*TACCI e-Newsletter* - Issue: 12 (May 2011)

Turkish American Chamber of Commerce & Industry e-Newsletter - Issue: 12- May 2011

Dear TACCI Members & Supporters:

During May 2011 TACCI had several important events including the Tenth Annual Flag Raising Ceremony in Wall Street, sponsored by TACCI. The event which was held on May 26 gathered hundreds of people who enjoyed the Turkish folk dances performed in Bowling Greek Park.

Another highlight of the month was the TACCI Young Executive Committee Networking Event held at the beautiful showroom of Lazzoni furniture in Chelsea. This event gathered more than 80 attendees which had the chance to network with young professionals from different industries, as well as exploring the stylish products of TACCI member Lazzoni.

TACCI is now expanding its network in Turkey. The chambers from 81 cities of Turkey are officially invited by TOBB to become a TACCI member and right now we are gladly receiving many inquiries from the local chambers in Turkey. There's a lot of interest from the chambers in Turkey and their many members, to explore the US Market and start their operations here, and TACCI will be their primary partner in these efforts. TOBB President Mr. Rifat Hisarciklioglu was TACCI's special guest for a dinner on June 3, and he also stated that as TOBB, they are proud to be partners with TACCI and they are looking to improve the relationship between the two organizations through different channels. The dinner story will be featured in our next newsletter, bu you can also have a read the news on the TACCI website here.

You can read more about these stories in our newsletter...

Thank you for your continuous support and hoping to see you at our events!

We proudly honor TACCI ANNUAL GALA 2011 Sponsors

IN THIS ISSUE

Local Chambers in Turkey are Becoming Members of TACCI.

Exclusive Interview with Ms. Gulay Oguzcan, CEO of Tulair International Corporation and TACCI Board Member

TACCI Young Executive Committee Held a Networking Event at the Lazzoni Furniture Showroom in Chelsea

Manhattan of NYC & Beyoglu of Istanbul to Become Sister Cities...The Initiative Kicked-off by TACCI and Turkish Community leaders

NEWS FROM TACCI MEMBERS

Local Chambers in Turkey are Becoming Members of TACCI

Turkish Union of Chambers is Encouraging Cooperation Between TACCI and the Turkish Chambers

TACCI and TOBB agreed to establish a stronger bond between the local chambers of commerce, industry, commerce and industry and commodity exchanges in 81 cities of Turkey, through TACCI membership. All qualifying chambers which totals up to 153 are invited to become members of TACCI through its regular membership types (General and Premium) and the process has been undergoing at the moment. Currently TACCI received more than 10 applications from the Turkish chambers and this number is expected to increase in the coming weeks. More programs and business opportunities will be mutually available for TACCI members and the members of the local chambers in Turkey, through this new connection. Please contact us and check our website's membership directory in the coming weeks to see the newest members of TACCI.

Exclusive Interview with Ms. Gulay Oguzcan, CEO of Tulair International Corporation and TACCI Board Member

Interview by Krystal Dubose, TACCI Public Relations Assistant

Gulay Oguzcan and Krystal Dubose

Attending the dinner for TOBB President, Mr. Rifat, TACCI sat down hours before with the owner of Tulair International Corporation, Ms. Gulay Oguzcan. Looking as if she stepped off a plane from Los Angeles, Ms. Oguzcan carries herself with poise and elegance. In a lounge with a fireplace and library,TACCI and Ms. Oguzcan sit down for her interview:

Merhaba, Ms. Gulay, I would first like to thank you for being here and giving TACCI the opportunity to meet with you. Can you tell us about Tulair International Corporation?

Tulair International is an IATA / NVOCC licensed international air and ocean freight forwarding company that specializes in transporting various commercial materials primarily between the United States and Turkey. Tulair was foundedin 1979, by Mr. Ferruh Tulun and has continued growing successfully for over30 years. Due to market demand we have recently expanded our operations to the West coast, opening a branch office in Los Angeles, in addition to our headquarters in New York.

With the recent opening of the Los Angeles location; Do you feel this would expand distribution and delivery on a mass level?

The purpose our new location in LAX is to give efficient and rapid service to our customers, which I believe, will satisfy their needs and results in expansion of our business.

How did your path cross with Tulair International?

After completing my education at ODTU in Turkey, I came to the United States to obtain my masters degree in business. My degree required an internship and I was fortunate enough to apply at Tulair, where I immediately found my niche. Eighteen years later, I am still here and the CEO of the company.

What are the future goals of Tulair?

Tulair International plans to continue to grow and expand our business in orderto keep up with market demand. We want to continue providing our customers with optimal service as well as obtain new clients to whom we can help meet their needs with our fast and efficient transportation service between the US and Turkey. Tulair wants to obtain a significant amount of market shares in logistics by the expected result of the aggressive Turkish American trade efforts.

I know you attended Orta Dogu Teknik Universitesi for your B.A. and the State University of New York at Stonybrook for your M.S.; Are you able to utilize your chemistry as much as your management and policy skills?

I enjoy science, and time to time I do get to use my skills which I gained from studying chemistry. I believe that science background gives you a great way of thinking and problem solving, that I use frequently in my business.

tobbpresidentoguzcan

Mr. Rifat Hisarciklioglu (TOBB President) & Gulay Oguzcan

What are your recommendations to those who are trying to become successful in the US?

In my opinion one must have the three D's: desire, determination, and dedication; It takes desire, to want to be successful, determination to achieve success, and dedication to remain successful. As cliché as it may sound, when you want something in life, anything is possible with hard work. The only thing standing in the way of one's goal is oneself.

What are you thoughts about TACCI and what would you like to say other members?

Tulair has been an avid supporter and active member of TACCI since they were established. TACCI plays an essential role in our community, giving us the opportunity to network as Turkish/American companies and work together in order to develop and preserve the economic relations between the two countries. It is very important for Turkish American companies to be proactive by supporting TACCI.

We are celebrating T.O.B.B President Mr. Rifat today. What do you think about the current activities of TACCI so far?

As a board member of TACCI, we constantly ask ourselves " What else can we do now?" I believe that we should keep doing what we are doing and everyone shall benefit from it.

Thank you for your time and your support for TACCI!

TACCI Young Executive Committee Held a Networking Event at the Lazzoni Furniture Showroom in Chelsea

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The Turkish American Chamber of Commerce & Industry (TACCI), Young Execeutive Committee, held its initial networking event on Wednesday, May 11, 2011, at the Lazzoni USA showroom in Chelsea. Turkish American Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

(TACCI),Young Executive Committee, was among many other board members, such as, President of TACCI, Mr. Celal Secilmis, Vice President, Mr. John Driscoll and many other TACCI member company representatives such as Mr. Baris Aytan, Mr. Anthony De Filippis (MariTrans & CargoTrans), Tulay Ozkan (Ateksis), Mr. Fausto Vazquez-Sosa (HSBC Bank), Mr. Burak Atilgan (Turkon America), Mr. Ali Ince (Sovereign Bank), Mr. Kemal Bozoglu (NY Metro Promo), Mr. Ayhan Ogmen (Ogmen Law), Ms. Husniye Temocin (Calik USA), and Mr. Hakan Yuksel (Ziraat Bank USA). In addition, there were representatives for the organizations of The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, Greenwich Village - Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, and The Public Advocate for the City of New York. Due to the assemblage of the 80+ attendees, the outcome of TACCI's Young Executive Networking Event was extraordinary. Lazzoni showroom which is popular for numerous "Nikki Minaj" videos and other celebrity functions proved to be the best place to host the event once again. TACCI Member Lazzoni's Store Manager Eris Alkan and General Manager Efe Kababulut were among the attendees, as well as the rest of the team, and they greeted everyone and made sure their questioned about Lazzoni were answered. Including, in the company of the other distinguished guest, was the famous song-writer and singer, Sinem Saniye.

This was one of the many Annual Chamber events that will be launched in the upcoming weeks. JOIN TACCI for being a part of these events PLUS to get more benefits

Reported by Krystal DuBose - TACCI PR Assistant

CLICK FOR PHOTO GALLERY

Manhattan of NYC & Beyoglu of Istanbul to Become Sister Cities

The Initiative Kicked-off by TACCI and Several Other Organizations is Being Finalized

During the past month, TACCI has received a special letter from the Beyoglu Municipality President Mr. Ahmet Misbah Demircan which included the following:

Wednesday, May 11, 2011 I would like to extend my most sincere greetings to you from Istanbul and express that We, as the Municipality of Beyoğlu, have completed the internal administrative procedures specified inthe Turkish legislation, with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Turkey.We are delighted to announce you that the related Ministries have approved and fully supported the establishment of twin-town relation between the Municipality of Beyoğlu and the Borough of Manhattan.

I would like to express sincerely that, We, as the Municipality of Beyoğlu, have the great pleasure to establish twin-town agreement with the Borough of Manhattan. We would bedelighted to welcome you in Istanbul, if it would be convenient for you, the third or the fourth week of June for the signature ceremony of the Agreement of Friendly Exchange and Cooperation between the Municipality of Beyoğlu and the Borough of Manhattan. If yourschedule wouldn't allow us to welcome you in Istanbul, we would have the great pleasure to organize an official visit to New York, Manhattan for the signature ceremony of the Agreement.

TACCI WOULD LIKE TO THANK AND CONGRATULATE EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED IN THIS...

Check out our October 2010 issue for previous news about this initiative.

NEWS FROM TACCI MEMBERS

Turkish Airlines Sponsors Turkish Day Parade

This year, Turkish Airlines continued its sponsorship of the Turkish Day Parade. Held in New York City on May 28th, the parade is the largest Turkish American event in North America, and has been organized by the Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA) since 1981. The parade began on Madison Avenue in Manhattan and ended in Dag Hammarskjold Park near the Turkish Consulate. The premiere sponsor of the event, Turkish Airlines displayed a float during the parade and Mr. Ihsan Baytan, the Turkish Airlines New York General Manager, has been named "Grand Marshal".

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