North Carolina

 World Trade Association

Carolina West Chapter

Join Us for This Special February Meeting

 Tuesday, February 5, 2008

East Campus, Catawba Valley Community College  Hickory, NC

Room 975 – East Campus

“Now is the Time to Sell Internationally”

Learn All about the High Point Market International Buyer Program!

Click here for directions:

http://www.legsource.com/HTC/directions_to_the_hkyhtc.htm

Click here for Campus Map & Room Location:

http://www.legsource.com/HTC/direction.pdf

MEETING DATE: Tuesday, February 5 2008  

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, January 30, 2008

(Click on REGISTRATION for details.) 

SCHEDULE & PROGRAM:

11:30 AM to 12:00 PM - Networking
12:00 PM - Lunch

12:30 PM - US Commercial Service International Buyer Program

“Bringing Buyers & Sellers Together”
          ( click on Commercial Service International Buyer Program for more detail.)
          Speaker: Juanita Harthun 

12:45 PM - North Carolina Dept of Commerce Furniture Export Office
          “Helping NC Companies make the International Connections“
           Speaker: Tom Crump

1:00 PM - High Point Market Authority
          “Bringing International Buyers to your Door”
          Speaker: Brian Casey   

1:30 PM - Q & A Session

2:00 PM - Adjournment

SPEAKERS & BIOS:

Juanita Harthun, Senior International Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service. 

She has worked for over 8 years at the Charlotte U.S. Export Assistance Center in Charlotte, NC where she assists North Carolina companies with all export-related issues from documentation to understanding foreign industry-specific regulations to finding overseas business partners, such as distributors or agents.  Juanita works with a network of trade specialists throughout the world, as well as with partners in North Carolina in order to provide export assistance to North Carolina companies.

Juanita has a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington, Seattle and an MBA from Wake Forest University.  She has had the good fortune to travel to various countries including France, Romania, the U.K. and Singapore.  Her keen interest in international economics, business, travel and culture is what drives her in her career as an International Trade Specialist.

She and her husband Daniel are parents of two sons: Eli, 5, and Isaac,  who is almost two.  When Juanita finds free time, she enjoys reading, baking pastries, and playing with her sons, as well as eating the aforementioned pastries. 

Tom Crump, Director of Furniture Export Office and Director of North Carolina Foreign Trade Offices for NC Department of Commerce. Tom also serves as ETAC Representative for the Appalachian Regional Commission.

He is a former Senior Vice President of Operations Industries for Broyhill Furniture in Lenoir and former Chairman of the American Furniture Manufacturers’ Association Transportation and Distribution Division.  

 

Brian Casey, CEO & President High Point Market Authority

Brian has been in the Trade Show and Meetings business for over 27 years and is the President and CEO of the High Point Market Authority. 

He was previously the owner of a Chicago-based convention and trade show services firm, Next Generation Event Group, Inc.  Next Generation Event Group was a strategic sales, marketing and planning services firm dedicated to excellence in the delivery of customized revenue growth solutions, event operations and new launches for association and corporate events. 

Before forming his own company, Brian served as Executive Vice President for Smith Bucklin & Associates, Inc.  His responsibilities included the management of an 80 person department providing professional services for 1400 association client meetings annually and 47 trade shows.  Much of the work he produced from this division included new show launches, show growth strategies, sponsorship development, trade show sales, conference management and strategic planning. Some of the largest shows managed by his division attracted nearly 40,000 people and comprised over 300,000 net square feet of exhibit space.  The industry sectors these events represented were technology, healthcare, manufacturing and financial services.

Prior to joining Smith Bucklin, Brian served as Managing Director of Trade Shows for the International Housewares Association for 12 years.    The International Housewares Exposition at that time was the sixth largest trade show in the country with nearly 1900 exhibitors occupying approximately 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space attracting 60,000 people from all over the world.  His primary responsibilities included sales, marketing and overall trade show and meeting operations for the development and management of this event.

Brian serves on the board of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, as well as the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE). He is a past Chairman of the Major American Trade Show Organizers (MATSO), past Chairman of IAEE Midwest Chapter as well as Economic Development and High Point Chamber of Commerce.  He is a graduate of DePaul University with a B.A. in Commerce.

A PROGRAM NOT TO BE MISSED 

You will not want to miss a minute of this exciting program and the trio of knowledgeable presenters. It can make a world of difference in your business in 2008 and beyond.

Mark your calendars and sign up for this event. Feel free to invite your associates as well.

See you February 5 in Hickory!