NEWS - Manufacturing

SBJ Staff Report

Feb 20, 2012 - The Savannah Foreign Trade Zone, SEDA, BRAT, and the Savannah Chamber of Commerce has announced that Tommy Berry of PointTrade Services of Panama City, FL. will speak at the next Manufacturing Interactive Breakfast on March 7.

Berry will be showing how foreign trade zones can profit companies, will answer questions and will be available to make appointments to visit local manufacturing facilities in the afternoon for one-on-one consultations, according to Lee Grimes of SEDA and BRAT.

Berry will discuss how Foreign Trade Zones can affect a company’s bottom line through a number of means including:

- Eliminate Duty Drawbacks

- Avoid Ad inventory taxes

- Reduce Merchandise Processing Fees by hundreds of thousands of dollars

- Quota Avoidance

Berry is a recognized industry leader, with extensive experience in a wide variety of international trade, foreign-trade zone, and customs issues, including customs compliance and risk management, foreign-trade zones, duty savings opportunities, industrial park master planning, global supply chain management and solutions, and inventory control systems integration.

He is the President, CEO, and Founder of PointTrade Services, Inc. PointTrade Services, Inc. is an international trade consulting firm consisting of two divisions - PointTrade Services Consulting and PTSI Managed Services.  The majority of PTSI's client base includes top 50 importers into the US.

Through PTSI Managed Services, one of the largest practices of its kind in the industry, Mr. Berry oversees provision of FTZ operator and administrator managed services for the day-to-day operations of FTZ projects with over 20 million square feet of activated manufacturing and distribution space in eight states handling merchandise with over an estimated $15.6 billion in total FTZ transactions.

Berry's industrial park master planning experience includes preparation and analysis of future planned expansion of industrial activities, with direct involvement in the management of two industrial parks in addition to a foreign-trade zone. He was involved in the greenfield selection for the largest industrial park in Bay County, Florida, and has also worked on industrial parks in numerous successful FTZ projects in various locations around the country. Mr. Berry's economic development efforts helped attract more than $110 million in capital investment.

The buffet breakfast will begin at 7:15 a.m. in the auditorium at the Savannah Morning News building, 1375 Chatham Parkway.  Reservations are required by Friday March 2.