Netherlands Day in Harrisburg

posted by Katrina Chan

Left to right: Allan Kline, President of Klinge Corporation and WTC Board Member,
Consul General Dolph Hogewoning and Amabassador Henne Schuwer

The World Trade Center Harrisburg and Stevens & Lee/Griffin International, LLC collaborated in organizing a morning roundtable to host Ambassador Henne Schuwer, Consul General Dolph Hogewoning and his delegation from the Netherlands. The event was held on April 30, 2018, as part of a celebration of King’s Day and the proclamation of “Netherlands Day in PA”.

The Netherlands has a strong trade presence in Pennsylvania. Ambassador Schuwer and his delegation from the Netherlands came to Harrisburg to further strengthen that longstanding relationship and discuss the strong economic bond that exists between Netherlands and PA.

The day started at 10am with a business and economic roundtable discussion with local companies from Central Pennsylvania that conduct business in the Netherlands.  This was a good opportunity for companies to meet with the Dutch Ambassador and his senior staff and discuss business opportunities in the Netherlands.

Lt. Gov. Mike Stack hosted the afternoon lunch reception for the delegation in his Capitol office. The reception was followed by a news conference where Lt. Gov. Mike Stack presented Ambassador Henne Schuwer with a gift and an official proclamation that marks April 30th as "King's Day in Pennsylvania".

WTC Board Meeting in the New World Trade Center Building & Special Guest from WTCA

Posted by: Hannah Copenheaver

On May 11, 2016, we hosted our quarterly Board of Directors meeting at the "new" World Trade Center Harrisburg location. Even though it is still under construction, that didn't stop us! We transformed the conference room area using a few folding tables and chairs and some nice tablecloths. This allowed us to "get a feel" for what future meetings will be like! 

We also welcomed special guest, Martin Salloum, who is the new World Trade Centers Association Regional Development Manager for North America. Martin was previously the President & CEO of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce and World Trade Center Edmonton for eighteen years. 

Hannah Copenheaver, Ed Kercher (WTC Chairman),
Martin Salloum (WTCA), Tina Weyant

Hannah setting up the new conference room.

Design board of the new World Trade Center Harrisburg office.

Nuremberg: An Interactive Booth Is Key

By WTC Guest Blogger Jessica Toutsis, RoomMates Décor

Tradeshows require months of preparation including booth design, scheduling appointments with key customers, transporting all product and materials to the show, plus setting up the booth at the show. It is worth it, especially when you attend the world’s biggest toy fair in Germany and arrive back to tell your team “this was one of the best shows we’ve ever had.”

RoomMates Decor’s International Director of Sales, Adam Say, can certainly attest to that! RoomMates, the largest producer of Peel & Stick Decor and Wall Decals, sells to 75 countries around the world, and through Nuremberg was able to make contact with countries where distribution did not yet exist. Say, among many others at the show, connected with potential distributors, as well as licensing companies to discuss hot new products in the international markets.

“It was a great show to see the trends because all of the big toy manufacturers are there. We were also able to connect with new retailers and put them in touch with distributors around the world,” said Say.

One of the most memorable discussions Say revealed was discussion around the booth! “People talked a lot about how creative the booth was.” Say described that the booth featured true to size wall decals that popped out of the wall, which attracted the attention of buyers and even those who wouldn’t normally be interested in the product. Customers were encouraged to experience RoomMates wall decals firsthand by peeling and re-sticking them to the booth walls. 

A good booth display is key for attracting attendee’s attention, especially at a show like Nuremberg where interactivity and creativity are highlighted throughout the show floor. It’s tricky selecting which characters and products to feature in the booth when there are so many strong contenders. The characters that received the most attention? For RoomMates, the new Batman wall decals, Superman wall decals and Shopkins wall decals were very popular at the show, while Star Wars wall decals and Frozen wall decals continued to show strength in customer demand.

In addition to RoomMates, robots, dinosaurs, and puzzles were popular themes around the show floor as well as games for both kids and adults. Take a 70 second “virtual walk” around and discover more products and innovative toys on the market!

Jessica Toutsis is the Digital Marketing Manager for RoomMates Décor, headquartered in York, PA, and writes on trade show experiences for the World Trade Center blog. 

State of the Ports Address 2016

Posted by Emily Johnson, Intern

Last Thursday, we hosted our second annual State of the Ports Address. We had Dominic O’Brien from the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority and Marie Byers from the Harrisburg International Airport speak at the event.

The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) is located in the fifth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Something that you might not know is that the Philadelphia port is a global leader in food imports, which is due to their vast temperature controlled storage capacity. Additionally, the port has less congestion compared to other east coast ports, with a quick ship and truck turn times with multiple rail connections in the area. There are over 250 distribution centers that lie within the PRPA’s immediate hinterland. This year marks PRPA’s 6^th year of consecutive growth! 

The Philadelphia Port has exciting new updates to their port. They have been working on a channeling deepening project to allow for bigger ships to enter, which is influenced by the Panama Canal expansion. This is 80% complete and expected to be completed by 2017. They are doing upgrades on their Tioga Marine Terminal, Southport Marine Terminal Complex, and multiple other piers that they own. This will accommodate for bringing in more cargo to the port, which creates more jobs and more trade in the region. They also recently created a partnership with Sealand, which created a direct shipping line to Mexico. This new shipping line takes only six days for cargo to travel from Philadelphia to Veracruz. 

 

The Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) serves the central Pennsylvania region with residents who purchase nearly $1 million departing airline tickets annually. Something that you might not know is that the airport is actually a self-sustaining entity that does not rely on any state or federal subsidies to operate. Given this, HIA continues to provide growth to the central PA region, creating nearly $1 billion in economic activity. 

For passenger flights, Air Canada, Allegiant, American, Delta and United currently offers nonstop service to 11 destinations with connections worldwide. In 2015, an average of 3,290 passengers used the airport each day to fly domestically and 250 people used the airport each day fly internationally. The top five international destinations for 2015 included Toronto, Cancun, San Juan, London, and Shanghai. New this year, the airport is offering direct flights to Punta Gorda, Florida, and an all-inclusive vacation package to the Bahamas.

HIA ranks 76^th in the nation for cargo shipments, which is higher than airports such as San Jose, Oklahoma City, and Norfolk. At HIA, there is a FedEx hub for cargo coming from Williamsport and Scranton. UPS also recently built a “Hub in a Box” at HIA that created approximately 100 jobs and an expected $168,000 in new revenue each year. December 2015 was a record month for the airport with 5,722 tons of cargo flown to and from the region.

Although there have been some new challenges in the airport industry from mergers, low fuel prices, and less flights, the Harrisburg International Airport continues to make expansion and customer service their top priorities to deliver an altogether better flying experience. Looking to the future, Shaner Hotel Holdings will be developing a new hotel at the airport that will have 120 rooms, meeting spaces, a restaurant, and bar. This is to be open by 2017.  

Overall, the State of the Ports Address showed us how important logistics is to boosting trade in our region. It informed attendees of new growth that will help the local economy grow. For more details, please click here to download the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority presentation and click here to download the Harrisburg International Airport presentation.

For additional pictures from the event, click here to visit our Facebook album. 

Heimtex: Setting The Stage For The Year

By WTC Guest Blogger Jessica Toutsis, RoomMates Décor

The year is off to a busy start with many members exhibiting their products at popular industry trade shows. During mid-January, international manufacturers, retailers, and designers throughout the world came together at Heimtex, the biggest international trade show for the home and contract textiles in the world! Known for setting the benchmark for the entire year, Heimtex reveals leading trends and innovative designs for the home and textile industry. Buyers and distributors from around the world gather to see the newest concepts in the industry.

Among those at the show, RoomMates Decor, North America’s largest manufacturer of wall decals and peel & stick wall decor, debuted the launch of their newest product line known as StickTILES, a revolutionary Peel and Stick decorative tile. Offering customers a faster, easier and more affordable way to create backsplashes and decorate kitchens, bathrooms and other rooms, this was one product that’s sure to get excited about! 

Other products at the RoomMates booth included peel and stick wall decor and new wall art designs displayed in a creative “Under the Sea” themed display. 

Heimtex is exciting as it allows RoomMates Décor and other businesses to connect with distributors in their sector and form relationships. 

“Heimtex is one of the most important shows that we do each year because many of our international buyers are making annual purchasing decisions while attending the show.  This year’s show was certainly one of the busiest that we have had, which gives us a great indication about the year ahead!” reaffirmed Adam Say, Director of International Sales at RoomMates.

It’s a great way to start off the year! 

Jessica Toutsis is the Digital Marketing Manager for RoomMates Décor, headquartered in York, PA, and writes on trade show experiences for the World Trade Center blog.

Despite Privacy Shield Agreement, Legal Uncertainty Remains for Businesses Transferring Personal Data between Europe and United States

by WTC Guest Bloggers Louis Dejoie and Thomas Markey, McNees, Wallace & Nurick LLC

On October 6, 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) invalidated a Safe Harbor provision that allowed companies to transfer personal data from within the EU to the US, finding that the Safe Harbor failed to adequately protect EU citizens’ privacy.  The CJEU’s ruling left many companies, which relied on the Safe Harbor to conduct business, in legal limbo.  On February 2, 2016, in a step toward legal clarity for businesses and consumers, the EU and US agreed in principle to implement a new Privacy Shield.

The new Privacy Shield addresses several shortcomings that led to the Safe Harbor’s invalidation.  First, according to the European Commission’s press release, before importing personal data from the EU, US companies must commit to “robust obligations on how personal data is processed and individual rights are guaranteed.”  Second, “the United States has given the EU binding assurances that the access of public authorities for national security purposes will be subject to clear limitations, safeguards and oversight mechanisms.”  Third, EU citizens will have redress procedures they can follow if they suspect their data has been misused.

Details regarding the Privacy Shield, however, remain sparse.  The European Commission’s next step is to prepare an “adequacy decision,” and regulatory changes must occur in the US.  Additionally, the Article 29 Working Party—a group of EU data regulators—will evaluate the Privacy Shield and has insisted on receiving all related documents by the end of February.  As these events transpire, companies remain in a state of limbo in which they can rely on neither the invalid Safe Harbor nor the yet-to-be-implemented Privacy Shield.

After the Safe Harbor’s invalidation, the primary methods for legalizing transatlantic data transfers became data protection clauses in contracts between data-sharing companies and binding, regulator-approved corporate rules for transfers between subsidiaries and/or parent companies.  The Working Party indicated in a statement that regulators will continue to treat standard contractual clauses and binding corporate rules as legal data-transfer methods until the Working Party has time to fully analyze the Privacy Shield.  The Working Party expects to complete its analysis in mid-April.  The Working Party will also assess the continued legality of standard contractual clauses and binding corporate rules.  Any companies relying on the Safe Harbor, however, may now be subject to enforcement actions, which regulators informally suspended until January 31, 2016.
In summary, announcement of the Privacy Shield has not resolved the legal uncertainty regarding EU-US data transfers.  The Privacy Shield must be implemented on both sides of the Atlantic, and may face court challenges from privacy advocates who feel the new safeguards remain inadequate.  Companies that regularly transfer data from the EU to the US should continue to monitor implementation of the Privacy Shield and the legal adequacy of standard contractual clauses and binding corporate resolutions in the future.

Click here to view the original article. 

Click here to learn more about the firm's Privacy & Data group.

Hannah's Trade Show Visits

posted by Hannah Copenheaver

Hannah has been busy this year! It just so happened that she was in the same city twice this year at the same time as our members, who were exhibiting at their respective industry trade shows. This led to the great opportunity for Hannah to see both members, in action, as they showcased their products and meet with potential buyers. 

First, Hannah was able to see Fox Chapel Publishing as they exhibited at the London Book Fair in London, UK in April. This year, the Fair welcomed over 25,000 professional visitors from more than 120 countries. The London Book Fair is the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels. Taking place every Spring, it is a unique opportunity to explore, understand and capitalize on the innovations shaping the publishing world of the future. This year, the Fair marked 44 years of bringing direct access to customers, content and emerging markets. The Fair also continued their "market focus" initiative, with this year's focus on Mexico. The objective of the market focus is to put the spotlight on publishing trade links with the country or region that is showcased, highlighting its publishing industry and the opportunities for conducting business with the rest of the world. 

Fox Chapel Publishing

Second, Hannah had the opportunity to visit the RoomMates' booth at the ABC Kids Expo in October. ABC Kids Expo is a private trade show for the juvenile products industry and is not open to the general public. It is the premier juvenile products specialty show in the world, with nearly 1000 exhibitors utilizing 3300 booths. This trade show is a bit different because All Baby & Child, Inc. (ABC) is a non-profit organization that is also a partnership of juvenile products manufacturers and industry retailers. Their primary objective is to act as a business league that helps organize and produce trade shows and educational conferences for the benefit of juvenile products manufacturers, industry retailers, trade media, distributors and manufacturers' representatives of juvenile products.

RoomMates Peel and Stick Decor

Both members made countless connections to buyers, distributors and retailers, and both were very satisfied with the outcome for their respective company.

Hannah does not have any other surprise trade show visits planned, but don't be alarmed if she ends up at your booth next!

Doing Business In Mexico Roundtable

Posted by Alicia Roberto, Intern

On November 17^th, the World Trade Center Harrisburg hosted a ‘Doing Business in Mexico’ roundtable with the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC.  Attendees were able to share their experiences, as well as gain insight from others during an open discussion regarding the challenges and opportunities of business in Mexico.  WTC members Howard Minnick, Automation Systems Interconnect, Pete O’Neill, Pennsylvania’s Office of International Business Development, and Frank Swit, Gannett Fleming, led the discussion and offered informative information and first-hand experiences. 

     The following topics were covered: 

• Language Barriers
• How To Find a Trusted Partner
• Corruption
• Working Conditions
• Safe Traveling Practices
• Cultural Differences

The Port of Philadelphia also provided an overview of their proposed new service.  United States exporters are demanding a better way to get their cargo to Mexico as overland trucking has proved to be costly and untimely.  For this reason, the Port of Philadelphia is developing a better option with an ocean container service.  Sean Mahoney’s presentation made it apparent that a new export steamship service from the Port of Philadelphia to Port Veracruz, Mexico could be very advantageous for this region.  It offers faster transit times, greater transportation schedule dependability, and a reduced carbon footprint.  The service is also cost efficient and provides greater cargo visibility, integrity, and security.  Thus far the port has taken numerous crucial steps to ensure this projects success.

To learn more about the planned shipping connection to Port Veracruz, contact Sean Mahoney, Director of Marketing or Dominic O’Brien, Senior Marketing Representative, by e-mail at marketing@philaport.com.

If you wish to view the presentation, click here. 

All who participated in the discussion learned something new and developed a clearer understanding of the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Mexico.

World Trade Center Harrisburg sends a special thank you to our sponsor, the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, and to the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC for partnering with us on this program!

A Brightened Thursday Morning!

Posted by Melissa

Walking into the office this morning brought a smile to my face as beautiful flowers were sitting on my desk.  Not only was I smiling because of how pretty the flowers look, but also because these flowers represented that the work we do here at the World Trade Center of Central PA does not go unnoticed.  The flowers were from WTC member MTM Linguasoft for all the clients we have refered to them.  We just want to say "thank you" for the token of appreciation that was sent to our offices!