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Time is Running Out – Renew Your Registration of Food Facilities Now!

This is an old blog we lost during our transfer of site hosting. The 2016 Food Facility Registration biennial renewal period is wrapping up! In January of 2011 the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (“FSMA”) was signed into law. It designated a renewal period spanning from 12:00 AM on October 1st to 11:59 PM on December 31st. If an importer’s registration […]

The Death of Intermediaries? Maersk’s Canary in the Coalmine.

This is an old blog we lost during our transfer of site hosting. Maersk, the world’s leading container ship operator, and Alibaba, the owner of China’s biggest e-commerce platforms, have decided to join forces in what has traditionally been the domain of NVOCCs and Freight Forwarders.  The two have established a portal to allow shippers/customers to use Alibaba to book […]

When the Broker Must be the Importer of Record

The Importer of Record, or “IOR” has a lot of liability for entry.  Any penalties resulting from discrepancies relating to classification of the goods or admissibility issues, and the duties to be paid, must be covered financially by the IOR.   Changed from when I got my Customs broker’s license in 1978 is the fact that today the IOR must have […]

Trade Expansion Act Investigations

This is an old blog we lost during our transfer of site hosting. On April 20, 2017, President Trump directed the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to conduct an investigation into the effects of steel imports on U.S. national security. (Presidential Memorandum Can Be Seen Here). On April 27, 2017, the President directed DOC to conduct an investigation into the […]

Trademark Now – or Turmoil Later

While running your business, you have a million things to think about.  Customers, employees, taxes, transactions – the list is endless.  But what about protecting the company’s very identity, goodwill, and brand?  A company’s name and logo are vital to success from a marketing standpoint, and as such you should be doing everything possible to protect them.  A great place […]

Have A Billion Dollar Export Penalty? Let’s Not.

         This is an old blog we lost during our transfer of site hosting.      A record-setting payment of $1,190,000,000.00 by ZTE Corporation of Richardson, Texas (“ZTE”) shows the enormous risks today of underestimating U.S. export enforcement. The International Emergency Economic Powers Act gives the President of the United States broad authority to regulate international transactions and exports.. Pursuant […]

Enhanced Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duties, New Petitions

This is an old blog we lost during our transfer of site hosting. Update on this topic is forthcoming in a future blog. Executive Orders President Trump issued two Executive Orders on March 31, 2017, signaling the new administration’s opposition to unfair trade practices. The first Executive Order (See Original Document Here) directs the Department of Commerce (“DOC”) and the […]

U.S. CBP New Regulations

This is an old blog we lost during our transfer of site hosting. Update on this topic is forthcoming in a future blog. When foreign manufacturers sell below the cost of production or “fair market value”, it is known as “dumping.”  Dumping is a worldwide issue and phenomenon.  Every country and trade block, and virtually every major multinational and/or trade […]

Finding Your Company’s Worth

Business Valuation is the process of determining the economic value of a business or company. Although this may seem pretty straightforward, accurately valuing each business takes a great amount of preparation and thought. Establishing what a business is worth is not an exact science, largely due to the way different people view each aspect of a company. An investor will […]

Reducing Your Duty Rate, an Easier Way

On May 20, 2016, Congress enacted the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act, a new law to restructure the  process companies go through to obtain temporary duty reductions and suspensions.  Previously, companies would have to petition members of Congress to submit individual bills requesting  tariff reductions, which were then accumulated and piled into one large omnibus bill known as  a Miscellaneous Tariff […]