When it comes to networking opportunities and practical "nuts and bolts" information, international trade professionals in New York City count on NEXCO, a non-profit international trade association. By sponsoring monthly seminars and occasional networking events, NEXCO facilitates important contacts and provides need-to-know content, key components for success in an intensely competitive trade environment.
     NEXCO schedules one highly focused, two-and-a-half hour seminar program each month. Presenters and panelists are drawn from NEXCO member companies and from New York City-area trade experts. The seminars are marketed to more than 2,500 trade professionals in the New York area and attendance typically ranges between 15 and 60. Special events, such as the annual Meet Your International Business Partners networking event in October - co-sponsored by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and the Weissman Center for International Business - draw more than 100 attendees.
     "Attendees value our programs because they provide concrete information in a brief time period and at a very low cost," said Betsy Shieh, executive director of NEXCO. "Companies can send their employees frequently, and we repeat some basic topics - such as import documentation and the Automated Export System - every 18 months or so as 'refreshers' and to make it possible for companies to involve new employees."
     Seminar topics cover a broad range of trade-related issues. Recent programs have addressed UN procurement, sourcing from China, Incoterms, customs law, credit checks on international partners, and trade statistics. NEXCO's September program, "Outsourcing and Quality Control in China," included representatives of two China trade consulting companies, BChinaB and Access Asia LLC, and a New York quality control testing company, SGS Testing Inc. The program drew attendees from area manufacturers, consultants, documentation specialists, and importers. The October program, "Made in the USA," featured Elaine Kolish, associate director for enforcement at the FTC who discussed the FTC country-of-origin product labeling standards.
     NEXCO also held its first-ever full-day seminar in September. "We took the best of our half-day import programs and expanded them into an intense, full day," said Barney Lehrer, NEXCO's president and director of e-commerce for the Federation of International Trade Associations. Attorneys from Meeks & Sheppard LLP, a NEXCO member company, led the program, which included a lunch presentation by Larry Lewis, assistant area director, Customs and Border Protection, Newark. The full-day format will be repeated in November when the topic will be "Responsibilities and Compliance Issues for Exporters, presented by Suzanne Richer, president of Customs and Trade Solutions, Inc.
     NEXCO was launched in 1963 by a group of export company managers who wanted to facilitate trade in export markets. "Since then, we've evolved into an organization that serves both importers and exporters," said Shieh. "The need we fill is an important one: taking the mystery out of international trade by providing useful information on a specific trade topic to those who most need to know."
     Shieh, NEXCO's executive director, holds a master's degree in international public administration from NYU. She has worked in the international trade department at the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey, managed the international business education program at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, and served as executive director of the World Trade Center in the Hudson Valley.
     NEXCO program presenters and attendees alike appreciate the practical nature of the information provided at NEXCO seminars and opportunities to meet with colleagues. Topics are chosen to highlight what trade professionals "need to know" and can apply immediately in their work.
     "I know that beginners and experienced trade experts alike get a lot out of NEXCO seminars and programs," said Robert Leo of Meeks and Sheppard LLC, a NEXCO board member and a frequent seminar presenter.
     Lisa Wallerstein, director of marketing at PIERS/Journal of Commerce, values the networking opportunities. "Our NEXCO membership and seminar attendance have helped us enhance our visibility in the international trade community," she said, "and they have brought new users to our global information services."
     On tap for December, Lehrer will offer a program on "Really Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals" on Dec. 8 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at The Williams Club, 24 E. 39th Street in Manhattan. The cost for the session is $40 for members and $75 for non-members.

Registration for NEXCO programs and membership information is available online at www.nexco.org or by calling 877-291-4901.