The Southern Border Conference, held October 25th – 28th, 2017 in Laredo Texas, gathered trade industry members, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officials, and other U.S. and Mexico government representatives from across the Border to discuss current issues affecting the industry and U.S.-Mexico trade. Processing over $200 Billion/year in trade, Laredo is the highest volume land border crossing for trade between the U.S. and Mexico. A very experienced local customs broker community had a great opportunity to share ideas with fellow industry members from around the region as well as with CBP Laredo leadership and top-ranking CBP Officials from Washington DC.
Mr. Gina was invited to serve as a keynote speaker, drawing on his 30+ years of experience as a U.S. Customs official to provide an overview of the evolution of the relationship between the U.S. Customs Service/CBP and the trade industry. He stressed the importance of getting the trade community involved with Customs to address issues that affect their day-to-day business. He noted the valuable insight that the broker community has provided in helping to develop government-industry partnership programs over the years. Through bilateral education, co-creation, and open dialogue, government and industry can work together to create a more secure, efficient supply chain.
