On July 16th, CT Strategies hosted a Supply Chain Seminar in Laredo, TX attended by members of the trade community from the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo region. The focus of the event was the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) and the program’s new Minimum Security Criteria (MSC) set to go into effect in January 2020. This is a public-private partnership program aimed at facilitating trade while increasing border security through cooperation between U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and voluntarily participating stakeholders of the U.S.-bound international supply chain. As Laredo is the largest U.S. port by volume, enabling the swift and secure movement of goods across the border there is critical.
Speakers included CT Strategies Senior Advisors Ron May and Gene Garza. Mr. May is the former Acting Director of CTPAT and Mr. Garza is the former Director of Field Operations in Laredo. They each shared their insights on the CTPAT program, the effects of the new MSC, and the importance of secure, efficient supply chains.
CBP Officials Manuel Garza, the current Director of CTPAT, and Dennis McKenzie, the Deputy Executive Director for Cargo Conveyance and Security, also spoke on the current state of CTPAT. This presented an opportunity for members of the trade community and CBP to engage directly and discuss the program.
The final speaker, James Kniestedt, President and Founder of Gravick Group and Director of Security with Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM), offered his perspective on and experience with CTPAT as a private sector member of the trade community.
CT Strategies would like to thank the attendees and CBP for participating, as well as local CBP and Nuevo Laredo SAT Officials for attending the event. We hope to continue to engage with Laredo/Nuevo Laredo area trade stakeholders and hold more events on the topic in the future.
