Montana World Trade Center E-News November, 2006

E-NEWS FOR THIS ISSUE:

1. MWTC Seeking Companies for Italy/Greece Trade Mission (February 19-23, 2007)

2. Missoula Business Sponsors Free Statewide Job Website (goomzee.com)

3. Live Teleconference: Major Changes to the Harmonized Tariff System (November 16, 2006)

4. Griz/Bobcat tailgate November 18, 2006

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1. MWTC Seeking Companies for Italy/Greece Trade Mission (February 19-23, 2007)

Please contact Megan Harrington if you are interested in learning more about a February 2007 trade mission to Italy and Greece, led by Arnie Sherman and Congressman Denny Rehberg. Once again, MWTC will work closely with the US Commercial Service in arranging targeted one-on-one meetings. It will be a phenomenal opportunity for businesses!

MWTC Contact:

Megan Harrington

[email protected]

406-243-5850

2. MISSOULA BUSINESS SPONSORS FREE STATEWIDE JOB WEB SITE

Missoula, MT September 23, 2006 – Missoula business, Goomzee Corporation, has provided full sponsorship for a new statewide online job web site offering Montanans and Montana Businesses free resume and job posting services. The web site, MontanaWorker.com, launched Monday and offers Montanans an easy-to-use application that boasts features normally reserved for enterprise organizations or national fee-based providers. Montanans are encouraged to use MontanaWorker.com not only for their employment needs, but also to easily maintain a current copy of their resume whether seeking employment or not. The web site can be found by visiting http://www.montanaworker.com and the service is provided free of charge.

MontanaWorker.com is a valuable tool to offer enterprise technology to Montana’s small businesses and jobseekers who may not be able to afford custom online job posting solutions or have little budget to advertise available positions. Goomzee’s founder, Mike Sparr, decided to dedicate his company’s resources to offer this service for the state rather than rely on non-profits who may be under-funded or under staffed to provide the technology solutions required to meet today’s standards.

Mr. Sparr’s family, originally from Anaconda Montana, has been servicing Montanan’s via their automotive service and leasing businesses for more than 44 years. In this recent attempt to contribute to Montana’s economic development, and perhaps following in his family’s footsteps, Mike is leveraging his technology company’s resources to take the first step in filling some very big shoes. “I’ve noticed, perhaps this year more than ever, with our heated senatorial race that people are making claims on ‘what looks like Montana’. That has raised the question in my mind on how we want Montana to be portrayed. Given that I have lived out-of-state and abroad, I take pride in my home state and hometown and often defend our low-tech image at all costs. Many of the technology solutions available in Montana do not meet the standards set by other areas so I thought I could [and should] help,” claims Sparr. Employers, citizens and jobseekers alike can use this service today for free by visiting the web site at http://www.MontanaWorker.com.

Although MontanaWorker.com is a new service offered free for statewide use, Goomzee Corporation has been helping Montanan’s for several years now. Upon resigning from the world of international consulting, Mr. Sparr returned to Montana via San Francisco and Reno to first offer affordable hosted online stores for Montana businesses, again providing technology otherwise unavailable at an affordable price. This service has prospered due to personal service and dedication to truly making a difference and helping others. Mike is proud of the fact that his company offers local businesses a true return on investment noting that Missoula customers alone have sold over $250,000 online in the past 2 years with Goomzee’s online store solution and paid less than $70,000 in fees. The MontanaWorker.com job posting service is just another of many exciting plans he has for Montana. Feel free to create your free profile today and help generate awareness of another high-tech triumph for Montana by visiting http://www.MontanaWorker.com.

Contact: Mike Sparr
Goomzee Corporation
Email: [email protected]
Cellular: 406-531-9955
Web site: http://www.goomzee.com
Web site: http://www.montanaworker.com

3. Live Teleconference: Major Changes to the Harmonized Tariff System

(November 16, 2006 ~ 1:00 – 2:30 pm EST)

How importers, exporters and logistics companies will be affected as of Jan. 1

On Jan. 1, 2007 the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS), under which all goods moving in international trade are classified for duty purposes, will undergo a significant overhaul by the World Customs Organization. Over 80 of the 97 chapters of the HTS will undergo change, impacting the majority of companies that move goods internationally. The changes will have a financial impact on many companies and will impose a potentially significant administrative burden to ensure compliance. Companies must ensure they are in compliance with new tariff schedules issued by individual countries they trade with. In this 90-minute teleconference, trade experts will discuss in detail the looming changes and what companies need to do between now and the end of the year to ensure they’re fully prepared.

In this call, you will learn:
– How the changes could impact your company’s supply chain
– How potential disruptions might occur and how to avoid them
– How companies’ IT systems need to be modified
– The expected impact on customs brokers
– How Customs penalties will be assessed for non-compliance
– Likely staffing requirements you will need to implement changes
– Consequences for non-compliance with coming HTS changes

Moderator & Panelists:
– Moderator: Alan Field, International Trade Editor, The Journal of Commerce
– Peter A. Quinter, Shareholder, Customs and International Trade, Law Department, Becker & Poliakoff, P.A.
– David Newman, Senior Counsel, Customs and International Trade, Law Department, Sony Electronics Inc.
– Suzanne Richer, President, Customs and Trade Solutions, Inc.

Live participation is $179 and allows access to one phone line for an unlimited number of listeners. A live question and answer session will follow the presentations.

If you can not participate, you can register for a CD transcription of the teleconference.

DATE & TIME

Thursday, November 16, 2006 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Eastern Time Zone

FEES

Live Participation – $179.00

Live Participation & CD – $199.00

CD Only – $159.00

4. School of Business Administration Griz/Bobcat Tailgate

Join us for the Griz/Bobcat pre-game tailgate party November 18, 2006. The tailgate will kick-off at 10:30am and conclude at the start of the game. Don’t miss the excellent networking opportunity!