Trade Administration (ITA) released the 2017 report on the rotorcraft (helicopter) industry. The report gives an overview of the industry as a whole, as well as breakdowns of international markets and how rotorcrafts are performing in them. In addition, the report offers guidance and resources for companies that may be interested in exporting rotorcrafts. For the full report, click here.

Doing Business with the United Nations Seminar Offered
The US Commercial Service New York is offering the fifth annual Doing Business with the United Nations seminar in Manhattan. The seminar will offer an introduction to the UN's procurement market, and will be informative to those who have bid unsuccessfully to be UN suppliers, along with those in need of assistance getting started. For more information, click here.

WEBINARS

Canadian Non-Resident Importer Program Webinar Set for May
The US Commercial Service is offering a webinar for companies interested in benefitting from the Non-Resident Importer (NRI) Program. This program is for companies interested in selling to Canadian clients on a landed cost basis, streamlining the customs process, and reducing paperwork. The webinar will cover basic questions companies may have about the program, how it will benefit them, and how to get started. For more information, click here.

Date: May 1, 2018
Time: 12-1:00 PM CST
Cost: $25

 

 

 

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Your U.S. Commercial Service / North Dakota Office 

	Heather Ranck Office Director and International Trade Specialist Ph: 701-239-5080 Email: Heather.Ranck@trade.gov
	Haley Coffield Export Assistant Ph: 701-239-5033 Email: Haley.Coffield@trade.gov
	Joshua Erickson  Export Assistant Ph: 701-239-5033 Email: Joshua.Erickson@trade.gov

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US Commercial Service | United States Department of Commerce | 811 Second Ave. N | Suite 436 | Fargo | ND | 58102