ND Global News - WCCO Belting Export Success, PS Industries Export Expansion Efforts, Container Shortages Anticipated, Send in your USMCA Implementation Questions and More

LOCAL NEWS AND TOP STORIES
- WCCO Belting Makes Hay at Agritechnica and RAISEs Exports
- Grand Forks-based PS Industries Inc. Looks to Take Advantage of International Market Research
- International Students Contribute over $50 million and Support 471 jobs in North Dakota
- US Exporters Warned of Pending Shortages of Empty Containers
- Export Distributor Agreements Webinar - March 5
- Mike Allocca Incoterms 2020 Seminar in Fargo - May 7

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS AND EVENTS
- The U.S. Commercial Service's 2017-2019 Impact Highlight
- U.S. Commercial Service Seeking Feedback on USMCA Implementation
- Supervisory Trade Specialist Position Opening in St. Louis
- Brew Local, Export Global: U.S. Microbreweries Test the Waters in International Markets
- International Trade Administration to Open Applications for the Market Development Cooperator Program
- B2G and B2B Matchmaking at Natural Products Expo West 2020
- Ukraine Virtual Education Fairs Using Virtual Reality Technology (VR VEF) - April
- Security Mission for Economic Prosperity in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras - May 17-22
- Trade Mission to the Caribbean Region - May 5 - June 5
- February Energy Newsletter Released

WEBINARS AND VIRTUAL EVENTS
- Post-Reconstruction Trade Mission to Southern Africa - Feb. 20
- What Does Brexit hold for U.S. Companies in 2020? - Feb. 20
- Opportunities for Supply Chain in the Marine and Shipbuilding Sectors - Feb. 25
- Russian Consumer Goods Market - March 5

LOCAL NEWS AND TOP STORIES

WCCO Belting "Makes Hay" at Agritechnica and RAISEs Exports
WCCO Belting is a Wahpeton-based manufacturer of custom rubber belting used in agriculture, construction, industrial and recycling machinery. In 2019, WCCO Belting leveraged multiple programs of the U.S. Commercial Service, including exhibiting in a booth within the USA Pavilion at Agritechnica, the world's largest ag machinery show); and using the in-depth research services of the Rural Intel Service (RAISE) to speed product development and marketing planning. Click here to read why they chose these programs, and how the programs helped the company position itself for success.

Grand Forks-based PS Industries Inc. Looks to Take Advantage of International Market Research
Grand Forks-based PS Industries Inc. manufactures a ladder safety gate among other products. The firm used the U.S. Commercial Service’s Rural Intel Service (RAISE) to generate market intelligence and contacts in Europe. “We did a couple of different programs where we did the initial market research,” said Mark Haaland, sales and marketing director for PS Industries. “Then we did some further in-country after that market research.” In an article written by the Grand Forks Herald's Adam Kurtz, the new RAISE national rural research center, to be based in Fargo and supported by Senator John Hoeven, is highlighted. Click here to read the article.

International Students Contribute over $50 million and Support 471 jobs in North Dakota
With the number of international students in the United States at an all-time high at over 1 million students, they bring over $44.7 billion to the national economy. North Dakota benefits from international students too. In 2019, international students have contributed $53.4 million to the state economy which supported 471 jobs across the state. Much of these are from UND ($21.2 million supporting 218 jobs) and NDSU ($19.6 million supporting 185 jobs). Click here to learn more.

US Exporters Warned of Pending Shortages of Empty Containers
Carriers are warning US exporters that with Chinese factories crippled for a third consecutive week and carrier announcements of more than 80 blank sailings in February and March, the shortage of empty containers beginning to surface in the US interior will intensify in the coming weeks. Those shipping ex/ Minneapolis may be accustomed to having little to no equipment in March. Unfortunately, this article is particularly disheartening in that Minneapolis and Chicago are specifically mentioned" says Blake Bina, VP of Sales at Professional Export Services in Eagan, Minnesota. Click here to read the full article.

Export Distributor Agreements Webinar - March 5
Do you wonder how you could improve your international distribution by having better agreements with your international partners? Join a webinar featuring attorney Grant Leach, a Partner at the Omaha-based Husch Blackwell, who will share tips on creating excellent export distributor agreements. Topics will include scope of appointments, commercial terms for order submission, compliance requirements, intellectual property rights, dispute resolution provisions, and more. In addition to the legal update, you will hear from experienced exporters Rob Haak (The Asia Sales Manager, based in Hawaii) and Chris Dana (Vermeer, based in Iowa) for their first-hand perspectives on how they use high quality distributor agreements to better manage their international partnerships. Click here for the flyer, and click here to register.

Mike Allocca Incoterms 2020 Seminar in Fargo - May 7
New Incoterms 2020 took effect in January. Are you ready to use them? INCOTERMS are widely used in international commercial transactions, to define the rights and responsibilities for the exporter and the importer in regards to the delivery of goods under sales contracts. Allocca Enterprises, in cooperation with the North Dakota District Export Council (DEC) and U.S. Commercial Service, are conducting a seminar to train companies shipping internationally on the updates and changes made to the international shipping terms. This seminar should be attended by sales teams, customer service representatives, upper management, or those wishing to train on what the new terms are and when/how to use them. Click here to register.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS AND EVENTS

The U.S. Commercial Service's 2017-2019 Impact Highlights
In the past three years, U.S. exporter clients achieved results with U.S. Commercial Service (CS) assistance in 178 countries and reported they increased their annual revenue by an average of $2 million per company (or 9%). The CS global network supports over 1.3 million American jobs and, for every dollar appropriated, CS returns over $300 to the U.S. economy. CS has responded to over 126,000 client inquires, reduced, removed, or prevented 137 trade barriers, and facilitated $107 billion in U.S. exports. Click here to learn more about the impact of the U.S. Commercial Service.

U.S. Commercial Service Seeking Feedback on USMCA Implementation
With the USMCA signed and expected to go into effect between late spring or early summer, we are seeking feedback from the U.S. exporting community on questions regarding implementation. This feedback will help us determine where we need to focus our attention when explaining the new requirements to  American businesses. Please email Heather.Ranck@trade.gov with any questions you may have on implementation.

Supervisory Trade Specialist Position Opening in St. Louis
The U.S. Commercial Service is excited to announce its opening for a GS-14 Supervisory International Trade Specialist position in St. Louis. Responsibilities include serving as an executive in the U.S. field with oversight of trade promotion operations and agency metrics, developing and maintaining appropriate contacts with U.S. industry, U.S. Government agencies, and international organizations involved in international trade, and more.Click here to learn more.

Brew Local, Export Global: U.S. Microbreweries Test the Waters in International Markets
We think of U.S. craft brewers as focused on breaking into neighboring states, not neighboring countries. But in 2017, nearly half a million barrels of U.S. craft beer was exported by land or by sea. While it’s routinely positioned as a “local” product in a locavore climate, increasing international demand for U.S. craft beer could help brands survive. Americans are not drinking more year over year, beer is losing ground to wine and spirits in the overall domestic market, and competition among U.S. alcohol brands is at an all-time high. But it's a different story overseas, click here to read the story from The Growler publication.

International Trade Administration to Open Applications for Market Development Cooperator Program
Through the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) trade associations and other industry groups receive technical and financial assistance from the International Trade Administration (ITA) for projects that reduce barriers to trade for U.S. industry. In mid-February 2020, ITA will publish a request for applications for new MDCP awards. Applications will be due April 13. Click here to learn more.

B2G and B2B Matchmaking at Natural Products Expo West 2020
The U.S. Commercial Service is pleased to offer complimentary programs to help export-ready U.S. exhibitors at NPEW develop and increase their international sales. B2G offers NPEW Exhibitors a unique opportunity to meet with U.S. Commercial Service Specialists who are the "boots on the ground" resource for U.S. companies looking to expand their presence overseas. The B2B program will share your profile with international buyers our Specialists are escorting to the show, resulting in possible news sales leads. These programs are open only to U.S. companies with at least 51% U.S. content. Click here to learn more.

Ukraine Virtual Education Fairs Using Virtual Reality Technology (VR VEF) - April
The U.S. Commercial Service Global Education Team is offering the Ukraine VR VEF. Present to top recruitment agents and high school counselors at the U.S. embassies, provide a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation highlighting your programs, and showcase your campus with 360-degree video. Appropriately accredited U.S. community colleges with high quality transfer options should apply. Interested education institutions will be asked to provide a 2-3 minute 360-degree video for use during this program. Email gabriela.zelaya@trade.gov if you are interested.

Security Mission for Economic Prosperity in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras - May 17-22
The U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, is organizing a business development Trade Mission to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, May 17-22, 2020 focused on opportunities in safety & security and cyber-security/information and communication technology (ICT). Mission participants will participate in a regional conference, learn about regional priorities, make contacts, have one-on-one business appointments, and participate in networking receptions. Click here to learn more.

Trade Mission to the Caribbean Region - May 31 - June 5
The Caribbean region as a whole represents a market of about 27 million people who collectively imported over $21 billion of U.S. goods in 2018. As a result, the region is the third largest export market for U.S. manufactured goods in Latin America behind only Mexico and Brazil. The Caribbean region is a natural commercial partner of the United States, tied closely by geography, history, and culture. Hosted in Bridgetown, Barbados, the Trade America - Business Opportunities in the Caribbean Region Conference will focus on region-specific sessions, market entry strategies, export compliance, legal issues, logistics, disaster resilience and recover, and access to finance. Click here to learn more.

February Energy Newsletter
The U.S. Commercial Service's Global Energy Team has released their February newsletter. Their market of the month is Singapore, where over billions of dollars are expected to flow into Southeast Asia in the next 3-5 years. They spotlight the USA Fair in Nigeria, the Offshore Technology Conference in Texas, and the U.S. Pavilion at African Utility Week. Finally, over a dozen trade leads are detailed from Ghana to Albania to Pakistan. Click here to view the newsletter.

WEBINARS AND VIRTUAL EVENTS

Post-Reconstruction Trade Mission to Southern Africa - Feb. 20
The proposed Reconstruction Trade Mission to Southern Africa will visit Maputo, Mozambique, and have optional visits to Harare, Zimbabwae or Lilongwe, Malawi. The purpose of the mission is to highlight the reconstruction needs of these countries to U.S. suppliers and service providers following the devastating Cyclone Idai & Kenneth, resulting in USD billions in destroyed infrastructure. Click here to learn more.

What Does Brexit hold for U.S. Companies in 2020? - Feb. 20
The Brexit process has been lengthy and confusing.  Find out what you really need to know to continue doing business considering the UK’s decision to leave the EU. In addition to a market overview, topics to be addressed include travel and immigration, cross-border trade (U.S.- UK and UK – EU), and updates on potential changes to UK regulation. The cost is $25. Click here to learn more.

Opportunities for Supply Chain in the Marine and Shipbuilding Sectors - Feb. 25
There are numerous commercial opportunities in the marine and shipbuilding sector taking place both in the United States and in Canada. This webinar event will introduce you to officials from the Marine Machinery Association (U.S.) and the Canadian Marine and Shipbuilding Association who will discuss areas of collaboration in support of an integrated supply chain, and highlight upcoming procurement programs in both countries. Additionally, the program will present short sessions led by association members showcasing their expertise and capabilities in the marine industry. Click here to learn more.

Russian Consumer Goods Market - March 5
Russian Federation is an upper-middle income economy, transition country, emerging financial market, and G8 member. It is the largest country in the world; leading producer and exporter of natural gas in the world, and second largest producer and exporter of petroleum in the world. Russia is increasingly becoming a consumer society. The main purchase factors are the brand, quality and the longevity of the product. Price is often a secondary determinant although it is taken into account. About 3/4 of Russians are interested in trying new products with 25% of purchases made for an immediate need. Click here to learn more.

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Your U.S. Commercial Service / North Dakota Office 

	Heather Ranck International Trade Specialist & Office Director Ph: 701-239-5080 Email: Heather.Ranck@trade.gov
	Haley Coffield Export Assistant Ph: 218-843-1746 Email: Haley.Coffield@trade.gov
	Joshua Erickson  Export Assistant Ph: 701-239-5033 Email: Joshua.Erickson@trade.gov
	Nathan Guillemette Export Assistant Ph: 218-689-4390 Email: Nathan.Guillemette@trade.gov
	Kole Nichols Export Assistant Ph: 701-361-1313 Email: Kole.Nichols@trade.gov
	Colby Warzecha Export Assistant Ph: 320-267-6766 Email: Colby.Warzecha@trade.gov

 

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