Montana World Trade Center Newsletter March 28, 2007

1. The University of Montana Inks Exchange Agreements with two Italian Universities on MWTC’s http://www.mwtc.org Trade Mission to Italy

2. Nicole Hagerman: Sourcing and Business Specialist…Helping Your Company Succeed in the Global Market

3. UPCOMING EVENT: Global Trade Certification Program

4. Three States Have Increased Exports Since 2002…and Montana Is One of Them! (Compliments of PPI’s Trade Global Markets Project Newsletter)

5. German Company Seeking North American Distributor for New Medical Device

6. Missoula International Airport Closed for Three Successive Weeks in August (compliments of the Missoulian)

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1. The University of Montana Inks Exchange Agreements with two Italian Universities on MWTC’s Trade Mission to Italy

March 6, 2007
Contact: Jim Foley, executive vice president, 406-243-2311.
UM INKS EXCHANGE AGREEMENT WITH TWO ITALIAN UNIVERSITIES
MISSOULA –
Students and faculty at The University of Montana looking to broaden their horizons with international travel just got two new opportunities at universities in Northern Italy.

UM has signed exchange agreements with the University of Brescia and the Catholic University of Northern Italy to promote student and faculty exchanges. In addition it will also provide opportunities for work internships and research exchanges. The agreements, signed last week, were facilitated in part by the World Trade Centers at UM and the University of Brescia.

“We did these agreements in two days, which is amazing,” said UM Executive Vice President Jim Foley. “There were lots of people helping on both sides.”

Exchanges are slated to begin this summer and fall and continue for the next five years under the terms of the deal.

UM is the only school in the United States that has such an agreement with the University of Brescia.
“These two agreements open new areas of opportunity for faculty, staff, and students,” said UM President George Dennison.

“In the rapidly globalizing world, we must always remain open to such opportunities,” he said. “And the involvement of the World Trade Center opens new directions we have not explored in the past.

Though UM has similar agreements with schools around the world, Foley said such deals are still relatively uncommon and extremely beneficial.

“This is good for UM, good for students, good for faculty, good for the state of Montana,” Foley said.

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2. Nicole Hagerman: Sourcing and Business Specialist…Helping Your Company Succeed in the Global Market

Nicole Hagerman is excited to assist your business in its international growth and development. In efforts to build a global sourcing program for Overstock.com, Nicole spent a portion of her time traveling in China, Malaysia, Taiwan, India, Brazil and Italy learning the intricacy of product development, design and global logistics. Product(s) of focus were home furniture, textiles, apparel, leather accessories, decorative accessories, and tableware. To further support the sourcing process, Nicole worked to establish contracts and services with freight forwarders, domestic shipping companies, banks, agents, and additional third party service providers. She then created an internal standard operating procedure to improve and streamline the international procurement process. This included developing routing, packaging and product testing guidelines as well as creating process mapping, pricing and supply chain management models. To improve supply chain management Nicole worked to incorporate best practices from companies such as Zara/Inditex Group and training from the Retail Management Institute of Santa Clara University.

As part of her dedication to quality, Nicole set up a social compliance program to ensure all Overstock.com manufacturers uphold an internal code of conduct as well as ILO standards. The compliance program was built in collaboration with manufactures, resulting in improved work place environment and strengthened relationships with suppliers.

Please contact Nicole Hagerman to find out how she can help your company: [email protected], 406.243.5856.

3. Upcoming Event: Global Trade Certification Program

The Montana World Trade Center, in collaboration with the Governor’s office of Economic Development, will be conducting a Global Trade Certification Program beginning this fall. The objective of this program is to create a professional support system in Montana to assist local companies with international business. The training is positioned for professionals and institutions that can support international trade and development- bankers, lawyers, accountants, consultants, economic development agencies, etc. Upon completion of the course, professionals will listed in a state directory of certified professionals/organization supporting international business initiatives with in the state of Montana. The directory will be hosted by the Montana Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Businesses interested or currently involved in global trade will find this training beneficial, particularly with course such as “The Tangible Benefits of Going Global” and “Pricing and Financing International Trade Activities”

Professionals can receive up to 40 hours of Continuing Education Credit upon completion of the program. A certificate of completion will be provided to participants successfully completing all segments.

Look for further details to come soon!

4. Three U.S. States Have Doubled Exports Since 2002…and Montana is one of them!

Editor’s Notes: The PPI "Trade Fact of the Week" is a weekly email newsletter published by PPI’s Trade Global Markets Project. To sign up for a free subscription, click here <http://www.ppionline.org/cobrand/newsletter_subscribe.cfm> . (Just make sure to check the box next to "Trade Global Markets.") Original links are included though some may have expired.

The Numbers: Montana merchandise exports, 2002: $386 million
Montana merchandise exports, 2006: $886 million What They Mean: After bottoming out in 2002, American exporters have recovered; overseas sales rose by $120 billion in 2005 and $160 billion in 2006. Since 2002, three states — Montana, New Mexico, and Nevada — have doubled their 2002 export totals, and seven more are close: Delaware, Idaho, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Tennessee. Some examples:

· Nevada — pushed by high metal prices, Nevada’s exports are up from $1.2 to $5.5 billion. The growth rate is twice as fast as China’s. Nevada’s big market is the gold exchange in Zurich — Switzerland takes about half of the state’s exports. China is another big new buyer, up from $20 million in 2002 to $202 million in 2006; other major markets include Mexico and the Israeli jewelry industry.

· Montana — is a smaller but more diversified exporter in terms of both products and markets. Canada bought $235 million worth of Montana goods in 2002, nearly two-thirds of the state’s $386 million total. Four years later Montanans exported $433 million in crops, animals, and machinery to Canada. But the higher total is now less than half of Montana’s $886 million in exports, as sales of chemicals and manufactured goods to Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, China, Japan, Germany, and the UK all soared. Montana joins Virginia as the fastest-growing exporter to Singapore (up from $5 to $32 million, mainly in heavy machinery) since ratification of the US-Singapore free trade agreement in 2002.

· Delaware’s — overseas sales are up from $2 billion to $3.9 billion. The largest figures are for chemicals at $1.9 billion, computers and other IT goods at nearly half a billion dollars, and petroleum products at $200 million. About a third of Delaware exports go to the United Kingdom. Big buyers include the UK –nearly a third of Delaware’s sales — along with Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, China, and Taiwan.

· Tennessee’s — exports have risen from $3.9 billion to $6.9 billion. Big factors here are agricultural exports to China — China now takes $940 million of Tennessee’s $1.5 billion in overseas farm sales — along with transport — sector exports to Germany and Canada, and IT sales to Canada and Mexico.

Elsewhere in the country, Washington was last year’s fastest-growing large exporter, with aircraft sales pushing the total from $38 to $57 billion. On the east coast, New York’s exports rose by $7 billion, New Jersey’s by $6 billion, and Pennsylvania’s by $4 billion. Texas remains the largest single state exporter, owing principally to an exceptionally large export market ($54 billion of Texas — $150 billion total) in Mexico. Georgia, Vermont, and Hawaii were the only states to see exports drop in 2006; Georgia’s exports generally struggled, but Vermont and Hawaii are anomalous cases, with the 2006, drops a consequence of exceptionally large export totals in 2005. Further Reading: More highlights: Export totals — The largest state exporters in 2006 were Texas at $150 billion, California at $122 billion, New York at $57 billion, Washington at $53 billion, Illinois at $42 billion, and Michigan at $40 billion. Adding services exports by state (currently not available) would likely raise the figures for California and New York. "Export intensity" — The most export-intensive states, measured by ratio of exports to "State Domestic Product" in 2005 (SDP not yet being available for 2006), are Vermont, Washington, Texas, and Louisiana. Vermont devoted a fifth of state production to exports, Washington a sixth, and Texas and Louisiana a seventh. (The figure for the US as a whole is about a tenth.) Following this top group are Midwestern states including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Least export-intensive are Hawaii at 1.6% and the District of Columbia at 1%. Top Markets — Canada, buying $230 of the US’ $1 trillion in goods exports, is the US’ top export market and the top market for 36 of the 50 states. Among the remaining fourteen, the UK was the top market for Utah, the District of Columbia, and Delaware; Japan leads for Alaska and Louisiana; and Mexico for Texas, California, and Arizona. China is now the top market for three states — New Mexico (IT goods); Idaho (also IT goods); and Washington (airplanes). Brazil is Florida’s top market and ranks second for Wyoming; Singapore is Hawaii’s top export market, Germany — Alabama’s and Switzerland — Nevada’s. Some unusual second-ranking markets: Ireland ranks second for Minnesota; Malaysia is second for Maine and Hawaii; Israel for New York; and South Korea for Alaska and Missouri. State export data from the Department of Commerce:
http://tse.export.gov/SEDHome.aspx?UniqueURL=cpu23q55sg1iz02ztekiqtie-2007-3-20-16-18-52 The DLC looks at successful state export and global-economy policies:

· Export promotion in Pennsylvania:

· http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=139=276=253429 <http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=139&subid=276&contentid=253429>

· Exports in New Hampshire, Oregon, Alaska, Iowa, and Washington:

· http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=139=276=250720 <http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=139&subid=276&contentid=250720>

· Foreign investment in Michigan:

· http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=139=276=253430 <http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=139&subid=276&contentid=253430>

· Import-competition adjustment in Virginia:

· http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=139=276= <http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=139&subid=276&contentid=250719>

The National Governors’ Association has new trade policy guidelines:

vgnextoid=e1442f9655321110VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD"> http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.8358ec82f5b198d18a
278110501010a0/?vgnextoid=e1442f9655321110VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD <http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.8358ec82f5b198d18a278110501010a0/?> And some views from states: Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) on Montana’s trade challenges and opportunities:
http://www.baucus.senate.gov/issues/trade.cfm?view=opportunities <http://www.baucus.senate.gov/issues/trade.cfm?view=opportunities> Tennessee’s International Business Development, looking at foreign investment, finds 629 firms from 27 countries operating in Tennessee as of early 2006. Employing 135,000 people, they range from 159 Japanese, 118 British, and 68 Canadian firms, through 18 apiece from Mexico and Italy, to two for China and Thailand, and one each from Singapore, Denmark, Bermuda and Spain:
http://www.state.tn.us/ecd/bizdev_idg.htm <http://www.state.tn.us/ecd/bizdev_idg.htm> Delaware’s World Trade Center reports on a recent state agricultural trade mission to Cuba, discusses opportunities in Russia, and hosts Hong Kong Commissioner Margaret Fong and Miyagi Prefecture Governor:
http://www.wtcde.com/ <http://www.wtcde.com/> Louisiana was the South’s fastest-growing exporter in 2006. New Orleans’ World Trade Center gets a chance to tell some good news: http://www.wtcno.org/tradestats/index.html <http://www.wtcno.org/tradestats/index.html> New Mexico — IT sales make China New Mexico’s top export market, at $700 million in 2006 out of the state’s $2.9 billion total exports. Looking West, New Mexico’s Office of International Trade reports on missions to Singapore and Hong Kong, with India next:
http://ww1.edd.state.nm.us/index.php?/about/category/International%20Trade/ <http://ww1.edd.state.nm.us/index.php?/about/category/International%20Trade/>

About PPI’s Project on Trade Global Markets:
PPI believes we must manage globalization to reflect our interests and values, through a combination of open trade, international rules to protect the environment and promote labor standards, and efforts to provide Americans with the tools they need to compete and succeed. Learn more about the project <http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=108&subsecID=197&contentID=1121> . You are subscribed to dlc.org ppionline.org email newsletters as: Change Subscription, Unsubscribe, or change your format. <http://www.dlc.org/cobrand/change_profile_login.cfm?FREM=Y&sid=27730&mid=22061&[email protected]>

5. German Company Seeking North American Distributor for New Medical Device

Message from: Anthony Russo, World Trade Centers Association

To: North America World Trade Centers

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Hello,

I am working with a medical company in Germany to introduce a new medical device to the North American Market place. The device has preliminary FDA

approval, and can currently be sold in the US as it awaits final FDA approval as a medical device.

The name of the device is Airnergy. It is used in Oxygen therapy, and can help prevent injury, regenerate muscle after intense workouts and give additional energy for the day. I will be handling the identifying of a US distributor for this company in conjunction with the WTC Köln. Please find additional information on the Airnergy Website: http://www.airnergy.com.

Please, have any potential distributors contact me directly at (843)452-6309 or by email at [email protected].

Thank you in advance for your help.

Regards,

Anthony Russo

President and CEO

TradeHub International

8124 Halifax Way

N. Charleston, SC 29420

Office: (843) 452-6309

http://www.TradeHubInternational.com

6. Missoula International Airport Closed for Three Successive Weeks in August (compliments of Missoulian)

Runway repaving to close airport this summer

Attention late-summer air travelers: Commercial and firefighting traffic at Missoula International Airport will come to a halt for parts of three successive weeks starting at the end of August.

For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/03/15/news/local/news02.txt