My name is Mike Laden and I sincerely thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to peruse this article. This marks the first in what will hopefully be a long series of articles related to Customs compliance, Customs matters in general, and the newest industry phenomenon: supply chain security. But before I make my first contribution on a meaty customs or security topic, I thought it would be appropriate for me to introduce myself. Some background on my experiences in this industry we call international trade may help you better understand my perspective on certain issues.

One final comment before I continue with my introduction. If you sense a passion in my writing style or voice when I talk about international trade, it is because after more than thirty years of employment in this field I still can’t wait to get to work in the morning. So it isn’t artificial exuberance; it is a genuine reflection of my infatuation for this business and the perpetual change that drives it.

I’ve had some amazing experiences for which I am very appreciative; some experiences that other people can only dream about. All of these memorable experiences are a result of being associated with the globalization of the world economy. In some cases I am reluctant to write or speak about the experiences I’ve had because I don’t want it to appear as though I am boasting. With that said, and once again to level set readers with sufficient personal background for future articles, my prologue continues.

I broke into this business on a fluke in Minneapolis, Minnesota working for a small Customs broker at the time named M.B. Ingham & Son. Early in my career I had an opportunity to move away from land-locked Minnesota to join a much larger national broker in Los Angeles named Arthur J. Fritz & Co. It was during this period that I obtained my Customs broker’s license and had an opportunity to work in several U.S. ports and with some mega importers.

Twelve years into my brokerage career I had an important epiphany and determined that working for a single shipper would provide an environment more to my liking. In the mid-1980’s after spending 10 years on the road as a corporate gypsy working only for Customs brokers, my highly coveted position with an importer became a reality. Best of all, I was able to relocate back to Minnesota, where I went to work for a catalog importer named Fingerhut.

In the mid-1990’s I joined Pillsbury where I rounded out my experience by working for a large multinational company with a sophisticated global supply chain. Then in 1998 opportunity came knocking once again and I had the good fortune of being offered a position at Target Corporation. In 2005 Kelby Woodard, another Target Director, and I left Target to become co-principals and launch Trade Innovations, Inc., a consulting practice that leverages “real world” expertise to specialize in two core competencies: Customs compliance and supply chain security.

I frequently joke about being a self-described Customs groupie. In some trade circles I have even been accused of being a friend of the enemy, U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP). I hope this doesn’t sound defensive, but I think that the record will accurately reflect otherwise. Believers of this fallacy are encouraged to examine the transcripts of my testimony on June 7, 1988, before the House Ways & Means Sub-Committee on Customs Oversight, during Customs Commissioner William von Raab’s tenure. Over the years, doing my best to always remain professional, I’ve taken CBP to task on a number of different fronts. This article serves as notice that I intend to continue my role as one of their business constituents, a partner, a critic and voice of reason as situations warrant.

I openly have a love/hate relationship with the agency on the frontlines of our sovereign borders and that is tasked with, among other things, collecting duties while securing and facilitating trade.

CBP is an agency of enigmas. One moment they can go out of their way to accommodate a “hot” shipment or utilize common sense on a particularly complex issue and thus prove themselves adept at trade facilitation. At the same time, they also have a reputation for making processes unnecessarily convoluted and can be overly aggressive or heavy-handed in their enforcement tactics.

Despite this love/hate relationship we have, at the end of the day, the professionals at CBP are my friends, and I have worked with many of them throughout my entire professional career. So, while I might be critical from time-to-time (call it tough love perhaps), I have always made myself available if they ever needed my help or assistance in any capacity.

On September 10, 2001, I had responsibility for the Customs matters at Target Corporation, the second largest retail supply chain in the U.S. Annually they move more than 300,000 40-foot containers from more than 80 countries. As part of my commitment to service and to the industry, I was also honored to hold a position on the COAC (Commercial Operations Advisory Committee) a 20-member advisory committee mandated by Congress and (at the time) appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury. Additionally, I was privileged and fortunate to have forged important relationships with a number of influential U.S. trade associations, among them the American Exporters and Importers Association (AAEI) as a past chairman, and as a founding member of the Business Alliance for Customs Modernization (BACM).

On September 11, 2001, the landscape of global trade changed forever. Shortly after the personal numbness of watching the looped video of planes hitting the World Trade Centers in New York wore off, I began to contemplate what these tragic events meant for global supply chains and international trade in general. My heart went out to my friends at Customs who were suddenly working extraordinarily long shifts and struggling with serious operational issues at the borders and U.S. ports of entry. The U.S. Customs Service had moved to the highest level of alert in their history: Alert One.

In the days immediately following 9/11, I reached out to the Assistant Commissioner of Field Operations at CBP, a bright, sensible, yet tough lady named Bonni Tischler (who would later pass away at an age much too early). In part my e-mail to her stated, “From my platform in private industry, as a COAC, AAEI or BACM member, or as an ordinary citizen, if there is anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate to contact me.” Within twenty minutes of sending that e-mail my phone rang.

And so began the project of building what is hailed in the U.S. today as the single most successful private and public partnership ever created, the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). There are important lessons to be learned on both sides from this experience.

In the coming months I will devote most of my writing to the current hot topic: supply chain security. However, as time and schedules permit, I will also intermingle some articles on compliance or other emerging topics. Thank you again for taking time to read this and I look forward to sharing my opinions and stimulating conversation in the months ahead.