Contacts: barbara reilly @ (202) 466-0222                            For Immediate Release

Thomas Mathers @ (202) 466-0222

 

NCBFAA Elects New Slate of Officers for 2014

 

Washington DC: During the Annual Meeting at its 40th Annual Conference in Summerlin, NV, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, Inc. (NCBFAA) elected its new officers for 2014-15. They are:

  • President Geoffrey C. Powell, COF, President, C. H. Powell Co., Linthicum, MD.
  • Vice President Amy Magnus, Branch Office Manager, A.N. Deringer, Inc., Champlain, NY.
  • Secretary William, S. App, J. W. Allen & Co., Inc., Kenner, LA
  • Treasurer Scott Larson, Corporate Compliance Manager, MOL Logistics (USA) Inc., Elk Grove Village, IL

Formerly NCBFAA Vice President, Geoffrey Powell replaced Darrell Sekin who became NCBFAA Chairman.

Mr. Powell is President of C.H. Powell Company. C.H. Powell Company was established by Geoffrey’s grandfather, Charles, in 1919. C.H. Powell Company is an International Logistics Provider, Freight Forwarder and Customs Broker that is family owned and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with 18 offices throughout the United States.

After graduating from Georgetown University in 1983 with a B.A. in economics, Mr. Powell went to work in sales for C.H. Powell Company. Mr. Powell received his Customs Brokers license in 1989, shortly after re-locating to Baltimore from the Boston office. In 1997, Mr. Powell became a Certified Ocean Forwarder after passing an 8 hour examination given by the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America on all facets of international trade.

Mr. Powell was elected NCBFAA Treasurer in April 2006, and held that position until April 2012 when he was elected Vice President of the Association. Mr. Powell is a past President of the Baltimore Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association. In 2001, he formed, and is the previous Chairman of, the Affiliated Presidents Network, a group that comprises all the presidents of 28 local Broker Associations throughout the country. He is a member of the Propeller Club of the United States, the Traffic Club of Baltimore.

In January 2007, Mr. Powell was appointed to serve on the Departmental Advisory Committee on the Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection and Related Functions (COAC), and in January 2009 was reappointed to another two year term. In March 2013, Mr. Powell was asked by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to participate on an Export Mapping Working Group for COAC, which he is currently serving. In August, 2013, Mr. Powell was appointed to the President’s Export Council, Subcommittee on Export Administration, who advises and reports to the Secretary of Commerce on matters pertinent to the Export Administration Act, the Export Administration Regulations, and related statutes and regulations.

In addition to providing seminars to various government agencies and trade groups, Mr. Powell has been involved with the U.S. Customs Service, the Department of Transportation, Transportation Security Administration and the Maritime Administration in post September 11th proposed supply chain security measures.

Mr. Powell resides in Baltimore with his wife and three sons.

Formerly NCBFAA Secretary, Amy Magnus, Director of Customs Affairs and Compliance for A.N. Deringer, Inc., in Champlain, NY, is a licensed Customs Broker, Certified Customs Specialist, and Certified Export Specialist. She is the former President of the Northern Border Customs Brokers Association in addition to being an ACE Trade Ambassador working with the Trade Support Network.

Prior to becoming a Customs Broker, Ms. Magnus worked for U.S. Customs Service for 18 years. When she left Customs, she was the Trade Manager in the Champlain NY Area Service Port. During her career, she worked with various Customs HQ Offices in Washington, DC assisting in drafting policies and procedures as they related to NAFTA, Compliance Measurement, Enforcement and other trade sensitive issues. Ms. Magnus is a former Fines, Penalties, and Forfeiture Officer, and in her early years with U.S. Customs served as an inspector and import specialist.

Ms. Magnus has a BA and an advanced teaching degree from the University of Vermont.

Formerly NCBFAA Treasurer, William App, began his career with J.W. Allen & Company shortly after graduating from St. Stanislaus College in 1961. Beginning his career as the office boy picking up and delivering documents to his present position as CEO, Billy learned and worked in every available position at J.W. Allen & Company, Company; from processing export documentation to overseeing the loading of break bulk vessels. After 37 years of working for J.W. Allen & Company, Mr. App became the owner of J.W. Allen & Company on November 1, 1998.

Obviously not a big fan of change, not only has he been married to J.W. Allen for more than 48 years but he has also been married to his beautiful wife Marguerite for more than 41 years. Although his professional accomplishments are many, Billy’s greatest success has been his family; one wonderful wife, three beautiful children, three amazing grandchildren, and one devoted granddog.

His next longest relationship has been the New Orleans Saints; 1967 to present. After years of disappointment from being a devoted Saints fan, he now revels in rooting for the WORLD CHAMPION New Orleans Saints. While Sunday is reserved for the Superdome and the Saints, Mr. App can be found on Saturdays in Death Valley rooting for the LSU Tigers.

Though not one to seek accolades, his professional accomplishments are impressive and numerous. They provide a snapshot of a man who has devoted his professional life to the transportation industry.

  • Past President, Intermodal Club of Greater New Orleans Inc. 1986 – 88.
  • Past President, International Freight Forwarders and Custom Brokers Association of New Orleans. 1991 – 93.
  •  President, Louisiana International Chamber of Commerce. 2002 - Present.
  •  Commissioner, Louisiana International Trade Commission. 1996 – 2004.
  •  Secretary, National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America, Inc. (NCBFAA). 2001 – 2004.
  • Area 7 Director, National Custom Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA). 1992 – 2001, 2005 - Present.
  • Chairman, NCBFAA, Freight Forwarding Committee. 2000 – Present.
  • Honorary Life Member, World Trade Club of New Orleans Inc. 1997.
  • Executive Committee, Mississippi River Corridor Initiative. 2004 – 2007.
  • Board of Director, New Orleans Board of Trade. 2006 - Present.
  •  Commissioner, New Orleans Public Railroad. 2004 – Present.
  • Commissioner, Louisiana Pilot Fee Commission. 2006 – Present.
  • Board of Directors, New Orleans World Trade Center. 2003 – Present
  • Secretary, World Trade Center. 2010.
  • Executive Committee, New Orleans World Trade Center. 2006 – Present
  •  Chairman, New Orleans World Trade Center Transportation Committee. 2006 – Present.
  •   Recipient of the prestigious C. Alvin Bertel Award. 2009
  •   Treasurer, NCBFAA, 2012-2014

Treasurer Scott Larson began his career in international logistics in 1987 as an IBM computer mainframe support technician, RPG-II and Cobol programmer. Mr. Larson obtained his Customs Brokers License in 1991 and currently holds the position of Senior Vice President and Corporate Compliance Manager for MOL logistics (USA) Inc. He is responsible for all facets of import and export activity for MOL's U.S. and Canadian offices.

He has been the NCBFAA Area 5 representative for the past 8 years, Affiliated Presidents Network Committee Chairman, and Customs Committee representative. He is an NEI Customs Certified Specialist (CCS), Certified Export Specialist (CES), Past President of the Chicago Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association, and former director of the International Air Cargo Association of Chicago. He and his wife, Marsha, have one son, Randy, who is pursuing a career with Microsoft.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, the NCBFAA represents more than 970 member companies with 110,000 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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