The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America

years, we have seen an enormous amount of change. Just keeping up with the requirements would be impossible on one’s own. Within the Association, we have committees, and the ac- tive members who serve on these committees are experts in their specific areas, and we all get to benefit from that expertise. Our Associa- tion is packed with experts in almost any area of trade you can name. So, when we provide a service to a client, we really know what we’re talking about.” Fields: “Also, within the NCBFAA, we have an educational arm, the NEI. It provides educa- tional opportunities, not only for our members, but for all exporters and importers. We gear that towards keeping everyone in compliance. We have two conferences a year – an annual conference and a government affairs confer- ence in DC, where we meet with our Senators and Representatives and any of the commit- tees that we need to meet with. If there is an issue that comes up, we’ll send a representa- tive to DC. We also have webinars; we have several opportunities to become certified as an export specialist or customs specialist; we have entry level programs that can train mem- bers that are new in the industry; we also have master level programs for people who want to get higher certifications other than a customs broker’s license.” Montgomery: “Our former President, Geoff Powell said, ‘An educated client is a good cli- ent,’ and we really desire that our clients un- derstand the complexities of the regulations and legislation that governs them and how to best engage in international trade. So, the Edu- cation Institute works hard to keep everybody apprised of what’s going on, what’s coming down the pike, what’s just happened. “We have a communications department. They put out a weekly eBriefing. Sometimes it’s several pages long; sometimes it’s more of a bulletin. We feel strongly that for brokers and forwarders, it’s the best weekly bulletin you’re going to get. We monitor the federal register; we monitor other news outlets, other commu- nications from different agencies; it’s a one- stop-shop for what changes are coming at the industry, each week. “We have an events department that put on events – an annual conference with about 600 members and friends. We gather for three days of education, side bars, and lots of participa- tion from our government partners. Regulators come to speak and listen to our panels to hear what’s going on within the private sector, and we’ve got press covering the event. We do that every spring. In the fall we have a much small- er, government affairs conference to talk about the issues facing our industry.” Magnus: “We go on the Hill and lobby for our causes. We’re also on a first-name basis with customs officials and other government agency officials. We meet with them frequently, we share concerns; we’re considered the go-to group for these officials. That’s another advan- tage that we have; we can reach out to high level government officials to discuss trade is- sues as they’re emerging.” BVM: Can you discuss some of those recent is- sues and how the Association dealt with them, for example, the new round of tariffs that have been imposed on imports? Magnus: “The first round of duties that the