CRCBFA Pulse: November 2017

November Seminar and General Membership Meeting - The November Seminar on Chapter 44 and General Membership Meeting was held Wednesday, November 15th. Laurel Duvall, the National Import Specialist for Chapter 44 (wood and articles of wood) gave an excellent presentation on various issues including filing for customs binding rulings, determination of which section of Chapter 44 a wood product falls within, AD/CVD for Hardwood and Softwood, and changes in the Chapter 44 tariff. This seminar was approved for 2.5 CCS points, please contact us if you have any questions on receiving these points for attendance.

CRCBFA President Chuck Willis and Laurel Duvall, National Import Specialist

November Food Drive- The CRCBFA Food and Funds Drive is in full swing! Boxes and Barrels have been distributed and member companies are collecting food and funds. Click HERE for a list of most helpful donations to the Oregon Food Bank. Barrels will be collected December 19th. Thanks to PCR for the logistics support.

Port of Portland- The Port of Portland was in attendance along with ILWU Local 8, Interocean Steamship, and Swire Shipping to share some exciting news. Swire Shipping will begin port calls to Portland beginning in early January 2018. The first port call is scheduled in Portland on January 8th, 2018 from China. You can find the schedule on the Swire website. Let’s help to support this boost for our local community by booking freight and encouraging our customers to explore this option.

Pictured:

Chuck Willis, CRCBFA President

Stuart Strader, ILWU Local 8 Vice President

Mike Stanton, ILWU Local 8 President

Eric Teegelaar, President, Interocean Steamship

Ken O’Hollaren, Marine Marketing Director, Port of Portland

Randy Fischer, Marine Marketing, Port of Portland

Cory Nelson, General Manager, Interocean Steamship

Alex Pattison, President, Swire Shipping North America

December General Membership Meeting – The December meeting is taking place on December 20th and will be our annual holiday luncheon with guest speaker Judy Haggin. Please join us for this year end celebration. Remember to bring your raffle prizes and Oregon Food Bank donations. Registration will be posted on the website soon and announced via e-mail and social media (Follow us on Facebook and Twitter).

CRCBFA Main Events Sponsorship levels- Please watch the website for sponsorship levels and benefits for events to be updated soon. Contact us with questions or if you are interested in sponsoring an event.Additional information? Please contact Allison Brady and Victoria Lane

COAC Update-Originally it was thought that COAC would be held in Seattle on February 23. However, there has been a change and I will now occur February 28 in Miami, Florida. You can contact Brenda Barnes with questions.

CRCBFA Membership Survey-Thank you for taking time to complete the CRCBFA Member Survey. We are encouraged to hear how the CRCBFA benefits your businesses and look forward to building the future of the CRCBFA together. Congratulations to Cynthia Gouge of TLR for winning the $50 Prepaid VISA.

2018 Annual Broker Permit Fee- CBP posted the due date for the annual broker user fee payment. The due date is January 26th, 2018. The user fee for the calendar year 2018 it $141.70 per permit. Attached is the Federal Register Notice.

CRCBFA: Broker Exam Preparation Course - April 2018

The Customs Broker Exam Preparation Course will be offered in Portland for the April 2018 exam given by Customs & Border Protection (“CBP”). This course is co-sponsored by Judith L. Haggin and the Columbia River Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association (CRCBFA).

The course will be given over 15 weeks, starting on January 8, 2018. This course was recently condensed from 20 classes to 15. The class is held on Monday nights from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Columbia Sportswear’s facility.

This course involves an in-depth study of the Customs Regulations (19 C.F.R. Title 19) and the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) and is beneficial to importers, exporters and customs brokers. Students are not obligated to take the Customs Broker Exam. In fact, many students attend this class for the course of study, with no intention of taking the actual exam. Upon completion of the course, all students will receive a certification attesting to their study of the Customs Regulations and the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS).

Please note the requirement there is one of two prerequisites to attend this course. These have been enacted as this is not an “Import 101” course. We will offer a full day Import 101 course to take place on January 5, 2018. Prerequisites: One year in related industry (brokerage or importer) and familiarity with Customs clearance process; OR Import 101 Class presented on Jan. 5 by Judy Haggin. Attendees are only required to satisfy one of these prerequisites or to make arrangements with Judy. Individual classes can also be attended.

Flyer and Program Agenda attached for your review and information.

Please distribute this to everyone you know that might be interested. We must have fifteen (15) participants to proceed with the course. Do not hesitate to contact Judy Haggin at 503-702-9398 or jhaggin@jlhaggin.com with any questions or concerns you might have regarding this course.

East Coast Trade Symposium-US Customs will be hosting a Trade Symposium in Atlanta, GA next week on December 5th and 6th. The next one will be held in Fall of 2018. For more information, see the US Customs website.

26th Annual PCC Mission to DC!- Sunday February 25, 2018 through Tuesday February 27, 2018. Registration is now open for the 2018 PCC Mission to D.C. for any freight forwarder or customs broker member of one of the 5 local associations of the PCC - Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders.

What the Mission does for you. The PCC Mission is the means by which the customs brokers and freight forwarders on the Pacific Coast can interact directly with government officials, at the agencies and on Capitol Hill. The Mission is your best opportunity to hear, first hand, what is really going on in DC, without the filter of talking heads on cable news shows. Many brokers and forwarders say that the PCC Mission are three of the most worthwhile and memorable days of the year.

Click Here to Register for the Mission

Program Overview

Saturday night. Welcome to DC! Dangerously Delicious Pies and libations, at Friedmann’s overlooking Pennsylvania Ave. and the US Capitol
Sunday morning PCC Board Meeting (to which all PCC Missionaries are welcome)
Mission Briefing, Sunday lunch and afternoon.
Annual Mission Opening Dinner
Briefing with CBP - all CBP issues, processes and programs impacting brokers and forwarders.
Federal Maritime Commission, FDA, leaders of major DC trade associations
Dinner with a senior government official -- always a special event.
Tuesday breakfast at Capitol Hill Club. Chief Trade Counsel for the House of Representatives.
PCC Missionaries fan out over Capitol Hill to take our messages to the staff and Members of the California, Oregon and Washington Congressional Delegations.
Mission Wrap Up, we review the accomplishments and challenges