Globinar Global Chamber® LA - PHX - NYC Important Update on USMCA Part 1 of 3

Globinar Global Chamber® LA - PHX - NYC

--> Important Update on USMCA (Part 1 of 3)

• Thursday, April 16th at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm London / 9pm Dubai / 10:30pm Mumbai

This virtual monthly meetup discusses new business opportunities regionally and globally.

This month is a special event that coordinates leaders in our Los Angeles, Phoenix and New York City chapters, and includes District Export Council leadership and members in Los Angeles, Phoenix and New York... to discuss where things stand with USMCA, and what comes next.

The session is designed for exporters and importers to better understand and prepare for what comes next with USMCA, and ideally to influence the outcome, if possible. Certainly we want everyone to be ready for probable outcomes.

RSVP at the ticket section above or directly to LAX@globalchamber.org.

We'll have keynote speakers.... and we always have a roundtable of what's coming up.

Agenda (one hour)

Keynote Presentations

• Carol Colombo
• Bill Edwards
• Tom Cook

Additional Speakers

• Dr. Sarita Jackson
• Eduardo Gonzalez
• Doug Bruhnke

Roundtable Q&A

Keynote Speakers:

Carol Colombo - Founder/Managing Member at Fedelta Partners; Chair at Arizona District Export Council

Carol Colombo is a co-founder and co-managing member of Fedelta Partners, an Arizona-based management company that oversees the private investment holdings primarily of its members, with sector specific focus on real estate, secured debt portfolios and operating businesses in the technology, health and energy sectors. She is also the CEO of Alert GPS, a technology company that provides sector-leading safety solutions to the enterprise and consumer markets and provides core-alerting technology to state law enforcement for issuing Amber Alerts.

Ms. Colombo has been an investor in, and officer and director of, numerous entities. She co-founded Colombo & Bonacci, P.C. (1992), a boutique law firm specializing in international business law. She co-founded Pivotal Research Centers and helped build it into one of the largest private clinical research organizations in the US prior to its successful sale to a publicly traded company in 2005. She sits on the board of directors of PYX Health, where she served as board chair from 2017 until 2023.

Ms. Colombo contributes her time to advance international trade and economic development objectives. She is (since 1994) the State of Arizona’s liaison to the United States Trade Representative’s Office (USTR). She has advised many past administrations in Arizona regarding international trade and economic development. Ms. Colombo has lobbied and helped obtain state and federal funding for trade, transportation and economic development initiatives that have been implemented throughout North America. 

William (Bill) Edwards - Founder at Edwards Global Services; Global Executive & Advisor

William (Bill) Edwards has a four-decade career accelerating the international growth of more than 30 companies. Bill is an expert on choosing the right global markets for specific brands, country market research, strategic planning, partner due diligence, new country start-ups, global trend analysis, growing existing country operations, supply chain management and cultural adaptation. His career covers international operations, executive and entrepreneurial experience in the energy, technology, licensing, food and beverage, management consulting and retail sectors. Bill’s purpose is imparting the wisdom he has learned over time. 

Bill has worked with Fortune 50, INC 5000 and private businesses. Bill has lived in 7 countries in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East and has worked on projects in over 50 countries. He currently is CEO of Southern California-based Edwards Global Services, Inc. (EGS) which helps companies accelerate their global development into  countries that have the highest potential ROI for their specific brand. EGS has twice received the  U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Exporting. Bill is author of 50+ global business articles, and is a sought-after speaker on international development, overseas cultures, franchise development, licensing, and e-commerce strategies. Biweekly he shares his global insights with his network around the world through his blog (www.geowizard.biz). Contact: bedwards@edwardsglobal.com and +1 949 375 1896 and Linkedin.

Thomas Cook - Managing Director of Blue Tiger International (bluetigerintl.com)

Tom is Managing Director of Blue Tiger International (bluetigerintl.com), an international business consultancy advising on supply chain management, trade compliance, purchasing, trade and disruption management, global business and logistics. Tom was former CEO of American River International in NY and Apex Global Logistics Supply Chain Operation in LA. Tom has over 35 years’ experience in assisting companies all over the world manage their import and export operations. He is a member of the NY District Export Council and serves on the board of directors of the National Association of District Export Councils (NADEC). Tom is also the Director of the National Institute of World Trade (niwt.org), a 30-year-old educational and training organization, based in NY. Both Blue Tiger International and the National Institute of World Trade are strategic partners of the Department of Commerce. Tom has authored over 20 books on global trade, the latest published in January 2026 entitled “Managing and Mitigating the Impact of Tariffs, Pandemics, and Trade Disruptions in the Global Supply Chain.”

Additional Input

Sarita D. Jackson, Ph.D. - President and CEO at GRIIT (Global Research Institute of International Trade)

Sarita D. Jackson, PhD is the founder, president, and CEO of the Global Research Institute of International Trade (GRIIT), a US-based think-tank and consulting firm. Her firm saves firms time and money, as well as mitigates risks, as they expand globally via up-to-date, data-driven, customized market research and strategy development.

Dr. Jackson is also an author, TEDx speaker, and business school instructor. Her book, International Trade in Services: Effective Practice and Policy, was recently published by Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. She received her B.A. degree in broadcast journalism and Spanish from the University of Southern California and earned a Ph.D. in political science (emphasis on international political economy) from Brown University.

Eduardo Gonzalez - President at 258 Consulting  

Eduardo González is President of 258 Consulting, helping companies do business between the US and Mexico. Previously he served as Deputy Trade Commissioner of ProMéxico in Phoenix. Mr. González holds a degree in Public Accounting from the Autonomous University of Baja California in Mexico, and holds several certifications in management and risk management. He also has an extensive resume in business promotion within major Mexican companies with international exposure. Additionally, he has vast experience representing the Mexican Government, as he previously served as commercial delegate for Bancomext in The Hague, Netherlands. Recently he served as State Director of the ProMexico office in the state of Baja California.

Doug Bruhnke - Founder/CEO at Global Chamber®

Doug is a global entrepreneur, speaker and author dedicated to helping members of Global Chamber® reach new markets across metros and borders more successfully. In addition we have the opportunity of attracting more leaders to global business, making our world a better place. He's the Founder/CEO of Global Chamber®, operating in 525 metros, 195 countries. He's had a career with DuPont that included expat assignments in Tokyo and Singapore.

Doug has a B.S. Chemical Engineering from University of Utah, with 5 chemical process patents. He also has an Executive MBA Michigan State with 38 years of exporting and global trade experience.

Read more about the Global Chamber® Los Angeles chapter here.

Global Chamber® is a diverse, innovative and positive worldwide platform for CEOs, executives, investors and industry leaders across 195 countries and 605+ metros around the world to find opportunities and effectively empower growth, success and progress. We're the only chamber of commerce operating in hundreds of locations that delivers strategic connections, information and resources to facilitate exporting, importing and investing across regions and borders, while addressing climate change and advancing sustainability. Be global and UNSTOPPABLE! Global Chamber® is a registered trademark of Global Chamber, LLC since 2014.