Companies today use standby letters of credit for more than just the traditional performance or financial guarantees they offer. A standby letter of credit offers numerous advantages and can be used in a variety of ways, such as: substitution of bid and performance bonds; support of advance payment and payment guarantees; serving as a secondary means of payment to creditors; serving as a supplement to credit limits with suppliers; and more.  To use standby letters of credit effectively, it is important to understand how they work to mitigate the risk to your business.

This seminar will review real-world standby letter of credit mechanics with an extensive look at how they can be structured to meet the specific needs of all parties. Different types and uses of standby letters of credit will be reviewed, including bank guarantees and the rules governing standby letters of credit. The program will conclude with a foreign exchange update that will provide tips on FX tools and strategies that can be used to manage the bottom-line costs of international business.

Speakers Include:

• Mary Papazian, Senior Vice President and Senior Foreign Exchange Advisor, Silicon Valley Bank
• Carla Winfield, Vice President and Senior Global Advisor, Silicon Valley Bank

Program Details:

• • Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009
  • Time: Registration 8:30 a.m., Program 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 pm
  • Price: $75 (includes continental breakfast and seminar materials)
  • Location: Newton, Massachusetts
  • Learn more & Register Online or call the Massachusetts Export Center at 617-973-8664

Webinar: Antidumping for Customs House Brokers by the Law Offices of George R. Tuttle

This webinar is specifically tailored for customs house brokers to provide them with a basic understanding of:

• U.S. antidumping laws and procedures
• What actions can be taken by importers during investigations and after an antidumping order is established
• And, other antidumping issues.

Presenters include Stephen S. Spraitzar, attorney, and Erik Warga, antidumping consultant.

Webinar Details:

• When: Thursday, October 22nd from 10:00 am – 11:30 am PDT
• Cost: $35 for current members of ICPA, WIT-NC, ATCP, PAEI, & CBFANC or $45 for non-members
• Learn more and register.

Webinar: Preparing for a C-TPAT Validation from Zisser Customs Law Group

In this session our C-TPAT experts who have assisted in over 300 C-TPAT validations and re-validations will teach you the five core steps to an effective and successful C-TPAT validation.

• When: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (PDT)
• Register Online

The Global Trade Academy regularly holds in-person courses in Detroit, Philadelphia, and Houston.

Topics include C-TPAT/Cargo Security, Export Compliance, Import Compliance, How to Write your Company’s Export Compliance Manual, How to write your company’s Import Compliance Manual, Focused Assessment Prep, Transportation Law, and Tariff Classification.

For dates, costs, and locations, view their Upcoming Courses schedule.

CH Robinson has several upcoming in-person seminars.

2009 Export Controls Seminar (Dallas-Fort Worth)

• Date of Seminar: Friday November 13, 2009
• When: 9 am – 4 pm
• Where: Great Wolf Lodge, 100 Great Wolf Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051
• Price: $50 a person
• Topics: What Exporting Means; The Economic and Political Realities of Export
  Policy; Jurisdiction and Governmental Oversight; Export Administration Regulations (EARs); Introduction to ITAR; ECCN and Schedule B Introduction; and Complying with Export Controls: “The 5 W’s”
• For more info, Contact: andrew.greiner@chrobinson.com

2009 Customs Regulatory Seminar (Houston)

• Date of Seminar: Friday November 3, 2009
• When: 8 am – 4 pm
• Where: Crown Plaza Houston – Downtown, 1700 Smith Street, Houston, TX 77002
• Price: $75 a person
• Topics: U.S. and Global Trade Policy – Trends and Expectations; Customs Compliance and Enforcement of Reasonable Care; Being Prepared for a Customs Focused Assessment; The State of U.S. Cargo/Trade Security (Including C-TPAT); Importer Security Filing (“10+2”); Importer Self Assessment (ISA); Automated Commercial Environment (ACE); Lacey Act Amendments; First Sale for Export; and Understanding INCOTERMS 2000
• For more info, Contact: paula.minor@chrobinson.com

2009 Customs Regulatory Seminar (Atlanta)

• Date of Seminar: Monday, November 5, 2009
• When: 8 am – 4 pm
• Where: The W Hotel Atlanta Downtown, 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30308
• Price: $75 a person
• Topics: U.S. and Global Trade Policy – Trends and Expectations; Customs Compliance and Enforcement of Reasonable Care; Being Prepared for a Customs Focused Assessment; The State of U.S. Cargo/Trade Security (Including C-TPAT); Importer Security Filing (“10+2”); Importer Self Assessment (ISA); Automated Commercial Environment (ACE); Lacey Act Amendments; First Sale for Export; and Understanding INCOTERMS 2000
• For more info, Contact: ATLSeminars@chrobinson.com