International Trade

A fledgling effort to bolster international trade in Bucks County may soon be halted because of a lack of money. The Bucks County International Trade Council opened its doors here in January, but the council may have missed its opportunity for state funding because of bickering among the county's five chambers of commerce. Officials involved with the creation of the council said other Philadelphia suburban counties organized their trade initiatives faster than Bucks and have already used up what state officials call a dwindling pot of state grant money.

Anthony M. Swartz, 66, of Blue Bell, died in a car accident Thursday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. He was an international trade and marketing executive. He spent most of his career with Keebler Biscuit Co., for which he served as a vice president for international operations. He was president and chief executive officer of Trans International Group Ltd., which develops overseas markets for small companies that produce food. "He was a very savvy businessman who spoke four languages and who was a very charming guy," recalled his son, James.

The nation's small businesses constitute a potent force, according to U.S. Rep. James J. Florio (D, N.J.). At a conference Tuesday, Florio said that together the nation's small businesses could help reduce the country's international trade deficit, which is expected to reach $170 billion by the end of this year. The conference, which Florio co-sponsored, drew 230 area business representatives to the Hyatt Hotel on Route 70 in Cherry Hill. The one-day session was designed to advise companies seeking to do business with the government and seeking opportunities to export goods and services abroad.

Exports and imports will be the subject of a small-business workshop Oct. 3 at Delaware County Community College. Harry S. Chilingerian, president of H.S.C. Foreign Trade Services in Drexel Hill, will discuss product pricing and establishing markets. Chilingerian is director of international trade for the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce. He also is a faculty member at Delaware County Community College and Cabrini College. The free workshop will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the campus, Route 252 and Media Line Road in Marple Township.

If the United States expects to prosper in a global economy, American businesses must become more visible and aggressive in foreign markets, said Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D., Mo.) yesterday. Gephardt, the luncheon speaker for Rowan College of New Jersey's forum on International Trade and Business in South Jersey, said, "The trouble with America is that we're a lazy exporter. We're complacent and self-satisfied, and we think our own market is all we need to worry about. " The House majority leader, a longtime proponent of protectionist international trade, said he had returned from a trip to Asia "on fire" after seeing all the potential markets American corporations have yet to penetrate.

Franklin Russell Root, 82, professor emeritus of international management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, died of heart failure Thursday at his home in Jenkintown. In 1955, Dr. Root joined the faculty of the Wharton School, where he was a pioneer in international business. In books and other writings, he helped shape that emerging field of study. His book titles include: International Trade and Investment; Entry Strategies for International Markets; and International Strategic Management.

President Reagan is expected to visit the Harley-Davidson Inc. motorcycle plant near York, Pa., on Wednesday to discuss international trade issues, White House sources said yesterday. The manufacturing plant, in Springettsbury Township, is the only motorcycle manufacturer in the United States and has gained attention for turning down protection from Japanese competition. In 1983, Harley-Davidson won a case before the International Trade Commission in which the company argued that it deserved protection because the Japanese used unfair competitive practices.

The Delaware County Economic Development Oversight Board and the Office of the County Commerce Director have received a $22,500 grant for the formation of an international trade committee to expand markets for Delaware County businesses. At a news conference Monday, J. Patrick Killian, county commerce director, announced that the grant from the Benjamin Franklin Technology Center in Philadelphia would help establish a committee that would help local companies initiate or increase business with customers in other countries.

Isa Aharon, 64, an international trade executive and consultant, died yesterday at his residence in Chestnut Hill. Mr. Aharon had spent more than 30 years in various aspects of international trade and finance. Most recently, he was director of international trade and international economic affairs for the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce. Previously, he was director of the international division of the Montgomery County Department of Commerce and Economic Development. "He had tremendous business connections with 60 countries worldwide.

The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce is taking action in a dismal economy that could be a long-term boon to local businesses. Later this month, the chamber's international trade committee will send two representatives to Germany to cultivate business for Delaware County companies. Committee chairman David Sciocchetti and chamber president Jack Holefelder will go in a time when the recession has been reducing demand for imports and prompting U.S. manufacturers to work harder to find sales overseas.

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the first international treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade Tuesday. The action capped a more than decadelong campaign to keep weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, insurgents, organized-crime figures, and human-rights violators. The resolution was approved by a vote of 154-3 with 23 abstentions. As the numbers appeared on the electronic board, loud cheers filled the assembly chamber.

In the hallway outside Philadelphia City Council's ornate chambers, Martin Judge Jr., founder of the Judge Group staffing company in Conshohocken, was ebullient. In 1995, the Chinese Basketball Association began in China. Now, he claimed, it's a $4.5 billion business. That's why he thinks the $5 million he's already invested, plus $15 million he says he's on track to raise from partners, will yield much more in his venture AFL Global L.L.C., which intends to bring arena football to 1.3 billion Chinese.

Bryan Christy plans to hunker down with a beer in his Philadelphia living room at 9 p.m. Wednesday and tune in to a National Geographic documentary that stars, among others, him. Christy's investigative article for the October issue of National Geographic, exposing the scourge of the illegal ivory trade, is the basis for the documentary Battle for the Elephants . The hermetic setting he has chosen to watch is a stark contrast to his recent...

U.N. arms-trade agreement near UNITED NATIONS - A revised draft of a new U.N. treaty to regulate the multibillion-dollar global arms trade raised hopes from supporters and the British government, which has been the leading proponent, that a historic agreement could be reached by Friday's deadline for action. The draft circulated late Thursday closed several loopholes in the original text, though the Washington-based Arms Control Association said further improvements were still needed to strengthen measures against illicit arms transfers.

M Released: Federal Reserve's consumer credit data. Session: Pa. Joint State Government Comm.; Pa. House & Senate Appropriations Committees. T Released: Labor Department's job openings and labor turnover survey for April. Earnings reports: C&D Technologies; Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack. W Released: Fed's Beige Book; wholesale trade inventories; House Trans. Comm. hearing on oil spills. Earnings report: Ulticom T Released: Weekly jobless claims; international trade for April; federal budget for May. Pa. House: Funding hearing, Transportation Comm.

If you've thought of taking your business - large or tiny - overseas, but aren't sure how, here are a few Web sites that could get you started: Selling eBay. In the ever-shrinking world of commerce, nobody has done more than eBay to include the "little guy. " On eBay, sellers - or people thinking of being sellers - can use this page to check out the benefits and pitfalls of marketing their widgets internationally. More business. A set of simple how-to guides on this site could help new entrepreneurs with selling abroad, starting or buying a business, building a Web site, marketing and managing a company.

Franklin Russell Root, 82, professor emeritus of international management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, died of heart failure Thursday at his home in Jenkintown. In 1955, Dr. Root joined the faculty of the Wharton School, where he was a pioneer in international business. In books and other writings, he helped shape that emerging field of study. His book titles include: International Trade and Investment; Entry Strategies for International Markets; and International Strategic Management.

President Bush tapped Ohio Rep. Rob Portman yesterday to be the U.S. trade representative, reaching into the Rust Belt to select a confidant and pitchman for free trade and U.S. exports. Bush presented his surprise pick at a White House ceremony, calling the Cincinnati Republican "a tireless advocate for America's manufacturers. " Before he was elected to Congress in 1993, Portman was a lawyer specializing in international trade. An ardent supporter of most free-trade legislation, he said yesterday that he would pursue the "bold international trade agenda" laid out by Bush.

Foreign and trade ministers from the United States and other Pacific Rim countries agreed yesterday on antiterrorism measures to make air travel and cargo shipping safer. The measures include testing a new automated alert system that warns of potential terrorists traveling on airlines. In addition, member countries will start issuing travel documents in 2008 that are more difficult to falsify. Ministers gathered for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Chile also announced that they had established guidelines for the control of Man Portable Air Defense Systems, shoulder-fired antiaircraft weapons that security officials fear could someday be used against civilian aircraft.

The state's Department of Community and Economic Development grossly overstated export sales and jobs generated from international trade missions and trade offices during the Ridge/Schweiker administrations, according to a state audit released yesterday. Auditors were able to verify only a fraction of the export sales the agency chalked up to trade missions and international trade offices, according to the 41-page report. The audit is the latest in a string of blistering reports that Democratic Auditor General Bob Casey Jr. has released concerning programs under former Republican Govs.