letter from the president
Dear Friends and Members,
What a great year 2015 was for IFFCBANO! Officers, Directors, and Members all worked diligently to further the mission of IFFCBANO and its members.
Earlier this year both members and officers of IFFCBANO traveled to Washington D.C for the NCBFAA’s Government Affairs Conference. The Louisiana delegation of attendees representing IFFCBANO spent the day on Capitol Hill educating our Senators and Representatives on issues affecting our industry such as Port Congestion, Customs Reauthorization, Dredging, and ACE Implementation. Voicing both our concern and support on pending legislation is vital to making sure our collective voice is heard by our politicians in DC. We look forward to returning to DC in September 2016 and hope more members will join us on Capitol Hill.
The year is just beginning but IFFCBANO is already planning for an eventful 2016. IFFCBANO will host a Regional Economic Summit in late summer / early fall focusing on the “state of trade and transportation in Louisiana”. We are also planning a port tour to give members and others in the transportation industry a glimpse of “what goes on behind the floodwall”.
IFFCBANO’s flagship event, the 38th Annual International Trade Symposium, is being held May 19th through the 22nd at the beautiful Marriott Grand Hotel and Resort in Point Clear, Alabama. Focusing on “The Future of Shipping: Thinking IN and OUT of the Box”, our program committee has been diligently working on putting together a quality program that will appeal to both members and associate members.
We will wrap up the year with the Annual State of the Port address on November 16th featuring Gary LaGrange, President and CEO for the Port of New Orleans. I look forward to seeing you at all of these events. Details can be found at www.iffcbano.org.
In closing, I hope that you will find the 2016 Membership Directory a resourceful tool and I look forward to working with all of you over the next year.
All the best,
Kristi App| President
membership benefits
What makes being an IFFCBANO member valuable?
Your membership, along with the help of our volunteer board and committee members, help to keep the IFFCBANO in the forefront by offering members the following:
Industry Engagement & Participation
• One of fourteen nominating organizations that participate in the selection process for the Port of New Orleans Dock Board Commissioners.
• Active members of the National Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association (NCBFAA). NCBFAA engagement offers members national participation on trade related issues.
• A nominating organization for the selection of the Annual C. Alvin Bertel Award.
• Two members actively serve on the Louisiana Pilotage Fee Commission.
• Bi-monthly meetings are held with local U.S. Customs & Border Protection management fostering a solid working relationship.
Educational & Networking Offerings
• Membership Educational Outreach Seminars
• IFFCBANO hosts the Annual Port of New Orleans’ State of the Port Luncheon in November
• IFFCBANO hosts an Annual International Trade Symposium bringing local & national industry leaders together to network & educate.
• IFFCBANO hosts an Annual Regional Economic Summit.
Other Benefits
• Industry resource providing routine electronic updates regarding issues impacting the trade community on local, regional and national issues.
• COMPLIMENTARY listing in the IFFCBANO annual directory.
• COMPLIMENTARY listing on our website directing customers to you through various search engines iffcbano.org/business-directory
• Monthly board meetings are held to address membership and industry concerns on a local and national level.
• Scholarship Opportunities: Members, their children and grandchildren are eligible for IFFCBANO’s annual scholarship awards. Two awards are presented during the November State of the Port event. (Application deadline – September 30th)
