Meet with fellow manufacturers who sell to China, manufacture in China or source products from China. Share your successes, strategies, problems, and risks of doing business with this global trading giant, or just listen and learn at our "China Operations" Roundtable on September 29. This event is hosted together with MANTEC and will be held at the Manufacturing Association of Southcentral PA's conference room at 160 Roosevelt Avenue in York. Please note the new event location. Thank you to the Manufacturers' Association for the use of their conference room!

Join us at the State Capitol for the October 13 Trade Rally to show international trade success in the State of Pennsylvania.
This trade rally is part of TradeRoots, spearheaded by the US Chamber. We are working together with the US Chamber, the Pennsylvania Chamber, regional partners and WTC members on the TradeRoots PA initiative to educate the business community, elected officials and the general public about the importance of international trade in all aspects of the economy. Join us at the trade rally - we will have display space for your products if you would like to showcase them.

Mark your calendars for other upcoming WTC events:

1. WTCA General Assembly, October 19-22, Barcelona, Spain
2. WTC member factory tour at Turkey Hill, November 10
3. Annual Holiday Luncheon, December 4

WTC member, the Port of Philadelphia, announced a new weekly direct container service from Europe. Beginning in October, Mediterranean Shipping Co. S.A of Geneva, Switzerland, will make weekly calls into the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.

The Murata Business Center in Carlisle was awarded the Soft Landings International Incubator designation by the National Business Incubation Association. Murata was selected for the program because of its slate of business services for foreign firms and its demonstrated success at helping firms enter the U.S. market. Congratulations to the Murata Business Center!

The WTC of Central PA, in partnership with the PA Office of International Business Development and the Team Pennsylvania~Southcentral Region organization is promoting Pennsylvania's competitive food and food processing industry at two different trade shows this October. First, southcentral Pennsylvania will be featured in a booth at the PackExpo show in Las Vegas from October 5-7, and then at the ANUGA trade fair in Cologne from October 10-14. In addition to supporting PA companies at the ANUGA show, we will be hosting three seminars addressing the food industry in our state.

Our website has undergone major changes over the last few weeks. Not only has the layout changed, but many new features were added as well. Among them, a regional calendar that highlights not only WTC events but also international related events offered by our partner organizations.

Additionally, you can now view the membership directory by industry sector, find archived newsletters, access updated Trade FAQ's and trade links and see event pictures. This is a work in progress and more information will be added. We'd appreciate your comments, feedback and ideas on further improving our website - send us an email at info@wtccentralpa.org.

Does your company use social media for international marketing? We would like to host a roundtable later this year to share ideas and discuss strategies and best practices - if this topic is of interest to you we want to hear from you. Please let us know if you are using social media sites like twitter, facebook, linked- in or others and if you would be interested in participating in this roundtable by sending an email to info@wtccentralpa.org. We would also like to make you a part of our online "network" - follow us on twitter and facebook!

Trade Mission to India
The State's Center for Trade Development is organizing a trade mission to India with stops in Mumbai and Bangalore from December 8 - 11, 2009. Cost for participation is only $450 plus your travel costs and includes individualized appointments with prequalified partners, networking luncheons, internal travel arrangements, market research and follow up. For details on this trade mission and other State sponsored missions and trade shows, visit their website.

"Exporter of the Year" Nominations Due October 2
Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is accepting award nominations for the 2010 "Exporter of the Year". This award is given to one U.S. company in each of 16 industry categories. More information and eligibility details are online.

Expanding Sales from Exporting Series
A four part series of workshops will be offered from October 11 - November 4 by the Kutztown University Small Business Development Center in conjunction with the WTC and the Harrisburg Regional Chamber. The four seminars are offered as workshops and also as webinars. Click here for more details and registration information.

International Business Outlook 2010
A panel discussion featuring prominent German firms with regional operations will be hosted by the German-American Chamber and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority on September 24 in Philadelphia. Contact the German-American Chamber for more details.