KWTC News :

KWTC Hosts Delegation from Brazil

Ying Juan Rogers, VP of the Kentucky World Trade Center hosted visitors from Brazil at the KWTC offices. Mr. Heverson Souza and Mariana Damasceno of CTComex, an import/export consultancy based in Fortaleza, Brazil’s fifth-largest city with 2,500,000 population and the booming international trade city in Brazil’s Northeast region both attended. They discussed  business and educational exchanges between Kentucky and Brazil. Their goal is to strengthen trade ties between Brazil and the United States.

Their trip is sponsored by SEBRAE, Brazil’s federal agency that helps growing businesses develop their markets. SEBRAE commissioned CTComex to explore and establish relationships with US companies seeking to export more to Brazil and also to identify new channels of distribution for the Northeast’s products. Also in attendance wereDr. Analy Scorsone of KCTCS; Dr. Claudia Lopes McClure of the Faculdade Integrada do Ceará in Fortaleza; and Dr. David McClure Jr. of ALT BioScience in Lexington. If you are interested in doing business with Brazil, please contact kwtc.

International Trade News :

London Mining buys Colombia’s International Coal

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed London Mining has acquired the remaining 80% interest in Colombian coking coal business International Coal Company (ICC) for $5,5-million cash and 3,5-million newly issued shares, the company announced on Tuesday.

A further $8.5-million and up to 6.3-million shares were payable, subject to certain performance conditions.London Mining said that the ICC acquisition supported its strategy of becoming a midtier supplier to the steel industry, and would provide it with the platform to develop a Colombian coking coal business. more

New Zealand, Hong Kong Sign Agreement to Scrap Trade Tariffs

New Zealand and Hong Kong signed an agreement to scrap tariffs on all products to promote trade, according to a joint release from the two governments today.

China is “central to the New Zealand economy in future,” New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser told reporters today in Hong Kong. China overtook the U.S. as New Zealand’s second- largest export market in February.

India Gets Caught Short as Sugar Prices Soar

LONI KALBHOR, India — Sanjay Gujar’s family has raised sugar cane for generations. But last year, after sugar prices fell by more than 40 percent, he replanted his six acres here in the sugar bowl of India with bananas.

A year later, after Mr. Gujar and thousands of other Indian farmers abandoned sugar, prices are surging. The price of refined sugar on international markets has jumped 60 percent since the end of last year, to 23 cents a pound, even as other food commodities have stabilized or fallen.more...

Treasury Delays Foreign Exchange Rate Report in Bid to Make Progress with China

In a bid to avoid further escalating tensions with China over the alleged undervaluation of its currency, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said April 3 that he is delaying the issuance of a semiannual report on foreign exchange rate policies that had been due April 15. However, at least one lawmaker warned that if Geithner is unable to make progress with Chinese officials other options will have to be considered.more...

DOC: BIS Eliminates Many Paper Documents; FTZB Applications; More Time for Input on Illegal Fishing; Foreign Regulatory Changes

BIS Eliminates Many Paper Documents. The Bureau of Industry and Security has issued a final rule that, effective May 5, will enable it to eliminate the paper versions of most export and re-export licenses, notices of denial of license applications, notices of return of a license application without action, notices of results of classification requests, license exception AGR notification results, and encryption review request results. This rule also changes certain recordkeeping requirements associated with the elimination of paper documents.More...

Did you know?
KWTC members have access to a full database of trade leads, available at wtca.org. For questions, contact sarah.darnall@kwtc.org.

KWTC Events:

Thursday, April 27th, 2010
8:30am - 4:00pm

Stoll Keenon Ogden
2000 PNC Plaza
500 West Jefferson Street
Louisville, KY 40202

$150 - Members
$195 - Members

Sponsored by:

Click here for the flyer with more information and here to register

US Commercial Service:
"Complying with U.S. Export Laws: An Overview for Businesses"

April 13, 2010
8:00am -5:00pm

Roberts Centre
Wilmington, OH

To Register: click here 
Fee: $165.00 for first first registrant ($150.00 for second registrant from same company)

For more information click here

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Member News :

LOUISVILLE, KY (March 31, 2010) – BFW Inc., a Louisville-based, small, woman-owned company that manufactures technologically ground breaking surgical lighting was honored with a Vogt Invention and Innovation Award by the Community Foundation of Louisville and GLI’s ENTERPRISECORP.  The award recognizes companies that display excellence in product innovation and provide engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs with grant money to fund the product development and commercialization of their ideas.

 “We are very excited to receive this honor; the Vogt Award will allow us to continue our mission moving forward and evolve in the global  ‘go to’ company for innovative surgical lighting,” said BFW President/CEO Lynn R. Cooper.

BFW is the first company to develop the use of plasma technology for surgical illumination in headlights. Plasma technology is far more ecologically sound than any currently used technology and will significantly reduce the cost of surgical illumination in hospitals and surgical centers.

BFW received the award based on criteria such as innovative content, technical excellence, strategic business planning, competitive positioning, potential market value, time to market, and anticipated social and economic benefits for the Greater Louisville area.

The purpose of this award is to memorialize the Vogt tradition of innovation in Louisville and to give recipients the recognition and financial support they need to commercialize their product. The award is made possible by an endowment from Henry Vogt Heuser Sr., former president of Henry Vogt Machine Company.  Since its inception in 2001, the Vogt Awards have invested more than $1.5M in awards to 18 early stage companies. BFW was recognized at the State of Entrepreneurship Breakfast hosted by ENTERPRISECORP on Wednesday, March 31.

For more information on BFW, Inc. www.bfwinc.com

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