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| September 2004 |
Volume 2, Number 3 |
| Special Thanks |
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| From The Chair |
The traditional summer vacation period has ended, school has started, and CWIT’s luncheon programs begin again this September. We meet on the second Tuesday of the month, usually at the Radisson in North Charleston, with an hour and a half of networking, lunch, and speakers on trade-related topics. It’s an opportunity to get to know your colleagues in the trade community better and learn a little more about international commerce. Please try to join us – we’d love to see you there.
The speaker for CWIT’s September 14th meeting is Tim Dangerfield, Chief of Staff to the S.C. Department of Commerce. Tim has a background in business management and economic development and is a native South Carolinian with a history of community service. He will share with us the Department’s plans for promoting South Carolina’s international trade and economic development.
-- Ann Watts, CWIT Chair
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| Featured Member Amy Thomson, SCDOC |
Amy Gabriel Thomson
Manager, International Trade (The Americas)
SC Department of Commerce
Background Amy is International Trade Development Manager for The Americas with the South Carolina Department of Commerce. As part of Commerce's International Trade Division, she is responsible for assisting South Carolina companies with exporting their products throughout the Western Hemisphere. Prior to her position at Commerce, Amy was with the Bobbin Publishing Group, where she was editor in chief of La Bobina, a Spanish-language trade publication for the Latin American apparel industry. During her 10 years with Bobbin, she traveled extensively to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America to cover the industry throughout the region. She was responsible for the launch of a Portuguese-language publication (Bobbin do Brasil), which served the Brazilian apparel and textile industries.
Recent Accomplishments Amy is a governor-appointed member of the Southern Growth Policy Board's Global Strategies Council, a member of the South Carolina Economic Developers Association and the Midlands International Trade Association. She is Communications chairperson for the Charleston Women in International Trade Association and a member of the Business Advisory Board of Columbia College's Department of Business and Economic. Amy is a graduate of the University of South Carolina. She and her husband, Waddy, live in Columbia
with their two year-old daughter , Ellie.
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| Mikasa Distribution Facility Tour |
Nestled in the Cainhoy Industrial Park off Clements Ferry Road in Berkeley County, Mikasa was selected for CWIT's annual industry fieldtrip on June 8, 2004. Following introductions by Harry Wamboldt, Vice President of Warehousing & Logistics, Sandy Craig and Wally Campbell conducted the tours throughout the massive facility. CWIT members and guests participated in an indebt overview of Mikasa's tabletop distribution operations and were highly impressed by the levels of automation, multi-floored layers of conveyance systems, and the narrow isles and heights material handlers equipment travelled for placing and pulling inventory. The tour concluded with a visit to Mikasa's on site store. CWIT thanks Mikasa for allowing us to come to their facility for a wonderful tour and an insight to tabletop distribution.
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| WBO's Seeking Overseas Market Access |
Women business owners seeking to sell internationally should plan to attend a September 8th half-day forum designed for them at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC. The U.S. Commercial Service has begun an aggressive outreach campaign to increase awareness among women’s business enterprises of the benefits of trade, of trade opportunities, and various trade assistance programs. The last decade has seen significant growth for women-owned business. Between 1997 and 2004, the number of women- and equally-owned firms grew by 17%, compared to 9% among all privately-held firms. The number of women-owned firms with $1 million or more in revenues grew by 32% between 1997 and 2000 - nearly twice the rate of all comparably sized firms. At the same time, the U.S. government has aggressively pursued trade liberalization to open the doors to new markets for U.S. business. With the growth of women-owned business and new opportunities opening up world wide, now is an opportune time to consider expanding internationally. So don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to take your business into overseas markets.
Contact [email protected] for information.
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| Overwhelming Evidence about NAFTA |
A new report available from the U.S. Department of Commerce on NAFTA? It's available on a USDOC webpage and is called NAFTA 10 Years Later. It contains an overview showing " . . . overwhelming evidence across the United States that NAFTA-related trade and investment liberalizations has allowed U.S. firms to maximize efficiencies, remain globally competitive, and increase sales and exports as a result. This is further evidence that increased market access through free trade agreements has direct and indirect benefits for U.S. firms and workers." NAFTA 10 Years Later contains individual reports on 12 industry sectors, showing statistical comparisons of market activity. Veiw the report at: NAFTA 10 Years Later.html
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| Mark Your Calendar |
September 14: Tim Dangerfield, Chief of Staff for the SC Department of Commerce, will speak at CWIT’s September 14, 2004 luncheon meeting at the Radisson Airport Hotel, 5991 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406, starting at 11:45 AM.
October 12: Tony McManus, Founder of Concrete Results, will speak at CWIT’s October 12, 2004, luncheon and professional development seminar at the Radisson Airport Hotel, 5991 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406, starting at 11:45 AM.
November 9: Rick Wen, Vice President of Business Development of OOCL Inc., will speak at CWIT’s Tuesday, November 9, 2004, luncheon meeting at the Radisson Airport Hotel, 5991 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406, starting at 11:45 AM.
RSVP via email: [email protected] or by phone: 803.737.0488. For more information visit CWIT on the web at: www.cwitsc.org
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| ... to our generous sponsors who attended the first ever Sponsor Appreciation Reception. Continued support is vital to CWIT's success. [email protected] |
| Announcments |
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| Check-It-Out |
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Executive Planet offers valuable tips on business etiquette, customs and protocol for conducting business worldwide. www. executiveplanet.com |
| Board Members |
Chair
Ann Watts
USDOC/Export
Assistance Center
[email protected] Vice Chair
Pam Everitt
SC State Ports Authority
[email protected]
Treasurer
Frankie Bryson
Bosch Corporation
frankie.bryson@
us.bosch.com
Secretary
Lynn Anne Christensen
Morgan Stanley
lynn.anne.christensen@
morganstanley.com
Vice Secretary
Jacky Sassard
SC State Ports Authority
[email protected]
Member-at-Large
Pam Zaresk
U S Customs and Border Protection
[email protected]
Arrangements
Elaine Chandler
Hipage
echandler
@hipageco.com
Awards/ Scholarship
Jackie Adamson
Roanoke Trade Services
jadamson@
roanoketrade.com
Bylaws
Pam Everitt
SC State Ports Authority
[email protected]
Communications
Amy Thomson
SC Dept. of Commerce
athomson@
sccommerce.com
Fund Raising
Sandra Klein
Berlitz
[email protected] Finance
Frankie Bryson
Bosch Corporation
frankie.bryson@
us.bosch.com
Historian
Maylyn Thomas
Bosch
maylyn.thomas@
us.bosch.com
Past Chair
Jackie Adamson
Roanoke Trade Services
jadamson@
roanoketrade.com
Membership
Garcia Williams
UPS
garciawilliams
@yahoo.com
Program
Margie Hardwick
OOCL
margie.hardwick
@oocl.com
Publicity
Jacky Sassard
SC State Ports Authority
[email protected]
OWIT Representative
Jackie Adamson
Roanoke Trade Services
jadamson@
roanoketrade.com
OWIT Alternate Rep
Ann Watts
USDOC/Export
Assistance Center
[email protected] |
| Banquet Update |
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CWIT's Vice Chair Pam Everitt of the SCSPA will serve a second term as banquet chair.
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| CWIT's Parent Org |
CWIT is a chapter of the Organization for Woman in International Trade (OWIT) and is on the web at: www.owit. org. CWIT members can access OWIT Chapter member-only pages. If you are a CWIT member, send an email for our passward: [email protected] |
| News Archive |
| View past editions of the "CWIT Perspective" at: www.cwitsc.org/ newsletters.asp |
| Bylaws |
| View CWIT Bylaws online at: www.cwitsc.org/ notices/bylaws.pdf |
| Web Address |
| www.cwitsc.org |
| Email Address |
| [email protected] |
| Mailing Address |
| CWIT PO Box 20145 Charleston, SC 29413 USA |
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