Foreign-Trade Zone Seminar Hosted by NEOTEC

The Northeast Ohio Trade & Economic Consortium (NEOTEC) and the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority are bringing to town a nationally renowned group of Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) experts for a half-day seminar on May 24, 2012, at Firestone Country Club in Akron.

The seminar will provide attendees with a solid understanding of the benefits of the Foreign-Trade Zone program and how it can help their companies to be globally competitive.

Topics to be addressed include FTZ basics, benefits of the program, the application and activation process, and compliance.

Presenting at the seminar will be the president and board of directors of the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones (NAFTZ) in Washington, D.C., including: Dan Griswold, NAFTZ president; Lewis Leibowitz, chairman of the NAFTZ board of directors and partner at Hogan Lovells law firm in Washington, D.C.; Scott Wienke, vice chairman of the NAFTZ board of directors and Customs and trade compliance manager for Abbott Laboratories’ Global Pharmaceutical Operations division; Kevin Burwell, treasurer of the NAFTZ board of directors and director of business analysis and strategy for the Virginia Port Authority; and Ron DeBarr, secretary of the NAFTZ board of directors and president and CEO of NEOTEC.

“This is a great opportunity for area companies to recognize the opportunities of the Foreign-Trade Zone program and understand that it can save them money by streamlining their global supply chain,” said NEOTEC’s Ron DeBarr. “We have brought in the industry’s top experts from the NAFTZ to present valuable information and answer questions about the program.”