This is a great opportunity to hear and meet with the San Francisco Customs Commodity Specialist Teams (CSTs) that are so popular with Silicon Valley companies importing electronics and their parts. It has been maybe 10 years since this group has visited Silicon Valley, and we hope by your attendance, it will convince them to make it a yearly event.

Topics to be covered:

Areas of discussion will include automated data processing, semiconductor manufacturing and testing, or networking machinery/parts. The Commodity Specialist Teams (CSTs) are the resident Customs experts covering chapter 84, 85 and 90. Our group of speakers comes from Commodity Specialist Teams 770 and 771. Their talk and discussion will cover the chapters, useful Websites, ACE, bearings, parts provisions of the above equipment, PEA corrections to entries, IPR, exclusion orders, some chapter notes and hot topics like mass flow controllers. If you have a burning question, this may be the time to ask it.

Our next topic is Customs audits, and who better to discuss these than our guest, Betty C. Williams, Field Director, Office of International Trade, Regulatory Audit, San Francisco. Betty will provide an overview of the Regulatory Audit's process during an audit, including types of audits, typical areas included, findings for Silicon Valley companies, and follow up. In addition, she will highlight best practices, identify red flags, and identify resources.

In conclusion, George R. Tuttle III from the Law Offices of George R. Tuttle will give us an updated legal perspective and answer questions of the areas covered by the CST's and the Field Director of Audit.