Kenneth Bargteil Named Recipient of 2013 NCBFAA Centurion Award

Washington, DC: The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America, Inc. (NCBFAA) has named NCBFAA Educational Institute Chairman and former Customs Committee Chairman Kenneth Bargteil as the 2013 recipient of its coveted NCBFAA Centurion Award. Mr. Bargteil has been an out-spoken and long-standing advocate of the NCBFAA’s vital role in American commerce and the Association is very pleased to bestow this well-deserved honor on a very dear friend.

“The NCBFAA Centurion Award is not an honor to be conferred lightly but only after full consideration of the individual’s contributions to, and support of, the work of our Association,” said NCBFAA President Darrell Sekin. “Applying those criteria left us with but one choice, Ken Bargteil, whose boundless energy and incredible knowledge of this business have long made him one of the NCBFAA’s most valuable players and a tremendous asset to his industry colleagues.”

Mr. Bargteil is the latest in a distinguished line of honorees that includes NCBFAA Senior Counselor Harold Brauner, NCBFAA Senior Counselor Arthur Litman, the late NCBFAA Customs/General Counsel Harvey Issacs, NCBFAA Senior Counselor Paul Wegener, the late NCBFAA Senior Counselor Leonard M. Shayne, and NCBFAA Senior Counselor Peter Powell, Sr.

In addition to his day job as a Vice President with Kuehne + Nagel Inc. in Baltimore, MD, Ken has been a tireless volunteer working on behalf of the Association. Following four consecutive two-year terms on the NCBFAA Board of Directors and 10 years as Chairman of the Customs Committee, Ken has continued his affiliation with the Customs Committee as its Chairman Emeritus and Area 3 Member, representing the Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia Region. Currently, Ken energetically serves as Chairman of the NEI Committee and is in his eleventh year on the Annual Conference Committee. He is not only a Charter Member of the NCBFAA Large Broker and Forwarder Committee, but he also leads the NCBFAA delegation at Customs’ Trade Support Network, where he serves as a Trade Ambassador and on its Committees for Revenue, Legal & Policy, Supply Chain Security Steering and Trade Leadership as well as Chairman of the Liquidation Subcommittee.

“Though his employer is a large broker/forwarder, Ken champions all industry participants including small and medium sized firms, actively soliciting thoughtful input from everyone involved in addressing an issue,” President Sekin noted. “Whenever deliberating an NCBFAA response to regulatory proposals or political initiatives, Ken remains sensitive to, and seeks to mitigate, the effect that such actions might have on not only his firm but also on the Association’s small and medium sized member firms.”

The Award will be presented during the Wednesday evening closing reception for the 2013 NCBFAA Annual Conference, April 10 at the Westin Mission Hills, Rancho Mirage, CA, where everyone will have an opportunity to get to know Mr. Bargteil and his family better.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, the NCBFAA represents nearly 800 member companies with 100,000 employees in international trade - the nation's leading freight forwarders, customs brokers, ocean transportation intermediaries (OTIs), NVOCCs and air cargo agents, serving more than 250,000 importers and exporters. Established in 1897 in New York, NCBFAA is the effective national voice of the industry. Through its various committees, counsel and representatives, the Association maintains a close watch over legislative and regulatory issues that affect its members. It keeps them informed of these and other related issues through its weekly Monday Morning eBriefing, and various meetings and conferences throughout the year.

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