Author: World Trade Center Harrisburg

By WTC Guest Blogger Jessica Toutsis, RoomMates Décor

Last month thousands of vendors and buyers attended the New York Toy Fair to explore thousands of toys, games and youth entertainment products within a record-breaking 415,000 net square feet of exhibit space.


Not familiar with the New York Toy Fair? Produced by the Toy Industry Association™, Inc. (TIA), Toy Fair strives to work with businesses involved in creating and producing toys of all kinds to kids both young and old. A central meeting location for those all over the world, Toy Fair sheds insight on key trends in the industry and innovative consumer products that will hit the market in the year ahead.


For one business, RoomMates Decor, Toy Fair is a great opportunity to generate partnerships with international distributors of various countries to sell peel & stick wall decals where distribution in that country does not yet exist. Also a successful sounding board for countries’ retailers to be put in touch with distributors and establish facetime to discuss strategy and supply, Toy Fair benefits each type of attendee – vendor, retailer and distributor in one common space. 


With so many toys all in one place, it’s guaranteed to be an exciting trade show! If you weren’t able to attend this year, this is one trade show you don’t want to miss! Registration for Toy Fair 2017, taking place February 18 – 21, opens this fall. For more information, visit www.toyfairny.com.

Adam Say, International Sales Director and WTC Board Member, at the Toy Fair

 Jessica Toutsis is the Digital Marketing Manager for RoomMates Décor, headquartered in York, PA, and writes on trade show experiences for the World Trade Center blog. 

by: Hannah Copenheaver


This year for MANTEC’s Business Growth Conference, Tina ran a breakout session called “The Numbers of Trade: Why Exporting Adds Up”. In case you missed it, here is the run down of what happened during the session and why, in fact, exporting does “add up”.

THE “NUMBERS OF TRADE” GAME

First, we wanted to get the room interacting. Often times, conference sessions can be a “death by PowerPoint” scenario… anyone who has ever presented is guilty of that, me included. When our attendees walked in, the first thing that they saw at their seats was a normal looking brown paper bag with a little notecard stapled on it that resembled a commercial invoice. Most were curious to know what was in the bag. Before we dove in to find out, we went around the room and had each attendee introduce themselves. This was a devised plan for the game because in order for the game to work, one must first get to know the other people in the room, just like you would get to know your potential customers before conducting business. 


Next, we found out what was in the bag! We opened the bag, inspected what was inside, and then assigned a personal dollar value to each item. We noted the values of each item on the commercial invoice notecard and added them up at the bottom of the bag. 


Here was my random assortment of goodies and what I personally valued each item:

• Travel-sized men’s deodorant: $0 (no value, as I am female)
• Black licorice: $0 (yuck)
• Two pieces of candy: $0.50
• Peach teabag: $1 (I like this better than Green tea)
• Green teabag: $0.50
• Deck of cards: $0.50 (I have some at home already)
• Small box of Craisins: $0.50
• Andes mint chocolate bite: $0.25
• A snack sized bag of Nutter Butters: $1 
• Total = $4.25

• Travel-sized women’s deodorant: $1.50 (yes!)
• Travel-sized pack of tissues: $1
• Hazelnut coffee K-Cup: $2 (Someone who received this in their bag did not have a Keurig coffee maker)
• Two women’s razors: $2
• Applesauce cup: $2
• Four pieces of assorted candy: $1
• Two Andes mint chocolate bites: $0.50 (I kept one and traded for a second one)
• Peach teabag: $1 (I kept this one)
• New Total = $11.00

As you can see, I was able to get things that I didn’t have before by making a trade with other people. My value total also increased. We found that everyone in the room increased in their personal value totals by over 20%.  The majority of our participants increased their value between 50 – 75%, a few were over 100%,  and three “super traders” managed to increase the value of their bag by over 200% – like me. This is why trade matters! 

• 10% more value per worker
• 8.5% lower rate of failure than non-exporters
• 8% greater sales
• 6% higher wages
• 4% more capital
• Higher annual growth rates

The opportunities are also there for companies:

• 98% of exporters are small-medium sized enterprises
• 95% of consumers are outside the United States
• 70% of the purchasing power is outside the United States
• 58% of exporters export just to one country
• And there are 17 Free Trade Agreements to date

Right here in southcentral Pennsylvania, so many of our companies are exporting very successfully. In fact, in 2013 we were able to get amazing county-level data from Brookings Institute that showcased exactly how much the eight counties of our region exported in 2012 (click here to read our previous blog post):

By WTC Guest Blogger Jessica Toutsis, RoomMates Décor

“It was a great
show to see the trends because all of the big toy manufacturers are there. We
were also able to connect with new retailers and put them in touch with
distributors around the world,” said Say.

A good booth display is key for attracting attendee’s attention, especially at a show like Nuremberg where interactivity and creativity are highlighted throughout the show floor. It’s tricky selecting which characters and products to feature in the booth when there are so many strong contenders. The characters that received the most attention? For RoomMates, the new Batman wall decals, Superman wall decals and Shopkins wall decals were very popular at the show, while Star Wars wall decals and Frozen wall decals continued to show strength in customer demand.

Posted by Emily Johnson, Intern


Last Thursday, we hosted our second annual State of the Ports Address. We had Dominic O’Brien from the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority and Marie Byers from the Harrisburg International Airport speak at the event.

The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) is located
in the fifth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Something that you
might not know is that the Philadelphia port is a global leader in food imports,
which is due to their vast temperature controlled storage capacity.
Additionally, the port has less congestion compared to other east coast ports,
with a quick ship and truck turn times with multiple rail connections in the
area. There are over 250 distribution centers that lie within the PRPA’s
immediate hinterland. This
year marks PRPA’s 6^th year of consecutive growth! 

The Philadelphia Port has exciting new updates to their
port. They have been working on a channeling deepening project to allow for
bigger ships to enter,
which is influenced by the Panama Canal expansion. This is 80% complete
and expected to be completed by 2017. They are doing upgrades on their Tioga
Marine Terminal, Southport Marine Terminal Complex, and multiple other piers that
they own. This will accommodate for bringing in more cargo to the port, which
creates more jobs and more trade in the region. They also recently created a
partnership with Sealand, which created a direct shipping line to Mexico. This new shipping line takes
only six days for cargo to travel from Philadelphia to Veracruz. 

 


The Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) serves the central
Pennsylvania region with residents who purchase nearly $1 million departing
airline tickets annually. Something that you might not know is that the
airport is actually a self-sustaining entity that does not rely on any state or
federal subsidies to operate. Given this, HIA continues to provide growth to the central PA region,
creating nearly $1 billion in economic activity. 

For
passenger flights, Air Canada, Allegiant, American, Delta and United currently offers
nonstop service to 11 destinations with connections worldwide. In 2015, an
average of 3,290 passengers used the airport each day to fly domestically and
250 people used the airport each day fly internationally. The top five
international destinations for 2015 included Toronto, Cancun, San Juan, London,
and Shanghai. New this year, the airport is offering direct flights to Punta
Gorda, Florida, and an all-inclusive vacation package to the Bahamas.

HIA ranks 76^th in the nation for cargo shipments,
which is higher than airports such as San Jose, Oklahoma City, and Norfolk. At
HIA, there is a FedEx hub for cargo coming from Williamsport and Scranton. UPS also
recently built a “Hub in a Box” at HIA that created approximately 100 jobs and
an expected $168,000 in new revenue each year. December 2015 was a record month for the airport with
5,722 tons of cargo flown to and from the region.

Although there have been some new challenges in the airport
industry from mergers, low fuel prices, and less flights, the Harrisburg
International Airport continues to make expansion and customer service their top
priorities to deliver an altogether better flying experience. Looking to the
future, Shaner Hotel Holdings will be developing a new hotel at the airport
that will have 120 rooms, meeting spaces, a restaurant, and bar. This is to be
open by 2017.  

Overall, the State of the Ports Address showed us how important
logistics is to boosting trade in our region. It informed attendees of new
growth that will help the local economy grow. For more details, please click
here to download the Philadelphia
Regional Port Authority presentation and click here to download the Harrisburg
International Airport presentation.

For additional pictures from the event, click here to visit our Facebook album. 

By WTC Guest Blogger Jessica Toutsis, RoomMates Décor

The year is off to a busy start with many members exhibiting their products at popular industry trade shows. During mid-January, international manufacturers, retailers, and designers throughout the world came together at Heimtex, the biggest international trade show for the home and contract textiles in the world! Known for setting the benchmark for the entire year, Heimtex reveals leading trends and innovative designs for the home and textile industry. Buyers and distributors from around the world gather to see the newest concepts in the industry.


Among those at the show, RoomMates Decor, North America’s largest manufacturer of wall decals and peel & stick wall decor, debuted the launch of their newest product line known as StickTILES, a revolutionary Peel and Stick decorative tile. Offering customers a faster, easier and more affordable way to create backsplashes and decorate kitchens, bathrooms and other rooms, this was one product that’s sure to get excited about! 


Other products at the RoomMates booth included peel and stick wall decor and new wall art designs displayed in a creative “Under the Sea” themed display. 

Heimtex is exciting as it allows RoomMates Décor and other businesses to connect with distributors in their sector and form relationships. 


“Heimtex is one of the most important shows that we do each year because many of our international buyers are making annual purchasing decisions while attending the show.  This year’s show was certainly one of the busiest that we have had, which gives us a great indication about the year ahead!” reaffirmed Adam Say, Director of International Sales at RoomMates.


It’s a great way to start off the year! 


Jessica Toutsis is the Digital Marketing Manager for RoomMates Décor, headquartered in York, PA, and writes on trade show experiences for the World Trade Center blog.

by WTC Guest Bloggers Louis Dejoie and Thomas Markey, McNees, Wallace & Nurick LLC

On October 6, 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) invalidated a Safe Harbor provision that allowed companies to transfer personal data from within the EU to the US, finding that the Safe Harbor failed to adequately protect EU citizens’ privacy.  The CJEU’s ruling left many companies, which relied on the Safe Harbor to conduct business, in legal limbo.  On February 2, 2016, in a step toward legal clarity for businesses and consumers, the EU and US agreed in principle to implement a new Privacy Shield.


The new Privacy Shield addresses several shortcomings that led to the Safe Harbor’s invalidation.  First, according to the European Commission’s press release, before importing personal data from the EU, US companies must commit to “robust obligations on how personal data is processed and individual rights are guaranteed.”  Second, “the United States has given the EU binding assurances that the access of public authorities for national security purposes will be subject to clear limitations, safeguards and oversight mechanisms.”  Third, EU citizens will have redress procedures they can follow if they suspect their data has been misused.


Details regarding the Privacy Shield, however, remain sparse.  The European Commission’s next step is to prepare an “adequacy decision,” and regulatory changes must occur in the US.  Additionally, the Article 29 Working Party—a group of EU data regulators—will evaluate the Privacy Shield and has insisted on receiving all related documents by the end of February.  As these events transpire, companies remain in a state of limbo in which they can rely on neither the invalid Safe Harbor nor the yet-to-be-implemented Privacy Shield.


After the Safe Harbor’s invalidation, the primary methods for legalizing transatlantic data transfers became data protection clauses in contracts between data-sharing companies and binding, regulator-approved corporate rules for transfers between subsidiaries and/or parent companies.  The Working Party indicated in a statement that regulators will continue to treat standard contractual clauses and binding corporate rules as legal data-transfer methods until the Working Party has time to fully analyze the Privacy Shield.  The Working Party expects to complete its analysis in mid-April.  The Working Party will also assess the continued legality of standard contractual clauses and binding corporate rules.  Any companies relying on the Safe Harbor, however, may now be subject to enforcement actions, which regulators informally suspended until January 31, 2016.
In summary, announcement of the Privacy Shield has not resolved the legal uncertainty regarding EU-US data transfers.  The Privacy Shield must be implemented on both sides of the Atlantic, and may face court challenges from privacy advocates who feel the new safeguards remain inadequate.  Companies that regularly transfer data from the EU to the US should continue to monitor implementation of the Privacy Shield and the legal adequacy of standard contractual clauses and binding corporate resolutions in the future.


Click here to view the original article. 

Click here to learn more about the firm’s Privacy & Data group.

Posted by Hannah Copenheaver



This year, we celebrated our 19th Holiday Luncheon and Reception at the Out Door Country Club in York, PA. Every year, we choose a different global location to learn more about how their culture celebrates holidays and exchanges gifts during these times. 

This year, we decided to choose Albania. Why? Because do you know where Albania is? Not many people do! Special thank you to Iris Kapo, Int’l Trade Specialist at the U.S. Commercial Service in Philadelphia for giving such a delightful, and energetic, presentation!

We collected donations for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank during the program. Together, we donated 100 pounds of food! Thank you to all who donated to this wonderful cause, especially with the holidays upon us. 

Special thank you to our sponsors of this year’s luncheon: York County Economic Alliance (Presenting Sponsor), Fulton Bank, BB&T, MANTEC, Oakworks, UPS, Zeigler Brothers, Inc.


Happy Holidays from Tina, Jan, and Hannah!

Posted by Paige Diller, Intern

At our recent World Trade Center round-table event, we had
the opportunity to meet with Michelle Stover, Port Director, and Scott Merlo, Officer, from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Port of Harrisburg office.  

In our discussion following the presentation, attending
business representatives had the chance to ask questions to the CBP officials. One
topic that was explored in depth was the Central Pennsylvania Foreign-Trade
Zone (FTZ #147). Foreign-Trade Zones are designated properties where U.S. based
companies have the opportunity to defer, reduce, or sometimes eliminate Customs
duties that are admitted and transported through the FTZ. The sites are
intentionally located to offer convenience to businesses; typically there is
easy access to on-site inter-modal transportation connections (including air,
road, and rail). The Foreign-Trade Zones essentially facilitate international
trade for the region’s businesses, offering a competitive advantage ahead
of other companies abroad. To learn more about the benefits of the Central Pennsylvania Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ #147) and its effect on export duties, please visit their webpage. 

The World Trade Center hosted event “Strategies for Dealing with
a Strong U.S. Dollar” facilitated interactions between local companies who all
face this challenge. The discussion was led by Matt Blyth of Fulton International
Group, Kirk Elken of Securitas Global Risk Solutions, and Timothy Deitrich of Barley Snyder. Together they were able to provide insight from
different positions with expertise in foreign exchange strategies, credit
insurance options, and legal considerations, respectively.

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Posted by Hannah Copenheaver

Hannah at the Fancy Food Show

The World Trade Center Harrisburg partnered for the 4th year with Pennsylvania’s Office of International Business Development (World Trade PA) in organizing the Pennsylvania Pavilion at the 61st annual Summer Fancy Food Show. The show was held at the Javits Convention Center in New York City from June 28-30, 2015. The Fancy Food Show is North America’s largest show for the specialty food and beverage industry and attracts a large number of foreign buyers. 


This Year’s Show Recap:

• Over 180,000 products including confections, cheese, snacks, spices, ethnic, natural and organic products.
• More than 2,600 exhibitors from 51 countries
• Over 25,000 foreign buyers, including organized food buying delegations from all over the globe

The Pennsylvania Pavilion included 12 companies, with three from our southcentral region. Companies were able to arrange pre-scheduled appointments with foreign buyers, which took place the day before the show opened. 

Nuts About Granola- York, PA

Participating Companies in the PA Pavilion included:

Overall, Pennsylvania’s specialty food industry was well represented with 50 different food exhibitors exhibiting throughout the show floors. Ajiri Tea, from Upper Black Eddy, PA, was honored as a Sofi Award finalist!

Giorgio Foods- Temple, PA

Torchbearer Sauces- Mechanicsburg, PA