Wisconsin companies that export products or services globally or would like to learn how to export are invited to send executives to attend the Wisconsin International Trade Conference to be held on Tuesday, May 13, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee.
The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce’s World Trade Association has been helping regional businesses go global with their products and services for more than 80 years.
The full-day conference will feature some of the top national and international thought leaders speaking on the latest trends in exporting.
The conference will kick off with a breakfast panel discussion fearing: John McDermott, senior vice president of global sales and marketing at Rockwell Automation Inc.; Deb Anguil, chief operating officer at Anguil Environmental Systems Inc.; and Jeff Clark, president and CEO of Waukesha Metal Products. The discussion will be moderated by Steve Jagler, executive editor of BizTimes Milwaukee.
The morning will be capped at 9:45 a.m. with three breakout sessions:
“BRICS and Beyond”
BRICS is an acronym for the exporting markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The panel discussion of WEDC trade representatives will include: South Africa, Botswana, Mauritius, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia – Richard Zurba, director of Zurcome International Ltd.; Indonesia – Reymanditya Poerwito, manager of operations at PT; Russia & Ukraine – Valeriia Zasiedatielieva, director at Synchrotech Consulting; and Poland and Czech Republic – Filip Korinek, managing director of EasyLink Business Services.
“Market Development Strategies”
The panel of exporting CEOs will include Jerry Jendusa of Emteq Inc.; Alan Petelinsek of Power Test Inc. and Dave Rolston of Hatco Corp.
“Export Compliance: Are you Demonstrating Due Diligence?”
The conversation to focus on best practices will include Pete Mento, director of global customs and trade policy at C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc., and Linda Zuehlke, global logistics and international trade controls manager at G.E. Measurement & Control Solutions.
The keynote speaker at the luncheon of the conference will be John Doggett, senior lecturer and senior research fellow at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin (see sidebar Q&A). Doggett and has taught in Austria, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. He is an expert in the areas of global competition, entrepreneurship and sustainability and has served as CEO advisor to numerous international companies.
The luncheon also will include presentation of the Governor’s Export Awards by Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.
The afternoon session at 1:45 p.m. will include two panel discussions:
“China and India”
The conversation will be led by Rachel Cohen, international trade specialists at the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Intellectual Property Rights, and Caroline Berube, managing partner of HJM Asia Law.
“Payment Challenges & Opportunities in Global Markets”
The panel discussion will include: Mike Allen, international business credit manager, Schreiber Foods Inc.; Don Ellingson, credit manager, Alliance Laundry Systems LLC; Bruce Glaub, vice president of trade finance, BMO Capital Markets; Robert Pelka, vice president of structured trade finance, Wells Fargo Bank; and Wayne Ramus, vice president of sales and project finance, General Electric Co.’s Global Growth & Operations unit.
The conference will be capped by a networking reception at 4 p.m. BizTimes Media is the media sponsor for the conference. To register to attend the conference, visit www.wisconsintradeconference.org.
To read a BizTimes interview with Doggett, click here.
