Letter from the President + Membership Benefits

Dear Members and Colleagues,

As I sit here rereading my letter to you from our last Directory issue, I cannot help but shake my head in disbelief! I spoke of the promise of a new decade, excitement for the upcoming Symposium, and general hope and optimism for a fresh new year in 2020. I think we can all agree that didn’t quite pan out the way we had hoped!

I realize that not many of us have any desire to look back on 2020 at all, but even the darkest clouds have silver linings, right? From the announcement of a new container terminal by the Port of New Orleans to the good news about THE Alliance adding capacity to the continually growing Asia – US Gulf Trade, the last year has offered some small tokens of good news.

We are also looking ahead to positive things to come. We have postponed our International Trade Symposium once again in order to hopefully ensure that we can provide a safe and healthy environment when we return to the Grand in Point Clear, Alabama September 8-11, 2021. On behalf of our Board of Directors, I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for your continued support and patience throughout these unprecedented times.

The resilience across our industry has been incredible to watch. Let’s keep our heads up and keep looking forward together!

Janet Colley-Morse | 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 • IFFCBANO hosts the Annual Port of New Orleans State of the Port Luncheon in the fall.

• IFFCBANO hosts an Annual International Trade Symposium bringing local & national industry leaders together to network & educate.

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 State of the Port event. (Application deadline - September 30th)