January 5, 2011

FTZ Board Update

PLEASE SHARE THIS UPDATE WITH YOUR FTZ OPERATORS, USERS AND OTHERS WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN THE FTZ PROGRAM.

As mentioned in a prior update, the FTZ Board is planning educational events pertaining to the proposed revised FTZ regulations at eight regional centers across the country plus Washington, DC. At each location, two separate sessions will be held:

General Forums – Designed for FTZ operators, users, and anyone else interested in the FTZ program. The General Forums will begin with a presentation on the proposed regulations and allow ample opportunity for attendees to ask questions. RSVPs are required for the General Forums in certain locations – see current details below.

Grantee Forums/Training – Limited to officials of grantee organizations, as well as officials of any other public agencies that work with grantees. Will begin with the same presentation given in the General Forums on the proposed regulations. Will also allow time for training not specifically related to the proposed regulations regarding the grantees’ roles and responsibilities. RSVPs (see full details below) are required for all of the Grantee Forums.

For each location outside Washington, the General Forum will be scheduled for 9:00 a.m. until noon on the date in question, with the Grantee Forum scheduled for 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. that same day.

Confirmed dates and cities are as follows (with addresses and other details at bottom):

January 24 – Denver (RSVP required for General Forum as well as Grantee Forum – see below)
January 26 – Seattle
January 28 – San Francisco (RSVP required for General Forum as well as Grantee Forum – see below)
February 7 (1:00 p.m.) – General Forum in Washington, DC
February 9 (9:00 a.m.) – Grantee Forum in Washington DC
February 23 – Detroit

Tentative dates and cites are as follows:

February 16 (tentative) – New York City
February 28 (tentative) – Houston
March 2 (tentative) – Atlanta
March 4 (tentative) – Miami

RSVPs for Grantee Forums: For each grantee forum, all potential attendees (officials of grantee organizations or other public agencies) must RSVP to ftz@trade.gov no later than one week prior to the event. Each RSVP should include the individual’s name and title plus identify the grantee organization/public agency of which they are an official.

Current details on addresses are as follows:

Denver:
U.S. Export Assistance Center
1625 Broadway
Denver, CO 80202
RSVPs will be required by January 17 for the General Forum (as well as the Grantee Forum). RSVP to ftz@trade.gov.

Seattle:
Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce
Swedish Conference Room
1301 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2500
Seattle, WA 98101

San Francisco: U.S. Commercial Service
50 Fremont Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94105
RSVPs will be required by January 21 for the General Forum (as well as the Grantee Forum). Attendees also must bring a photo ID. RSVP to ftz@trade.gov.

Washington:
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20230

Detroit:
TechTown
440 Burroughs Street
Detroit, MI 48202

We will send additional details as they become available and update the information on our website at: https://enforcement.trade.gov/ftzpage/letters/freeforums.html

If you have questions, please e-mail ftz@trade.gov or call (202) 482-2862.

Andrew McGilvray
Executive Secretary and Staff Director
U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board
(202) 482-2862
www.trade.gov/ftz