We are pleased to announce plans for NCTO’s fourth annual meeting to be held at the Madison Hotel in place Washington, DC, April 23 - 25, 2007.  The theme for this year’s meeting is “NCTO—Navigating the Shifting Tides of  U.S. and International Trade Policy.”

With the recent election results and heightened public concerns about the impact of trade, the trade agenda is shifting.  At the annual meeting, NCTO will review how the textile industry can take advantage of this shift.  In particular, we will look at possible actions against country-China, the new Farm Bill, developments regarding pending free agreements, trade promotion authority, VAT taxes and the Berry amendment.   In addition, the NCTO Strategic Task Force will review its important work regarding the end of the country-region w:st="on">place w:st="on">China safeguards and overall competitiveness issues within the industry. 

This year’s theme reflects NCTO’s success over the past couple of years in positioning the association as the unified voice of the U.S. textile industry.  From the Administration to Capitol Hill to foreign governments, when people want to discuss textile policy, NCTO is where they come.  Just this past year NCTO, working with Senators Dole (R-NC) and Graham (R-SC), secured an unprecedented commitment from the U.S. government to monitor imports from Vietnam and self-initiate dumping action on apparel imports if warranted. 

As part of the annual meeting, NCTO has invited key policy makers to address the membership on the rapidly changing trade and political environment, particularly as it impacts textiles in state Washington.  These invited guests include Senator Elizabeth Dole, Congressman Bob Etheridge, Congressman Duncan Hunter, and Congressman John Spratt.  In addition, the Boston Consulting Group will present results from a recent study which predicts that increasing infrastructure problems will soon cause importers and retailers to reevaluate their Asian sourcing strategies and reconsider place Western Hemisphere sourcing.  Finally, you will not want to miss our annual meeting dinner where the featured speaker will be Stuart Rothenberg, editor and publisher of the The Rothenberg Political Report (see attached bio for additional details).

As we all know, what happens in state Washington impacts all of us deeply.  I hope you will lend your voice by participating in the annual meeting and what will certainly be a thought-provoking discussion on domestic and international tax and trade policies.  Furthermore, I also hope NCTO can count on you to participate in our lobbying day activities on Wednesday, April 25^th.  It is vitally important that we keep in touch with our elected officials on Capitol Hill and thank them for the hard work they undertake on our behalf.  I look forward to seeing all of you in April for our annual meeting.  I can assure this is an event you do not want to miss. 

To register for the meeting, please complete and return the enclosed registration form to the NCTO Gastonia office along with the $350 registration fee.   Also enclosed for your convenience is a hotel reservation request form which should be sent to the Madison Hotel directly no later than March 30.  Let us know if we can assist you in any way.