Charlotte Regional Partnership Named Grantee for FTZ 57

The Charlotte Regional Partnership has become the grantee and administrator for Foreign Trade Zone 57. Although designated "Mecklenburg County," FTZ 57 extends beyond the county's borders, including sites in Alexander, Cabarrus and Catawba counties.

The N.C. Department of Commerce requested that the public/private economic development organization provide the zone's oversight, so there was more direct regional involvement. Although FTZ 57 is the oldest in the state, it was the only one of the six North Carolina foreign trade zones that wasn't under local control.

"Although we always have promoted the FTZ as one of our regional assets, as the zone's administrator, we can more directly market and grow the foreign trade zone, as we work with existing industry and recruit new businesses to Charlotte USA," said Ronnie Bryant, Charlotte Regional Partnership president and chief executive officer.

Foreign trade zones offer tax and duty advantages to the existing industry and serve as an incentive to attract companies. Since FTZs are legally outside U.S. Customs territory, merchandise from anywhere in the world may enter a foreign trade zone without a formal customs entry or the payment of customs duties or government excise taxes.

Foreign trade zones can be a building or just a room, but they must be within 90 miles of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection port of entry. FTZ 57 includes 16 general purpose sites for public use, as well as two subzones that are company exclusive. Several additional sites are pending approval by the U.S. Foreign Trade Zones Board.

Application for Expansion of FTZ-75 in Phoenix, Arizona

An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board by the City of Phoenix, Arizona, grantee of FTZ 75, requesting authority to expand the zone project within the Phoenix Customs and Border Protection port of entry. It was formally filed on April 23, 2009.

The applicant is requesting authority to expand the general-purpose zone to include the jet fuel storage and distribution system at, and adjacent to, the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona (Proposed Site 5). The system includes the off-airport terminal, airport terminal, subsurface pipeline and airport hydrant fueling system. These facilities consist primarily of storage tanks, pipelines, pumps, valves, filters, meters and related equipment. The system is operated by Airport Fueling Facilities Corporation, which is a consortium of airlines that service the airport. No specific manufacturing authority is being requested at this time. Such requests would be made to the Board on a case-by-case basis.

To read the full article, please visit Trading Markets.

Lenoir County Leaders Work to Better Economic Partnership with South Korea

As the global recession continues to plague economies at home and abroad, local and state officials are working to establish better working relationships with internationanl markets.

The partnership between North Carolina and South Korean markets has improved in recent years. The state exports tobacco, cotton and corn to South Korea, which has enabled NC to become South Korea's 11th largest exporter of goods and services this year. The state exported nearly $575 million worth of goods to South Korea last year.

Eastern North Carolina's Global TransPark is encouraged to be evaluated as a place to ship pork products from North Carolina to South Korea. The Global TransPark is one of seven approved general purpose Foreign-Trade Zones in the state and Lenoir County is one of only six locations in the state that has been designated an "Export Ready" site by the NC Department of Commerce. International markets are using the trade zones to ship their goods without charge to other ports nationwide.

To view the full article, please visit ENC Today.

Expansion Sought for Another Kansas City Foreign-Trade Zone

An application has been submitted requesting the authority to expand Kansas City's Foreign-Trade Zone #17. It was formally filed to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board only 5 days after the submitted request for changes to FTZ #15.

The applicant is requesting authority to expand the general-purpose zone to include the Midwest Commerce Center, located at 17159 Mercury Street in Gardner, Kansas. The proposed new site would be designated Site 8 and will be used for warehousing, storage, and distribution activities. No specific manufacturing requests are being made at this time.

The FTZ Board is inviting public comment on the application. Submissions shall be addressed to the Board's Executive Secretary. The closing period for their receipt is June 19, 2009.

For more details on the request for expansion of FTZ #17 in Kansas City, please visit Import Industry News.