International Trade Week has come and gone and it was both exciting and eventful for CRWTC. On Monday May 21st our own Bill Hooton was shipped off to Brooklyn to provide the Foreign Trade Zone component of Brooklyn Goes Global’s International Trade Day and Symposium entitled “Beyond Borders: Creating Opportunities in the Global Marketplace”. The all day event was sponsored by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and hosted by Touro College School of Business at their campus in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Chamber, like many local and regional Chambers of Commerce, has a reciprocal membership with CRWTC which increases both the reach and resources we can offer local CRWTC Members and visiting members of the Association of World Trade Centers. Bill was not the only local resource to be shipped downstate for the occasion. Gerry Shaye, Director of International Trade Development for Empire State Development Corporation, presented a program on Exporting in Latin America and Africa.

On Tuesday May 22nd, we hosted a very informative workshop co-sponsored by our new sustaining member EP&M International on how to effectively choose, manage and make sales at Trade Shows, both internationally and domestically. Not only did the workshop provided insider information on which shows reach what kind of customers, it also identified the need for exhibit planning and after exhibit analysis and demonstrated a wide range of portable and modular exhibits, including collateral graphics and sales materials, that can be custom made and owned or rented, delivered, assembled and managed at any exhibit site anywhere in the world. One number that came out of the presentation that stayed with us was the industry statistic that a company typically spends on average $1,080 to close a sale in the field compared to $420 to close a sale at a Trade Show. As presenters, EP&M were anything but average and since the subject was of such importance and interest, we’ve agreed to present a series of workshops on trade show management, measurement and opportunities over the balance of the year.

Trade Show Series

Program	Date/Time
Elements of an Effective Trade Show - How do I get started without breaking the bank?	Wednesday, Sept 12, 11am - 12:30 pm
There is no show for all seasons - picking your targets wisely	Wednesday, Sept 26, 11am- 12:30pm
Going international - there's a big world out there and it looks scary - turning a "oui" into a yes!	Wednesday, Oct 10, 11am-12:30 pm
North American opportunities for foreign companies - combining the standing showroom with the travelling show - double your sales, double your fun	Wednesday, Oct 24, 11 am-12:30 pm
Staffing up- turning prospects into leads with the right people / booth skills	Wednesday, Nov. 7, 11 am- 12:30 pm
Survey says!- guaging show expectations and performance to do better next time- what the numbers really mean	Wednesday, Nov 28, 11am- 12:30 pm
Series overview, final exam and certificate of completion	Wednesday, Dec. 5, 11am- 12:30 pm
Yes, I am interested

On Wednesday morning May 23rd, we hosted and moderated a roundtable discussion on how we can get NY Agricultural Products more profitably and effectively to local, regional, national and international markets. The roundtable attracted a diverse and distinguished attendance including Jim Barber, Special Assistant, Richard Bennett, Executive Assistant, Bill Kimball , Division Director, and Jacqueline Moody-Czub, Deputy Commissioner, all from the NY State Department of Agriculture and Markets; Richard Ball, local farmer and Past President of the NYS Vegetable Growers Association; David Ahl, Director of Development for the Galesi Group; Larry Eckhardt, President of NYS Vegetable Growers Association; Dean Casey and Bob Hokanson of the NY Farm Bureau; Chuck Bront of the Cornell Regional Vegetable Program; Ronald Paraga, Vice president of Dairy Marketing Services; and Denise Zieske, Strategic Business and Economic Development Manager for Albany International Airport. The event was cosponsored by our newest CRWTC Member, RailEx in the form of their Managing Director, Paul Esposito.

The Capital Region World Trade Center has two most important goals for the region and for our members- help find markets for their products, especially but not only international markets, and enable those products to get to market cost effectively. It’s all about finding buyers and managing the supply chain, getting products to market when, where and in the condition and quantity required. In the discussion Denise Zieske mentioned that there may be an opportunity to attract the direct delivery of flowers from the Caribbean and Central America to Albany International Airport with all the concomitant jobs, transportation and value adding activities that business would generate. Being able to refuel for the homeward leg with excise tax free FTZ fuel could be one inducement and we are including the cargo and fuel storage areas at the Airport in the upcoming FTZ Expansion, but what is really needed is backhaul and balanced trade. Could NY produce be the backhaul?

New Members

KJ RAD - KJ RAD and Associates is a consulting business operating under D.A. Kenyon Enterprises and was founded in 2005. KJ RAD provides guidance and expertise in the areas of business development, governmental affairs and public relations to businesses in the area and will soon be expanding, in partnership with CRWTC, to provide venues for and the organization and management of business meetings and conferences, including making the necessary related travel arrangements. KJRAD presently serves the capital region with offices in Albany and Schenectady and will be opening a branch in Saratoga this summer. They are particularly interested in working with small to mid-sized businesses, including start ups, and have special expertise in defense related industries.

New York Board of Fire Underwriters - 10 percent of fires that occur in New York State originate within a premises electrical system. The New York Board of Fire Underwriters, Bureau of Electricity was originally formed in 1881 to challenge electrical installation practices, and place electrical safety at the head of its mission. The Bureau continues to fulfill this mission today through the inspection of electrical systems involving new construction and alteration, maintains a full time electrical inspection staff throughout the State, and is respected throughout the industry as being the Premier Electrical Inspection Agency. In addition, for more than 75 years, the Board has been in the forefront of fire prevention and education for New York City residents, with special emphasis on fire safety for children. Through a series of lectures, films and demonstrations, the Board reaches more than a million children every year and publishes a fire safety manual, updated annually, for primary grade school teachers. Each year more than 90,000 youngsters participate in the annual Fire Safety Essay and Poster Contest, allowing children the opportunity to express their artistic abilities while reinforcing the importance of fire safety. The Board also takes a vigorous role in developing and promoting fire safety legislation, including the recently enacted Federal Sprinkler law. NYBFU has taken advantage of CRWTC’s managed office space and services to establish an effective corporate presence in the Capital Region.

Renewing Members:

Ames Goldsmith Corporation - a privately held company headquartered in Glens Falls, with other locations in West Virginia and England, produces and sells silver nitrate, silver oxide, and a broad range of silver powder & flakes to many Fortune 500 companies on a global basis.

Responding to the decline of the imaging segment in photographic films and papers brought on by the rapid advance in digital imaging technology, the ever adaptive Ames Goldsmith successfully pursued new opportunities in ethylene oxide catalyst, derivatives and button cell silver batteries. Their silver powders and flakes are used in contact applications for electrical breakers. They also recognized and pursued the opportunities in conductive inks and pastes which are used where a flexible or printed conductive circuit is required, such as in computer keyboards, printed circuit boards, car rear window defrosters, solar energy cells, conductive epoxies, and other electronic components.

Center for Economic Growth - CEG is a private, not-for-profit, government-funded and member-supported regional economic and business development organization dedicated to attracting and retaining high-tech talent and companies to New York's Capital Region and Tech Valley. CEG's goal is to generate robust, contagious and intelligent economic expansion by providing tools for growing local companies, attracting new investment and preparing local communities for future opportunities - some of those tools are technical consultations using Lean Enterprise and 360vu, business acceleration programs using Venture Bplan and CEOConnex, Industry Advisory and Tech Councils, the Homeland Defense and National Security Incubator Project, industry networks such as the Chief Executives Network for Manufacturing (CEN), TechConnex and Bioconnex, and other advocacy and collaborative outreaches, on both a regional and international scale. CRWTC hopes to work closely with CEG to develop and implement a comprehensive international strategy for the Capital Region and the entire Tech Valley.

Columbia Translators & Editors - With a motto which says “We read between the lines and translate what you mean, not just what you say” the company has been providing high-quality translations in European, Latin American, Asian, and African languages to satisfied clients since 1990. Columbia helps many businesses succeed in the global marketplace with an international network of experienced professional translators and editors. Columbia is now offering seminars in basic writing skills.

The General Purpose Foreign Trade Zone expansion process continues apace as we have now contacted and engaged with all the Counties that comprise the Albany Port District and are meeting with individual and groups of property and business owners to determine their ability to benefit from and their interest in participating in the Expansion. There is still time for a property near you to be included. Please let us know of any interest.