Newsletter April 2014 - Masterpiece International

The People Behind
A Masterpiece…
James Prudente Jr.
NEWS
Masterpiece Approved to File ACE Entry Summaries
resident Barack Obama’s executive order
for the collaboration of federal agencies to
reduce barriers to commerce regarding
customs has brought the International Trade Data
System (ITDS) a step closer to reality.
Masterpiece is now authorized to file Automated Commercial Entry (ACE) summaries. ACE
is the technology driver that enables ITDS’s “single window” concept.
With ACE, one place exists for the international
trade community to submit import and export
documentation. Federal agencies will see shipping
P
data sooner, allowing for better conditions for
cargo and increased speed in the import/export
process. All this should take place by late 2016.
We are very proud to have implemented ACE
entry summaries nationwide, and have worked
exhaustively with Customs to implement other
ACE related changes. We will continue to ready
ourselves to comply with the final completion
in 2016.
Write to us at [email protected]
if you’d like to hear more about preparation for ACE
and how it will affect your business.
Kerlikowske Now CBP Commissioner
James with his grandaughter, Gabriella Ann
How long have you been at Masterpiece?
Since April 1995, but I have been working with
the principal owners since April 1985.
What does your job entail?
As the company has expanded, I find myself focusing on the many laws and regulations that may
affect Masterpiece. Because of these laws, I
spend a lot more of my time providing legal guidance in addition to overseeing our vast financial,
human resource, and information technology departments.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Because of my position, I find it very rewarding to
be able to communicate with everyone in the
company. It’s also gratifying being involved in
nearly every aspect of the business. That the
owners trust me with such access is my most rewarding accomplishment.
Are there any challenges you embrace?
That’s easy: the ability to keep on top of the many
changes that we face in both government regulations and information technology. I see our business getting much more complex each and every
year and the need for automation keeps growing
to handle these complex changes. However, as we
meet these challenges we cannot forget the
“human factor” of our business: Taking a client to
a ballgame or calling to say hello must never be
left out of our workday.
What do you do away from work?
Spending time with my family is the most important thing to me—especially now that I am a
grandfather. When you have a four-hour commute
each day it leaves little time to do family things.
So every minute spent with my family is a treasure. I also enjoy my car collection: I have a growing collection of GTOs and Trans Ams ranging
from 1969 to 2005. I also enjoy working around
the house. That includes taking on larger projects,
like remodeling my kitchen and bathrooms. I am
rarely sitting in front of the TV.
or the first time in five years, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a Senateapproved commissioner.
R. Gil Kerlikowske, who was confirmed by
the Senate last month, comes to CBP with 37
years of law enforcement and drug policy experience. He had been director of the national
drug control policy since 2009. Previously, he
was Seattle’s chief of police and the police
commissioner of Buffalo, NY.
Kerlikowske’s background qualifies him to
handle the concerns dominating headlines and
talk shows: terrorist threats, illegal immigrants, and cross-border crimes such as drug
smuggling. But at a January Senate Finance
Committee hearing Kerlikowske displayed an
understanding of customs’ diversity.
“Commerce depends on a consistent, stable
predictable environment for business, and law
enforcement plays a critical role in creating and
protecting those conditions,” Kerlikowske told
the committee.
Kerlikowske explained how he would improve CBP’s trade and business processes. A
F
trade report from Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg,
P.A. offered the following highlights, which are
quoted below:
• Continue to prioritize completion
of the Automated Commercial Environment
(ACE) and the International Trade Data
System (IDTS).
• Modernize CBP’s export process to
streamline exports and foster growth for U.S.
companies.
• Focus CBP’s enforcement resources to
protect U.S. producers from unfair competition,
ensure that innovative national technologies
and brand names are protected from threats,
and protect domestic consumers from unsafe,
substandard products.
• Eliminate paperwork, expand enrollment
in trusted traveler programs, and deploy
technology to minimize wait times at ports
of entry.
• Address morale challenges identified within
CBP by providing sustained leadership attention to the training, development, and effective
management of agency employees.
Further Restrictions on African Ivory Trade
f on your worldwide travels you get the
opportunity to purchase an antique piano
made from the finest ivory as a memorable,
albeit costly, souvenir, the only thing you’ll
acquire is a hefty penalty.
As the result of an executive order issued by
President Barack Obama, the federal government now prohibits the commercial trade of
African elephant ivory. Shipments for other reasons—law enforcement and scientific purposes, for example—are acceptable, but rare.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced this national Strategy for Combating
Wildlife Trafficking, enforced by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, in February to combat organized wildlife trafficking.
President Obama said wildlife trafficking
generates “billions of dollars in illicit revenues
each year” and is believed to be the fourthlargest international crime in the world.
Poachers, working with criminal syndicates,
I
may have killed as many as 35,000 elephants
in 2012.
The strategy specifically calls for a ban on
commercial trade of African elephant ivory, but
we can’t overlook the changes on many other
species listed under the Endangered Species
Act (ESA).
At Masterpiece, we have extensive experience in this area and have spent a great deal of
time researching the changes to USFWS regulations pertaining to CITES and other ESAlisted Wildlife. CITES, (Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species)
which regulates the trading of close to 35,000
species of plants and animals, is a tremendous
tool for biodiversity conservation.
We’re still trying to determine the full interpretation of the ban and its effects on various
industries. If you have any questions, please
write to Masterpiece’s Andrew Pearlstein at
[email protected].
Shipping into Japan Still Hassle-free with Multimodal International
asterpiece has addressed changing
regulations on the international front to
ensure your continued smooth sailing.
In March, Japan Customs began requiring the
transmittal of informational data elements for all
inbound ocean shipments as a counterterrorism
measure and to increase security in the global
supply chain.
The result: Maritime container cargos to be
M
loaded on a foreign trading vessel intended for
entry into a Japanese port must be filed 24
hours before departure from a port of loading.
Shipping companies and consignors such as a
NVOCC, both of which know the cargo information based on the master and house bill of lad-
ing level at the time of departure, are required
to file cargo information.
Our NVOCC Division, Multimodal International,
has updated our systems and methods to ensure
our clients are compliant with these changes.
Want to learn more about Multimodal International’s extremely competitive export rates to
Japan and other international locations? Write to
[email protected].
NEWS A
CORNER
COMPLIA NC E
EPA Action Highlights Need for
Masterpiece Services
Chinese power sports company and its U.S.
distributor must pay the Environmental Protection Agency a combined civic penalty of
$725,000 for their roles in the illegal import of more
than 12,000 recreational and highway motorcycles.
The vehicles were imported from China without
the required certification indicating that their
emissions would meet federal standards. The EPA
found that 993 vehicles had fuel tanks that did not
operate properly to control evaporative emissions;
approximately 1,400 were imported without
proper emission control information labels.
Don’t let this happen to you. At Masterpiece,
we can handle every aspect of a vehicle shipment—from a pre-shipment consultation to all
the relevant paperwork.
Send your questions and concerns to
[email protected].
Where We’re Going...Where We’ve Been
Masterpiece is pleased
to announce that
Andres Santa Maria
has joined our Miami
office. Andres has 14
years of experience in
the shipping and logistics industry, including lengthy stints
at Maersk Line and
most recently at APL Logistics, where he was
regional operations manager for Latin America.
(He has worked extensively outside the United
States, particularly Guatemala.) “I think Miami
is the golden bridge between the USA and Latin
America,” he says. “Business opportunities are
limitless, so one of my main goals is that Masterpiece becomes a key player in the USA-Latin
American market.” Andres can be reached at
[email protected].
Terry Liner, Lic
CHB, Transportation
Sales & Services (Diamondhead, MS),
was a featured
speaker at the Logistics, Trade, and
Transportation’s
2014 Symposium.
The event, held at
University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf
Park Campus in late
February, dealt with
“Southeastern Opportunities and Challenges.” Terry’s well-received presentation
covered duty exemptions, deferrals, and
reductions.
Send your questions regarding transportation needs in the southeastern United States to
Terry at [email protected].
Yes, sometimes,
at Masterpiece we
manage to have a
little fun.
Here's Denise
Rodriguez from
our Multimodal
department at the
New York New
Jersey Freight
Forwarders Customs Brokers annual dinner. Pictured with Denise is Cosco
Lines sales rep Terrance Brisbon.
Want to meet up? Masterpiece will have
representatives at the following events.
To set up an appointment or to learn more
about our trade show services, contact
Mary S. Ptak at 847-378-1002 or
[email protected].
April 29 - May 2
Coverings 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada
FDA Looking at Comments on
Importer’s Entry Notice
he Food and Drug Administration has received
comments on the proposed extension of the
Importer’s Entry Notice, which gathers data for
FDA-regulated products being imported into the
United States. FDA is using it to review and prevent
imported products entering the U.S. that fail to meet
the same requirements the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act sets for domestic products. Send questions to: [email protected].
T
May 27-29
Beauty World Middle East in Dubai
June 30 – July 4
IELA Partnering Event in Amsterdam
Masterpiece’s Rhode Island office, which
specializes in the handling of yachts and
marine products, has moved. Please
direct correspondence to:
On a related (and happy) note, the success of our
Marine Division means we have expanded that
operation into West Palm Beach, Florida. Here’s the
contact information:
1 Mill Street, 3rd Floor
Newport, RI 02840
Phone: 401-851-7916
Fax: 401-851-7962
Contact: Anthony Motta
[email protected]
Three CEEs to Open for All Importers
S
ized and automated environment involving
all CEEs—and a golden opportunity.
Right now, participating in the CEE program is voluntary, with CBP giving priority to
applicants involved in either the Importer SelfAssessment or the Customs-Trade Partnership
Against Terrorism.
CEEs feature CBP personnel that specialize
in processing all validation activities, protests, post-entry
W H A T A R E T H E 10 C E E S A N D amendments, and post-entry correction reviews for specific inWHERE ARE THEY LOC ATED?
dustries.
• The Electronics Center, Los Angeles
Specialized shipments that
don’t
get sent to CEEs are ex• The Pharmaceuticals, Health & Chemicals Center, New York City
posed
to the fragmentation of
• The Automotive & Aerospace Center, Detroit
knowledge, experience, and
• The Petroleum, Natural Gas & Minerals Center, Houston
port practices that can vary
• The Base Metals Center, Chicago
greatly when dealing with
• The Industrial & Manufacturing Materials Center, Buffalo
Customs in the local port of
arrival as opposed to one
• The Machinery Center, Laredo, Texas
specialized location. That can
• The Agriculture & Prepared Products Center, Miami
lead to bad feelings between
• The Apparel, Footwear & Textiles Center, San Francisco
CBP and importers.
• The Consumer Products & Mass Merchandising Center, Atlanta
CEEs will process entry filings
and serve as a place where im-
hortly before his stint as interim CBP
Commissioner ended in March, Thomas
Winkowski announced that three Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEE)—electronics in New York, pharmaceuticals in Los
Angeles, and petroleum in Houston—would
process all transactions in their fields.
Consider this a test-run for a more central-
If Masterpiece's Philadelphia
employees, especially
Import Coordinator Joan McLaughlin,
are a little distracted over the next few
weeks, it's for a good reason. Joan's
daughter, Audra (pictured), has made
the live round of NBC's hit singing
competition, The Voice! The rounds
(and voting) start April 21, so please
vote for Audra. We certainly are.
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1
Masterpiece International, LTD
39 Broadway, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10006
2401 PGA Blvd. Suite 280D
Palm Beach Gardens FL 33410
Phone: 561-345-3955
Fax: 561-345-3924
Contact: Linda Jordan
[email protected]
W H AT
ARE THE
RESPONSIBILITIES OF
CEE S ?
• Processing entry summaries
• Summary rejections and cancellations
• Census rejects
• Issuance of Request for Information and
Notice of Action
• Anti-dumping/countervailing duty entries
• Post-summary adjustments
• Internal advice request
• Protests and petitions
• Drawback
• Prior disclosures (optional)
porters can consult a CBP employee with
product-based knowledge. We anticipate a
mutual education and a strengthened
relationship between importers and Customs.
The eventual goal for CEEs is mandatory
participation, so it may be beneficial to know
the facts. We can be of service. Please
address your queries to compliance@
masterpieceintl.com.
CONTACT:
Lou Amoriello
T: 215.365.4080 | F: 215.365.8340
C: 856.979.3887 | [email protected]
www.masterpieceintl.com
Published quarterly by Masterpiece International, LTD.
For more information, visit us online at www.masterpieceintl.com.