The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America

and region designations with appropriate rep- resentation found new members to shoulder the industry’s increasing business concerns. Membership was open to international air cargo agents in the United States and non-ves- sel operating common carriers. Associate and Affiliate membership designations expanded. Today, the NCBFAA continues to represent its members by maintaining a close watch over legislative and regulatory issues and by keep- ing them informed through its weekly Monday Morning eBriefing, as well as various meetings and conferences throughout the year. Recently, Business View Magazine spoke with three current NCBFAA officers: President, Amy Magnus, the Director of Customs Affairs and Compliance, A.N. Deringer, Inc., Champlain, NY; Vice President, Jan Fields, Corporate Director of Risk Management at John S. James Co.; and Executive Vice President, Megan Montgomery, former Principal Consultant for the Washing- ton, DC-based MWM Consultants, and former Director of Government Affairs at the American Association of Exporters and Importers, to find out more about the Association and the busi- nesses it represents. The following is an edited transcript of that conversation. BVM: Can you explain what a customs broker does? Magnus: “Essentially, we facilitate trade. We do that by making sure that all the documenta- tion, the data, the information that’s required to bring goods into or out of the United States, is properly prepared and transmitted to Cus- toms and the other government agencies who control the requirements for imports and ex- ports. So, a potential importer or exporter will contact a customs broker and ask for help in making sure that they are in compliance with all the rules, laws, and regulations that govern imports and exports, and then the broker will Megan Montgomery Speaking at AC