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News from Seattle's Office of Economic Development

Washington Export Finance Training (WEFT) Workshops for Community Bankers and Small Businesses

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The new Washington Export Finance Training (WEFT) Workshop series is a new monthly event from the Export Finance Assistance Center of Washington that will run through mid-May. These are monthly workshops, aided by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration, geared toward community bankers and their small business export clients.

The upcoming seminars are:

  • Session 2: How Letters of Credit Work, Tuesday, February 12
  • Session 3, Part 1: Effective and Innovative Uses for Credit Insurance (Morning) / Part 2: Managing Foreign Exchange Risks (Afternoon), Tuesday, March 12
  • Session 4, Part 1: Standby Letters of Credit and Bank Guarantees (Morning) / Part 2: Alternatives for Financing Export Sales (Afternoon), Tuesday, April 9
  • Session 5, Part 1: Rules and Regulations Pertaining to Export Finance (Morning) / Part 2: Supply-Chain Finance and Path to Electronic Documents (Afternoon), Tuesday, May 14

 

The WEFT workshops cost $50 and take place at the Union Square Boardroom- 600 University St., Seattle WA, 98101.

For more information, visit The Export Finance Assistance Center’s website here.

Stay up-to-date on Export Administration Regulations – June 16 & 17, 2011

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The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
and
Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle

Complying with U.S. Export Controls

June 16 & 17, 2011
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Embassy Suites Hotel
20610 – 44th Avenue West
Lynnwood (just north of Seattle)
Directions

$445 Course Fee
RSVP Required

Register online

Are you interested in staying up-to-date with changes to regulatory requirements relating to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR)? If so, the Trade Development Alliance and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) would like to invite you to attend the “Complying with U.S. Export Controls” program from June 16-17, 2011.

This two-day program is led by BIS’s professional counseling staff and provides an in-depth examination of the EAR. The program will cover the information exporters need to know in order to comply with U.S. export control requirements on commercial goods. They will focus on what items and activities are subject to the EAR:

  • steps to take to determine the export licensing requirements for your item
  • how to determine your export control classification number
  • when you can export or re-export without applying for a license
  • export clearance procedures and record keeping requirements
  • Export Management System concepts
  • real life examples in applying this information

Presenters will conduct a number of “hands-on” exercises that will prepare you to apply the regulations to your own company’s export activities. This program is well suited for those who need a comprehensive understanding of their obligations under the EAR.

The instructors are experienced export specialists and enforcement personnel from BIS’s field offices. They will be available throughout the seminar to answer your questions on how the export regulations affect the export activities of your organization or client.

Registration: The cost of the two-day course is $445. Refunds cannot be made after June 9, 2011. For more information about registration please contact Thaihang Vu at 206-389-7301 or via email at thaihangv@seattlechamber.com.

Advance registration is required and space is limited. Breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks will be provided. For information on the content of the course, contact BIS’s Western Regional Office Staff at 949-660-0144.

Columbia City Farmers Market ranks among America’s best farmers’ markets for travelers

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Columbia City Farmers Market ranks among America’s best farmers’ markets for travelers
CNN
For a great urban market, Nina Planck, author of “Real Food: What to Eat and Why” and founder of London Farmers’ Markets, recommends Columbia City Farmers Market. With more than 40 WA state farmers and small food vendors, travelers are bound to find something to take back with them.

In ‘export nation,’ Seattle enjoys strong position
Seattle Times
According to a new report from the Brookings Institution, Seattle ranked No. 10 among the 100 largest metropolitan areas, with more than $24 billion in exports in 2008 and representing 2.3 percent of all metro exports.

WA turns to social networks and other innovations to drive a $14 billion industry 
Seattle Business Magazine
Tourism is a big deal for the Seattle-Puget Sound region as well. Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau preliminary numbers for 2009 show 8.8 million visitors spending $6.8 billion while visiting the city and King County.

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As a service to the Seattle business community, the Office of Economic Development curates a daily business news blast, Daily Digest. As a feature on Bottom Line, we’re posting a handful of stories from the Daily Digest every day.  Find the stories informative or helpful? Keep checking Bottom Line or sign up for Daily Digest to receive the full version in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Daily Digest here.

Export Live! event tutors small businesses in international exporting

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Is your business looking to augment growth beyond its current U.S. clients? Export Live!, a unique upcoming trade event, can help small- and medium-sized Seattle businesses interested in starting or growing their international sales.

This day-long event, to be held on November 17, 2009, will focus on helping Seattle businesses navigate the international sales process and avoid pitfalls such as non-payment and intellectual property misappropriation.

Part of a national eight-city tour, Export Live! in Seattle will be hosted and attended by the heads of all of the major Federal agencies involved in export support, including the U.S. Dept of Commerce (Gary Locke); the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Fred Hochberg); the Small Business Administration (Karen Mills); the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (Leocadia Zak); Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (Ron Kirk); and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (Larry Spinelli).

Visit Export-Import Bank’s website for additional details and registration information.