WTCBN Podcast

Here's the replay from World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara's webinar on the #CanAm border on 1/26, in collaboration with South Niagara Chambers of Commerce and Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to Anthony Annunziata, Tourism Canada Niagara; Kathryn Bryk Friedman, University at Buffalo and Wilson Center; and Ron Rienas, Peace Bridge Authority for offering their expertise and thoughts. Next session is Tues., 2/2. Join us!

WTCBN Podcast interview with Joe Berti, President of Speed Global Services, headquartered in Tonawanda, NY. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Joe for their conversation about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on logistics in 2020 and into 2021, the importance of ramping up workforce development in logistics and supply chain and WTCBN's upcoming Global Business Academy. 0:23 - Intro, Joe Berti, President, Speed Global Services 6:26 - Impacts of the pandemic on logistics and global trade 10:49 - Changes and innovations in logistics that will last 12:47 - Impacts of CanAm border shutdown 15:45 - Warehousing challenges and solutions 17:41 - Developing the future logistics workforce 22:06 - WTCBN's Global Business Academy 25:14 - Thank you and more information

WTCBN Podcast interview with Evert Jan Schouwstra, Managing Director for World Trade Center Noord-Nederland / Leeuwarden. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and EJ for their discussion on the Netherlands' business community's response to COVID-19, Dutch perspectives on the U.S. presidential election and our upcoming Buffalo Niagara/Leeuwarden virtual trade mission. 0:36 - Intro - Evert Jan Schouwstra, Managing Director for World Trade Center Noord-Nederland / Leeuwarden 1:22 - Leeuwarden, The Netherlands 3:55 - Current thoughts on COVID-19 and business 6:17 - Looking at 2021 8:17 - Opportunity and innovation 10:57 - Dutch perspectives on U.S. politics 13:40 - Doing business in Leeuwarden 14:51 - Buffalo Niagara/Leeuwarden virtual trade mission - February 18:34 - More information on Leeuwarden 20:10 - Leeuwarden as a gateway to the EU

Join WTCBN for a panel discussion (October 21, 2020) on the upcoming election, and insights on the candidates’ positions on North American and global trade policy, as well as perspectives from the Canadian trade community, following it all very closely. Program Panalists Douglas Kennedy, RBC Managing Director, Centre for Global Enterprise, Schulich School of Business (York University) Jack O’Donnell, Managing Partner, O’Donnell & Associates Chelsey Penrod Hickman, Partner, Winning Strategies Washington

Replay of WTCBN's webinar on October 8, 2020 - "Economic Recovery: Into the Holidays and Beyond to 2021". While there’s still a great deal of uncertainty from COVID-19, the economy appears to be coming back, and companies doing business internationally are resuming making decisions about their futures. On October 8, join WTCBN for a forecasting webinar for the rest of this year and into 2021. We’ll hear from Marc Chandler, Chief Market Strategist for Bannockburn Global Forex, who will offer his thoughts on the global economic recovery from COVID-19 and forecast for next year, followed by a moderated discussion with Marc and Jim Manno, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Sonwil Distribution, who will offer industry perspectives on Marc’s outlook. Program Speakers Marc Chandler, Chief Market Strategist, Bannockburn Global Forex Jim Manno, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Sonwil Distribution

WTCBN Podcast interview with Dr. Laurie Trautman, Director for the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Laurie for their discussion on the U.S.-Canadian border, both the many opportunities that collaboration offers our cross-border communities, as well as the challenges posed by the current shutdown of "non-essential" cross border travel due to COVID-19. Learn how our economic and personal border impacts in Buffalo Niagara are shared at the western end of the CanAm border. 1:04 - Intro - Director, Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University 4:32 - CanAm Work with the Woodrow Wilson Center 6:22 - Cross-Border Successes in the Pacific Northwest Region 11:38 - Cross-Border Economic Opportunity 14:43 - Impacts of the Border Closure 17:35 - Message to Ottawa and Washington 19:21 - Next Steps (2021) 21:51 - Closing and more info

WTCBN Podcast interview with Eileen Martin, Partner and Team Co-Leader for Immigration with Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman, LLP, and WTCBN Board member. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Eileen for their discussion on U.S. immigration challenges during COVID-19, with emphasis on the U.S.-Canadian border, which is currently closed to non-essential travel. We discuss current realities in immigration, trends and how the U.S. is dealing with specific types of requests, and how companies should be approaching immigration in both their short- and long-term strategies. 1:07 - Intro - Eileen Martin, Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman, LLP 2:37 - Foreign Worker Rules 5:14 - Unique Challenges for Foreign Workers from COVID-19 6:16 - Current State of the U.S. Visa Process 8:29 - Visa Process Forecasting 9:40 - U.S.-Canada Immigration Challenges 15:45 - U.S.-Canada Crossings 17:08 - U.S.-Canada Border Forecasting 18:49 - Border Advocacy 21:00 - Immigration Strategy Going Forward 22:49 - Closing and more info

WTCBN Podcast interview with David Herer, CEO of ABC-Amega, headquartered in Buffalo, NY. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and David for their discussion on international collections, cash flow and other challenges during COVID-19 and the current recovery. We discuss best practices, and how you should be assessing your company's financial status as the global economy comes out of the shutdown. 0:33 - Intro - David Herer, ABC-Amega 2:34 - Current mindset 4:46 - COVID impact on terms 6:53 - Cash flow best practices 10:17 - Mitigating the risk of bankruptcies 12:17 - Why call ABC-Amega? 14:16 - What's next? 16:31 - Closing and more info

WTCBN Podcast interview with Ed Allison-Wright, Director at Fairhomes Group of Companies, developer of World Trade Center Gibraltar. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Ed for their discussion on the post-COVID19 recovery in Gibraltar, the economic benefits of a World Trade Center-branded facility, and why Gibraltar is a great place for U.S. and Canadian companies to do business. 0:43 - Intro - Ed Allison-Wright, World Trade Center Gibraltar 2:04 - Gibraltar overview 3:35 - Moving through the post-COVID recovery 7:01 - Impact of COVID on the Gibraltar tourism industry 9:16 - Economic recovery themes 11:08 - Opportunities and creative solutions 13:10 - Economic impact of WTC real estate and WTC London update 18:10 - Doing business in Gibraltar 19:46 - Closing and more information

WTCBN Podcast interview with Dr. Kathryn Bryk Friedman, Global Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center and Research Professor, University at Buffalo. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Dr. Friedman for their discussion on the Bi-national Prosperity Initiative, a collaborative, across-the-border effort to grow the regional economy in the bi-national Buffalo Niagara region. 0:21 - Intro - Dr. Kathryn Bryk Friedman and the Bi-national Prosperity Initiative 3:22 - The challenges of cultivating bi-national collaboration 8:17 - What's the real opportunity? 9:30 - Opening the border recommendations post-COVID 14:07 - University of Buffalo collaboration with Brock University 15:23 - What's next for the Bi-national Prosperity Initiative? 17:06 - For more information 17:46 - Thank you and close

WTCBN Podcast interview with Carlos Uribe Menendez, Chief Operations Officer for World Trade Center Queretaro and World Trade Center Cancun. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Carlos for their discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Mexico, why Queretaro is a great place for U.S. and Canadian companies to do business, and the importance of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). 0:40 - Intro - Carlos Uribe Menendez, WTC Queretaro 2:13 - Queretaro and COVID-19 8:39 - Manufacturing in Queretaro 11:10 - Embracing technology 15:41 - Importance of USMCA 20:36 - Doing business in Queretaro 24:55 - Queretaro target industries 25:38 - Closing and more information

WTCBN Podcast interview with Kevin Jacobi, Executive Director for CanadaBW Logistics, Inc. in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Kevin for their discussion on changes coming to the supply chain in the coming months - from the post-COVID economic recovery period, as well as the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). 0:16 - Intro - Kevin Jacobi, Canada BW Logistics, Inc. 4:10 - Insight on USMCA 6:03 - Post-COVID challenges and opportunities 8:48 - Opening of the CanAm border 10:29 - TAP Niagara program 12:20 - CanadaBW looking forward 14:33 - Closing and more information

WTCBN Podcast interview with Marc Chandler, Managing Director and Chief Market Strategist for Bannockburn Global Forex. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Marc for their discussion on foreign currency, global financial trends and insights for companies navigating the post-COVID economic recovery. For more updates, follow www.marctomarket.com. 1:37 - Intro - Marc Chandler, Bannockburn Global Forex 3:56 - Bannockburn's relationship w/World Trade Centers Association 6:35 - Currency trends 11:25 - U.S./Canadian currency relationship 15:04 - Change is coming 21:49 - "Top 3" questions you should be asking re: currency 24:10 - Closing and more information

WTCBN Podcast interview with Freerk Faber, CEO for World Trade Center Twente. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Freerk for their discussion on the post-COVID economic recovery, how the Twente region in the Netherlands is approaching the future, and how Buffalo Niagara and Twente can be working more closely together. 0:33 - Intro - Freerk Faber, CEO, WTC Twente 1:47 - Intro to Twente region and doing business in the Netherlands 3:41 - Companies' response to COVID 6:08 - Status of manufacturing in the region 7:18 - Key themes for Twente looking forward 8:27 - Post-COVID opportunities for Twente 9:21 - Innovation and regional support 11:10 - Buffalo Niagara doing business with Twente 13:11 - Closing and more information

WTCBN Podcast interview with Rob Clark, WTCBN Board member and Director US/C Ingredients, Global Procurement at Rich Products Corporation. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Rob for their discussion on the upcoming 2020 WTCBN International Case Competition, which will be held on Friday, February 28 at Niagara University. More details on the Case Competition are available at www.wtcbn.com. 0:21 - Intro - Rob Clark, Rich Products 0:41 - Global trade uncertainty from Rich's view 1:43 - 2019 Case Competition recap 2:35 - Building relationships - future workforce (and new contacts) 4:40 - Interacting with the students 5:17 - Writing a relevant case 5:54 - A bi-national competition 7:02 - More information on the 2020 WTCBN International Case Competition

WTCBN Podcast interview with Chris Way, Founder of The Atinga Project. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Chris for their discussion on this forward-thinking social enterprise, and the impact The Atinga Project is having on the artisan community in Rwanda. Plus, hear from Chris his insights on the changing African market. 0:45 - Intro - The Atinga Project 4:13 - Getting started 7:38 - Early challenges 10:31 - The changing African market 13:20 - What's next for The Atinga Project 16:22 - Wrap-up and for more information

WTCBN Podcast interview with Marnie Lavigne, President & CEO of LaunchNY. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Marnie for their discussion on the amazing growth and innovation coming out of Upstate New York's start-up community. Learn how LaunchNY is facilitating that growth through mentorship and financing, and how WTCBN and LaunchNY are partnering to strengthen international opportunities for these growing companies. 1:14 - Why LaunchNY? 7:12 - The journey of an entrepreneur 9:21 - LaunchNY and WTCBN 11:51 - Start-ups and utilizing regional trade expertise 13:16 - LaunchNY's Emerging Cleantech Opportunity (ECO) Incubator 17:29 - International for Start-Ups event - 10/3 20:00 - Wrap-up and additional information

WTCBN Podcast interview with Sean De Clercq, CEO of Kickfurther. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Sean for their discussion on financing business and inventory growth, particularly in international markets. Learn how Kickfurther is revolutionizing financing options for small, growing businesses in international trade. 0:39 - About Trade Credit Insurance Agency 1:44 - What is credit insurance? 2:34 - What competitive advantages do credit insurance provide? 6:22 - Credit insurance as protection from current uncertainty 8:13 - Peace of mind 9:34 - Trends in global trade risk 12:31 - WTCBN Global Business Administration (GBA) Program - Fall, 2019

WTCBN Podcast interview with Tim Palisano, President of Western New York Foreign Trade Zone and the Lincoln Family of Companies, serving the Buffalo, Syracuse and Tampa markets. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Tim for their discussion on the Foreign Trade Zone program, and how it can benefit importers - particularly in times of trade uncertainty. 0:16 - About WNY Foreign Trade Zone 2:04 - Overview of FTZ 5:40 - Walking Through the FTZ Process 8:26 - Impact of Tariffs and Current Environment 10:18 - Current Trends in Logistics 11:11 - WNYFTZ Recent Expansion 12:34 - For More Info

WTCBN Podcast interview with Dr. Jim Kling and Jack Ampuja, from Niagara University's Center for Supply Chain Excellence. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, Jim and Jack for a recap of their popular annual Supply Chain Forum, which was held on Tuesday morning, June 25, 2019 at Niagara University. 0:40 - Top takeaways from 6/25 Supply Chain Forum 4:43 - Challenge of contracts and certainty in the current logistics environment 6:37 - China and U.S. trade 9:05 - Technology's impact on supply chain 13:25 - About the Niagara University Center for Supply Chain Excellence

WTCBN Podcast interview with Ed Arnold, President of Trade Credit Insurance Agency. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Ed for their discussion on credit insurance, how it not only helps mitigate the risk of non-payment when doing business internationally, but can be a important tool for securing financing, stronger terms and new business. 0:39 - About Trade Credit Insurance Agency 1:44 - What is credit insurance? 2:34 - What competitive advantages do credit insurance provide? 6:22 - Credit insurance as protection from current uncertainty 8:13 - Peace of mind 9:34 - Trends in global trade risk 12:31 - WTCBN Global Business Administration (GBA) Program - Fall, 2019

WTCBN Podcast interview with Damon Piatek, President & CEO of Welke Customs Brokers USA. Join host Craig Turner, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President, and Damon for their discussion on the impact of tariffs on manufacturing in the Buffalo Niagara region, including last week's lifting of steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and new aggressive actions toward China. 0:35 - Intro/About Welke USA 1:41 - Impact of U.S. lifting tariffs on NAFTA partners 2:33 - Impact of tariffs (last 14 months) 3:48 - USMCA ratification prospects 4:45 - What manufacturers should know about new China tariffs 6:02 - Are we in a "trade war"? 7:42 - U.S. approach to currency manipulation 8:56 - Looking forward in a world of uncertainty 10:58 - China and retaliation

WTCBN Podcast interview with Dr. Kathryn Friedman from the University at Buffalo at World Trade Celebration 2019.

World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President Craig W. Turner interviews Delaware North as EVP and CFO Chris Feeney - World Trade Celebration 2019 keynote speaker - on the WTCBN Podcast.

World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara President Craig W. Turner sits down with Rosanna Masucci, from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Buffalo Office, at World Trade Celebration 2019, May 8, 2019.

The official launch of the new WTCBN Podcast, with WTCBN Board Chairman Steve Briggs, VP of Sales for Dynabrade, Inc. Recorded live from World Trade Celebration 2019 on May 8, 2019 at The Westin Buffalo.