
On Tuesday,
February 23, Welke Customs Brokers USA had the opportunity to present as part
of a panel discussion on "Doing Business in the U.S. for Canadian Companies"
with WNY Foreign Trade Zone Operators and Celebrezze Law as part of the Greater
Niagara Chamber of Commerce's monthly "Lunch and Learn" series.
The session
was well-attended, and in the audience were representatives of companies with
interest in selling both services and goods across the border into the U.S.
Many were already engaged in cross-border trade and others are just beginning
the process. Judging by the reaction from those in attendance and the many
questions we received during the discussion and after, "you don't know what you
don't know" is something that should be on the mind of Canadian companies
looking at the U.S. market.
Of course, now
is the opportune time to be making that move. With the strength of the American
dollar, selling into the U.S. makes all kinds of sense for Canadian companies.
But whether you're looking to sell into the market, distribute from inside the
U.S. or actually establish a presence, your market entry is not something to be
approached willy-nilly.
On the Customs
side, where Welke operates, our own Damon Piatek (
e-mail |
web site) talked about U.S. Customs and Border
Protection's (CBP) recent transition to "trade transformation," and the
importance of Canadian exporters to the U.S. to understand CBP's focus on
Customs compliance.
Regarding
distribution and establishing a presence in the U.S., WNY Foreign Trade Zone
president Tim Palisano (
e-mail |
web
site) discussed
building credibility by having an address in the states, logistics challenges
at the Canada-U.S. border, and the cost- and time-saving
benefits
of using a Foreign Trade Zone.
When it came
to cross border business travel rules, hiring and immigration issues, Jaclyn
Celebrezze (
e-mail |
web
site) of Celebrezze
Law based in Cleveland answered a flurry of questions about how Canadian
companies can create face-to-face access with the U.S. market, and ensure that
their representatives have the correct visas and border crossing documents and
understand U.S. work rules, which are fairly different from Canadian
regulations.
Overall, it
was a great presentation, and we had the opportunity to meet some great,
forward-thinking business people. Special thanks to the Greater Niagara Chamber
of Commerce for partnering with us on the event. There is much to learn when
looking at any new market for your business, and we feel we've compiled a great
team of experts to help. For Canadian companies, the U.S. market offers many
advantages in proximity, business culture and speed-to-market. Now is the time
to take advantage. Let us help.