CRCBFA Pulse: October 2017

CRCBFA President Chuck Willis and Deirdre Hudson, Regional Vice President with Avalon Risk Management

October General Membership Meeting - The October General Membership Meeting was held Wednesday, October 18th. Deirdre Hudson, Regional Vice President with Avalon Risk Management joined us to share her knowledge and experience on the issuance and use of ATA Carnets. Among other tips, Deirdre pointed out the importance of knowing and understanding not only the US Carnet regulations but also those of the foreign destinations to ensure full compliance.

CRCBFA President Chuck Willis and Scholarship winner Cassandra Woods, Geo. S. Bush, at WESCCON 2017

WESCCON 2017 – WESCCON 2017 was filled with excellent program sessions and keynote speakers from a variety of viewpoints, as well as offering opportunities to network with fellow industry professionals. The conference provided a good balance of education and fun as once the sessions wrapped for the day there was a nice chance to wind down at themed dinners and hospitality suites. We heard from presenters on a variety of import and export topics. You can access the session presentations HERE or on the APP.

November Seminar - The CRCBFA will be hosting Laurel Duvall, CBP National Import Specialist for Chapter 44, Lumber on November 15th, 2017. This highly anticipated seminar will focus on the intricacies of lumber classification. This is a great opportunity for the trade so make sure to inform or register your importers as well as your team for this seminar. Registration will be posted on the website soon and announced via e-mail and social media.

November Food Drive- The CRCBFA will be facilitating a Food and Funds Drive to benefit the Oregon Food Bank again this year. Last year the CRCBFA and our member companies donated 14 barrels of food totaling 1723 lbs and over $1100 to the Oregon Food Bank. This year we have tentatively scheduled the food barrel drop off the week of November 20th with pick up the week of December 19th. If your company would like to participate in this year’s food drive, please e-mail admin@crcbfa.org to order a food barrel.

Port of Portland- T6 gates to reopen- John Akre, Port of Portland, mentioned during the luncheon that the port is working to negotiate using their on-dock rail service with the BNSF to move containers between Seattle/Tacoma and Portland. No start date has been set at this time but they hope to have something in place by early November. The service may be direct competition with N.W. Container.

The port has also resolved all outstanding suits between the Port and the local ILWU and is in talks to bring container carrier service back to the port. This does not speak to any pending suits between ICTSI and the ILWU.

Eric Wright with PCR accepting new Membership Certificate

CRCBFA Membership-CRCBFA is happy to welcome two new members; ND Northwest, LLC as a regular member and PCR-Portland Container Repair as an associate member. They have been added to our webpage membership directory. Welcome to the CRCBFA and we look forward to seeing you at our events, seminars, and monthly luncheons.

Customs brokers a vital piece of the supply chain security puzzle- Here’s a well-written op-ed penned by NCBFAA executive VP Megan Montgomery and published in American Shipper which details the key role played by the U.S. Customs Broker in the national supply chain. Share with your friends and family who still have no idea what you do or why brokers are an important part of the supply chain.