TUS Grow Globally Fair Tucson

Global Chamber® Grow Globally Fair Tucson

NOTE: This is now a VIRTUAL event via globinar meeting. Sign up and connect from anywhere!

Global Chamber® "Grow Globally Fair' Tucson is an annual trade fair for exporters, importers and investors, with all the global resources, all together, one time per year.

Grow Globally Fair Tucson gives leaders doing global business an opportunity to see who and what is new, and how they can better grow their business to capture new opportunities.

We also celebrate the global tribe battling in markets all over the world with a series of awards honoring their success in foreign markets and here at home. Welcome! Connect! Learn! Grow!

Agenda – March 17, 2020

3:30 - 4:30 Four Speakers with Q&A

Keynote Speakers

• Marek Dubovec, Executive Director at NatLaw - Update and Progress
• Luis Ramirez, President at Ramirez Advisors - Progress on the Border
• Barbra Coffee, Director of Economic Initiatives at City of Tucson - Southern AZ Update
• Robert Brown, Head of Public & Govt Affairs at TuSimple - Growth and Success in Tech

Thank you Boris Kozolchyk National Law Center!

2020 Award Nominees: TBA

Speaker Biographies

Marek Dubovec - Executive Director at NatLaw. Marek Dubovec earned a law degree from Slovakia in 2003, and a Master’s degree (LL.M.) in International Trade Law in 2004 and Doctor of Juridical Science degree (S.J.D.) in 2009 both from the James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona. Since 2004, he has been working at NatLaw in Tucson, Arizona where he is now the Executive Director. Marek has been involved in a number of secured transactions reform projects in i) Africa, including in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, ii) Asia, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and The Philippines; ii) the Middle East, including the UAE; and iv) Latin America, including in Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru. Marek’s areas of interest and expertise include access to secured credit in general, agricultural and warehouse receipts financing, investment securities, prudential regulation, and the effect of distributed ledger technologies, such as blockchain on commercial law and practices. He teaches UCC Article 9 Secured Transactions and International Commercial Transactions at the James E. Rogers College of Law, the University of Arizona. He has written a number of books and articles on secured transactions laws and reforms, and related aspects such as investment securities, warehouse receipts and prudential regulation. His most recent book published in 2019 is Secured Transactions Law Reform in Africa.

Luis Ramirez - President of Ramirez Advisors Inter-National. Ramirez Advisors is a highly specialized firm dedicated to creating and implementing innovative solutions for cross-border business opportunities and improving the ability for goods and people to cross the border. Luis has over 25 years of experience on US-Mexico border infrastructure projects, North American relations, international business and negotiations, regional economic development, industrial site selection, government procurement, project management and governmental affairs. Luis has dedicated a considerable amount of time, both personal and professional, to fostering better relations with Mexico and Canada, improving the quality of life for the residents of the border and promoting the economic development of the region. He has led multidisciplinary teams on a number of cross-border projects, including site selection for major manufacturing facilities; design, funding and construction of new ports of entry; assisted companies in pursuing government procurement contracts; and identifying joint venture partners for a variety of business ventures. He serves on multiple professional and charitable boards and was recently appointed to the Advisors Council to the Administrator of the EPA for the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

Luis received his Bachelor of Arts and Science from the University of Arizona, Cum Laude and his Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University with a Dean’s Citation of Service. He attended High School in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Barbra Coffee - Director of Economic Initiatives at City of Tucson. Ms. Coffee has more than 23 years of experience in Economic Development and Downtown Redevelopment. As the Economic Initiatives Director for the City of Tucson, she leads business attraction, retention/expansion and small business and entrepreneurial development for a city of more than 530,000. She has helped communities across Texas and Arizona revitalize their downtown areas and aging commercial districts. Her grassroots community-driven approach has helped cities engage residents, merchants, public officials and future investors in the creation of downtown plans with broad-based support. In addition, her experience with business attraction and retention programs has been recognized in Goodyear, AZ where she was responsible for more than 3 million sf of commercial development. Ms. Coffee has served as the International Council of Shopping Center’s (ICSC) State Alliance Co-Chair for AZ-NM and GA. As Director of Economic Development in College Park, GA, she assisted in the formation of the first community improvement district surrounding Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Interntaional Airport and assisted the creation of the city's first entrepreneurial development center, Club E, a public-private partnership effort to assist start-ups. Ms. Coffee served as Director of Economic Development & Tourism in Henderson, NV from 2013-2019 where she was successful in recruiting companies like Turano Baking Co, Barclays, and The Raiders. Ms. Coffee brings a great deal of passion, creativity and enthusiasm to her economic development pursuits.

Robert Brown, Head of Public & Govt Affairs at TuSimple. Mr. Brown is responsible for the federal, state, and local public and government relations for TuSimple. Working with legislators and regulators on best practices for safety, commercial viability, and policies. He works on building coalitions of industry, OEMs, Tier 1 providers, associations, and academics in the autonomous vehicle industry.  Prior to TuSimple, he worked for the state of California, was Vice President at the Mitchell Firm, taught at Oxford University and University of California, San Diego. 

Moderator: Doug Bruhnke - Founder/CEO of Global Chamber®. Doug is an international entrepreneur, speaker and investor dedicated to helping members of Global Chamber® reach new markets across metros and borders more successfully. He is a two-time expat with Dupont in Tokyo and Singapore with over 30 years of global business experience in nearly all countries and segments. Doug is a regional advisor for U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and a member of collaborating international groups including the Arizona District Export Council. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Utah and an EMBA from Michigan State University.

About Global Chamber®: Global Chamber® is a growing and collaborating community of CEOs, executives and leaders in 525 metro regions around the world... connecting member businesses to new opportunities and advancing growth and success. It's the only chamber of commerce in the world operating in hundreds of locations that helps exporting, importing and investing members to connect through warm introductions to clients, partners, projects and resources. Global Chamber® is a registered trademark of Global Chamber, LLC.