.

2012-2013 Programs

Annual Awards Banquet with Presentations by

2013 International Trade Award winners.

Program

Each April, the SLWTA brings together leaders in business, government and academia to recognize individual Stateline companies for their accomplishments in international trade and for measurable success in the expansion of the importing and/or exporting sides of their business.  This year, two great companies have been chosen to receive the 2013 SLWTA International Trade Award. 

 

Please join us on April 25 to recognize the achievements of these inspiring enterprises and to learn more about their strategies for success in international markets.  The evening's agenda will include networking opportunities, dinner, and presentations by the honorees about their business and their international activities.

Presenter

Reed Hall is the CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. As the state's lead economic development organization, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) nurtures business growth and job creation in Wisconsin by providing resources, technical support, and financial assistance to companies, partners and the communities they serve.

Event Details

5:30 Networking

6:15 Dinner and Evening Program

All events take place at the Butterfly Club, 5246 E County Rd. X in Beloit, Wiscosin.

Cost

Members $25, Non-Members $35, Students $15 with an ID.

The menu for the evening will include: 10 oz. Rib Eye, Baked Potato, House Salad, Rolls, Dessert and Beverage. Dietary restrictions must be received by Tuesday, April 23, 2012.

RSVP

Advance registration is required by April 23, 2013. Please e-mail or call 608 466-6131.



March 28, 2013

China & India: Financing Options for Doing Business with the World's Two Largest- and Most Challenging- Growth Markets
The Stateline World Trade Association is pleased to announce Brett Silvers as our March 28th speaker. Please join us!
Program
China and India are home to more than one-third of the world's population and are now the world's 2nd and 4th largest economies, respectively. American businesses have extraordinary opportunities in both markets, but obtaining financing for cross-border trade and investment transactions remains a big challenge because of complex regulations and a lack of transparent credit information. Learn about attractive, state-of-the-art loan programs that are available to help your company sell more products and establish operations in China and India. In addition, learn how investment capital originating from these high growth markets can be leveraged to expand your company at home. China and India can and should be important contributors to your future success.                                
Presenter
Brett N. Silvers is the CEO of WorldBusiness Capital, Inc. (WBC), a commercial finance company that makes U.S. government-guaranteed loans helping U.S. small businesses and entrepreneurs take advantage of export and project opportunities in international markets. Since WBC's founding by Silvers in 2003, the company has originated more than $450 million in small business loans utilizing programs of Ex-Im Bank, OPIC, and the U.S. Commercial Service. WBC is staffed by multilingual professionals, including fluent speakers of Mandarin and Hindi.
 
Over the past two decades, Silvers and his companies have been recognized for their efforts on behalf of U.S. small business exporters and investors by receiving the "Duncan Award for Excellence in Export Lending" from the Small Business Exporters Association, the "President's 'E' Award for Export Service" from the Department of Commerce, and the "Small Business Bank of the Year Award" from Ex-Im Bank.
Event Details
5:30 Networking
6:15 Dinner and Evening Program
Cost
Members $25, Non-Members $35, Students $15 with an ID.
The menu for the evening will include: Stuffed Pork Chop, Mashed Potato and Gravy, House Salad, Rolls, Dessert and Beverage. Dietary restrictions must be received by Tuesday, March 26, 2012.
RSVP
Advance registration is required by March 26, 2013. Please e-mail or call 608 466-6131.


February 28, 2013

How Changes to US Patent Law Will Impact Your Business.

The Stateline World Trade Association is pleased to announce patent attorney Jeffrey Makeever as our February speaker. Please join us!
 
Are the key members of your executive team aware of and ready for the major changes to the U.S. Patent system which will take effect in March, 2013? These changes will have a significant impact on the way individuals and companies obtain worldwide patent protection for their products. The new law will influence not only product-development strategies, but other business functions as well, e.g. sales and marketing. This law introduces a transition from the traditional U.S. "first to invent" system to a "first inventor to file" system which will more closely align the U.S. patent system with the rest of the world.
 
The Stateline World Trade Association (SLWTA) will host a dinner program reviewing this topic on Thursday, February 28, 2013. We invite you to join us for a presentation by patent attorney Jeffrey Makeever, managing partner of the Rockford office of the law firm of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C., on what Stateline businesses need to know about these changes. Jeff is chair of the firm's Intellectual Property Practice, and he has served a wide range of corporate clients in a variety of industries including aerospace, consumer products and components, industrial equipment, and medical research and equipment. Interestingly, Jeff also has significant experience as a design and research engineer in the aerospace industry. Please plan to participate in what promises to be a very worthwhile and informative evening.
 
Event Details
5:30 Networking
6:15 Dinner and Evening Program
 
All events take place at the Butterfly Club, 5246 E. County Rd. X in Beloit Wisconsin.
Cost
Members $25. Non-Members $35. Students $15 with an ID.
The menu for the evening will include: Pan Fried Tialpia, Asparagus Spears and Lemon Butter Sauce, Baked Potato, House Salad, Rolls, and Dessert. Dietary restrictions should be noted when registering.
RSVP
Advance registration is required by February 26, 2013. Please e-mail or call 608 466-6131. No show or cancellations on the day of the program will be charged the full fee.

January 24, 2013

SLWTA Hosts Compliance Workshop
and Logistics Panel
Afternoon Workshop on Compliance
Dinner Program Panel on Logistics
Please join us!
 
Program
The Stateline World Trade Association (SLWTA) will host an afternoon workshop and a dinner program on Thursday, January 24, 2013, at the Butterfly Club in Beloit, WI.
 
Compliance with the following regulations and agencies will be reviewed by Lisa Waller in the afternoon workshop:
CofO (Certificate of Origin)  Are you familiar with different origin content requirements for various countries?  You will learn country of origin rules and requirements for marking of goods for export.
AES (Automated Export System)  For a number of years the paper Shippers Export Declaration has been eliminated and replaced by the AES computerized system.  If you do your own AES reporting, you will need to know what is required for your report.  If you have your forwarder do the AES, it is important that you know why your forwarder is asking all the questions for the AES report.
 
Experts in the transportation industry will share their knowledge on intermodal and ocean freight during a logistics panel at the evening program:
Eric Nystrom, Small Business Development Administration, will provide ideas for increasing your export business  
Kirk Gadouas from Scott R. Beckman, will discuss issues many times encountered at rail ramps and container terminals.
Ernesto Torres, US Midwest OOCL, will provide insight into dealings with steamship lines and containers and LCL freight.
Lisa Waller, BDG International, will discuss the freight forwarder's role as agent for the exporter in the international transaction.
Each panel member will make a 15 minute presentation, which will allow time for questions and answers.
Presenter
Presenter for the workshop will be Lisa Victoria Waller, Vice President of BDG International, Inc. BDG International, Inc. has been in business since 1983 and is an International Freight Forwarder, Project Freight Forwarder, U.S. Customs Broker and Letter of Credit Specialist. Lisa is a U.S. Licensed Customs Broker, IATA Certified, DG Certified, IAC & CTPAT Security Coordinator, Certified Customs Specialist, Certified Export Specialist and has a BS /International Business. Her recent public projects include University of Wisconsin, Green Bay Port Development and Analysis and Cheboygan (MI) Economic Development Port Analysis.
Event Details
2:00 Workshop
5:30 Networking
6:15 Dinner and Evening Program
 
All events take place at the Butterfly Club, 5246 E. County Rd. X in Beloit Wisconsin.
Cost
Members $50 for workshop, $25 for dinner session or $70 for both.
Non-Members $60 for workshop, $35 for dinner session or $90 for both.
Students please call for pricing.
The menu for the evening will include: Prime Rib, Baked Potato, House Salad, Rolls, and Dessert. Dietary restrictions should be noted when registering.


November 15, 2012

How to Identify Key Legal Issues in International Trade

The Stateline World Trade Association is pleased to announce Jeffery Perzan as our November 15th speaker. Please join us!
Program
On Thursday, November 15, 2012, the Stateline World Trade Association (SLWTA) will host a dinner meeting with Jeffrey Perzan. Jeff is an attorney currently in private practice specializing in international business transactions and technology. The November 15 event will help attendees identify and address the key legal issues facing businesses involved in international trade.
Presenter
Jeff Perzan spent two decades in the corporate world with IBM (including three years in France at its European headquarters) and Fiserv, most recently as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. During this time, he conducted licensing negotiations in over 60 countries, joint ventures in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and led acquisitions in the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific. He is a Fellow in the Center for International Legal Studies and currently serves on the Wisconsin State Bar's Professionalism Committee and on the Board of the International Practice Section, where he was a past Chair.
Event Details
5:30 Networking
6:15 Dinner and Evening Program
Cost
Members $25, Non-Members $35, Students $15 with an ID.
The menu for the evening will include: Grilled Chicken Breast with Creamy Mustard Sauce and Crumbled Bacon, choice of Potato, House Salad, Rolls, and Dessert. Dietary restrictions and advance registration must be received by Tuesday, November 13, 2012.
RSVP:
e-mail [email protected] or call 608 466-6131.
[email protected] 



October 25, 2012
The Stateline World Trade Association is excited to announce our October 25th Program!  Please join us!   
 
Plan now to attend an informative session:  How to Expand International Market Share and New Healthcare Laws: Is your company ready? on Thursday October 25th at the Butterfly Club in Beloit, WI.
 
Program:  In the first part of the program, our speaker will share his expertise in developing relationships and expanding operations in new or existing international markets. This will include how to analyze markets, how to find reliable partners, cultural considerations, how to adapt to the local marketplace, and pitfalls to avoid.  Part two of the program will cover how the new healthcare laws will impact the USA from a health care providers perspective, and how to save money on healthcare for your employees.  
 
Presenter: Patrick Lawrence is the Director of Affiliate Network Development for Advocate Christ Medical Center and Hope Children's Hospital.  ACMC is one of the premier healthcare providers in the world with 13 affiliations overseas and is involved in the delivery of healthcare to hundreds of companies.  His responsibilities include parts of Illinois and Indiana for the affiliate network and the entire world for the medical center's international program.  He is also President and Chief Executive Officer of Paradigm Resources, an international healthcare consulting group specializing in hospital strategic planning, human resource development, and operational consulting.

September 27, 2012
The Stateline World Trade Association is excited to kick-off our 2012-1013 program year!  Please join us!   
 
Plan now to attend an interactive session on cross cultural communication on Thursday September 27th at the Butterfly Club in Beloit, WI.
 
Program:  In a first for the SLWTA, we offer an interactive workshop - The Cross-Cultural Conference Room - in which participants engage in problem-solving on a specific business dilemma. After discussion in break-outs, attendees will view three different groups (Americans, Argentines, & Japanese) struggling with the same business case, revealing the distinct approaches and cultural dynamics at work. Finally, guests will watch a cross-cultural group (Americans & Japanese) work the problem. Attendees are invited to participate in the open discussion or simply observe. Questions are welcome during the workshop.
 
All levels of staff interacting with international trade partners are strongly encouraged to attend this unique opportunity to "learn by doing"!    
 
Presenter: Stacy McCaskill has more than 20 years global organization development experience and is considered an expert in cross-cultural communications and global team building.  As an Associate Professor at Rock Valley College, Stacy facilitates courses in International Business and Organization Development.  Stacy also developed and facilitates The Global Small Business Incubator program which provides learners practical experience running a real-world import and global consulting business.