Michael Laden
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Michael Laden
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by Michael Laden
Michael Laden is a principal of Trade
Innovations, Inc., a consulting firm specializing
in customs compliance and supply chain security matters.
Trade Innovations has offices and operations in Minneapolis,
MN, Austin, TX, Los Angeles, CA and Chicago, IL.
Mr. Laden has almost 30 years of experience in the
international trade industry and prior to forming
Trade Innovations in 2005 was the president of a
customs brokerage firm operating exclusively for
and inside of a mass retailer.
Mr. Laden has been
licensed by U.S. Customs since 1981. He served the
maximum two-term limit on the Commercial Operations
Advisory Committee (COAC) providing advice on customs
matters to the U.S. Treasury Department and the Department
of Homeland Security. He is a member of the CBP Trade Support Network (TSN) which
is currently designing the next CBP computer architecture known as ACE (Automated
Commercial Environment). He was the executive sponsor of a self-filing program
for customs entries (more than 200,000 entries annually) and helped a mass retailer
achieve the coveted ISA designation. Mr. Laden is also credited with developing
some of the most creative and ingenious customs compliance programs, policies
and procedures; allowing his employer to achieve unprecedented levels of compliance
while lowering associated landed costs.
Mr. Laden is a recognized expert in the
customs compliance and the supply chain regulatory
environment. He was a founding and charter member of
the Business Alliance for Customs Modernization. He
has served on the Board of Governors for the American
Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) since
1988 and is a past chairman. He is also a member of
the World Customs Organization’s
Private Sector Consultative Group and meets regularly in Brussels, Belgium, to
discuss issues affecting customs compliance, security and global trade.
Mr. Laden
has testified before the House Ways and Means Committee
and the House Subcommittee on Appropriations concerning
Customs Commercial Operations and Enforcement Policies.
He also appeared as a witness before the Senate Finance
Committee on matters related to container security
and operations in a post September 11, 2001, environment.
Mr. Laden has also been a featured speaker on Customs
and Border Protection and related matters before many
national organizations. He travels extensively and
has taught the fundamentals of importing to thousands
of foreign suppliers and manufacturers worldwide.
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