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(Tamilnadu Branch)

Vol - 5 Jan - Mar 2014 Issue-1

INDEX

SL.NO. CONTENTS PAGE

NO.

1 Chairman’s Message 2

2 U.S Consul General's Message 3

3 The United States Welcomes MICE Visitors 4

4 Chamber Events 6

5 U.S. Commercial service trade leads 7

6 Members’ Achievements 8

7 Indo-Us Trade News 9

8 Welcome to New Members 9

(for private circulation only)

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Chairman’s Message

Dear Friends, I am pleased to bring you the Jan – Mar 2014 issue of our quarterly e-newsletter which includes the message from the U.S. Consul General, trade enquiries from U.S. and the travel details to USA. Also, included in this edition about recent achievements of members, events conducted, new members joined in IACC. It is personally gratifying for me to note under my Chairmanship, we had conducted quite a lot of events with excellent participation of members in the last six months. To mention a few, the Members’ Networking Nite turned out to be a great success. I wish to attribute this to all who had contributed financially, those extended support to the Secretariat thru their personal contacts and all the participants who graced the occasion with their presence. I also thank the U.S. Consul General Ms. Jennifer McIntyre and her team for their encouraging participation to this networking dinner. Our partnership with HSBC for the program on FEMA Guidelines in Coimbatore generated lot of

interests with the local industry representatives. Our new breakfast meeting series ‘Listen to the Leader’ continues to be a great hit amongst the members. The discussion on Climate change conducted in association with the U.S. Consulate in Chennai provided insights on the ongoing trends and issues in this area. I am confident that 2014 will bring better things to the Tamil Nadu branch of IACC with informative programs for the reminder of the year. We are planning to conduct events on Taxation, IPR, Food Processing etc. during the Presidential Year. More details will reach you soon in this regard. As we move forward this year, I encourage each one of you to undertake a commitment to get involved in the Chamber activities and contribute dynamically for growth of your Chamber. Only with your continued association, you will be able to reap the benefits of your membership with IACC. Thanking you, Best wishes, Suresh Reddy Chairman

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U.S Consul General's Message

Dear Members of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, As we complete the first quarter of 2014, I want to first highlight our trade and investment statistics showing the continuing growth in U.S. and India business: Over the past year, U.S. exports to India increased to over $22 billion dollars, while India’s exports to the U.S. exceeded $41 billion. Since 2005, our bilateral trade in goods has expanded from $26 billion to over $63 billion, and with services, our bilateral trade relationship is nearing $100 billion – up from about $90 billion in 2011. Foreign direct investment into India from the United States reached $28.4 billion in 2012. In recent years, India has been among the fastest-growing sources of investment into the U.S., totaling about $8.9 billion, as of 2012. This impressive growth has been possible with the support of Chambers of Commerce like IACC providing excellent platforms for collaboration. We

thank IACC and its members for the long-standing partnership with the U.S. Consulate in expanding our business ties. One of the best ways to build trade collaborations is through introducing Indian businesses to prospective U.S. partners. I am pleased to note that the U.S. Commercial Service team in South India will host several U.S. delegations to South India in 2014:

Dental Trade Mission to Bangalore – September 8 – 12, 2014 .

Maritime Trade Mission to Kochi – November 9-15, 2014 .

U.S. Franchise Trade Mission to Bangalore – December 8-12, 2014 .

IACC members may also be interested in the following trade shows in the United States during the next quarter:

1. 2014 Offshore Technology Conference - May 5–8 Houston, TX www.otcnet.org

2. The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (NRA Show) 2014 - May 17–20 Chicago, IL show.restaurant.org/Home

3. InfoComm International® 2014 - June 18–20 Las Vegas, NV www.infocommshow.org

4. 2014 International Franchise Expo - June 19–21 New York, NY www.ifeinfo.com

5. 2014 Annual Meeting and Clinical Laboratory Expo of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry - July 27–31 Chicago, IL www.aacc.org

Please contact our Commercial Service office if you or your company representatives are

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interested in meeting with these delegations and/or attending U.S. trade shows to connect with U.S. suppliers. The Commercial Service can also provide general information about investing in the United States. For those of you planning business travel to the United States, we hope you also take time to enjoy some of the many leisure activities in the United States. Whether considering a family holiday to the U.S.or looking for tourism opportunitiesin conjunction with a business trip, our partners in promoting travel and tourism to the U.S. – BrandUSA (www.thebrandusa.com) and Visit USA (www.vusa.in) -- have representatives in India who can make it easy to plan a memorable visit. We encourage you to send us your suggestions for programs encompassing subjects that are relevant to your membership. Our Public Affairs office in collaboration with IACC has arranged some great programs for visiting U.S. speakers on different topics of interest, such as: “U.S. - India Business Cooperation on Climate Change Issues” by David Waskow (February 2014) in Chennai and “International Trade and Investment with Special Reference to Immigration” by Dr. Edward Alden (March 2014) in Bangalore. To find out more about U.S. trade and investment opportunities and U.S. Consulate activities and services, please visit our Consulate website http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/ and the U.S. Commercial Service websitehttp://www.buyusa.gov/india. Sincerely, Jenifer McIntyre U.S. Consul General in Chennai

The United States Welcomes

MICE Visitors

Did you know that 20 percent of more than 720,000 Indian visitors to the United States in 2012were short-term business travelers? Did you also know that President Obama encourages more international visitors to travel to the United States? That is good news for MICE travelers! What is MICE Travel? MICE stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions – MICE for short. The United States continues to be one of the top MICE travel destinations in the world. The United Statesprovides excellent business convention locationsand facilities,with plenty of sights to visit nearby, innumerable restaurants with a wide range of international food options, hotels, shopping, and tourism opportunities galore. From the glamour of Hollywood to the majestic Niagara Falls to the white sandy beaches in Hawaii to the neon lights of Las Vegas, the United States has something to offer every traveler. Travel and tourism is an important way for India and the United States to expand our cultural and commercial ties.In 2012, the United States welcomed over 720,000 visitors from India – a new record, and a nine percent increase over 2011. India is now poised to leap into the top 10 countries sending travelers to the United States and could cross the one million visitor mark by 2015.

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By 2018, the United States anticipates the growth of Indian travelers to America to jump 50% – an impressive increase in just a few short years. The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India are eager to promote MICE travel to the United States whether it is for business or tourism travel. The Consulate in Chennai is fully committed to helping you and your business colleagues navigate the visa process and to make travel planning as easy as possible.The United States has a transparent visa system benefitting Indian nationals and businesses.The U.S. Consulates in India process nearly 700,000 visas per year, the third highest total in the world. The vast majority- 97% -of visas is processed within 24 hours and appointment wait times in Chennai are currently two days.On the day of the interview, visa applicants in Chennai can expect an average wait time of less than thirty minutes once inside the Consulate. We aim to have as transparent a process as possible, and have conducted over 500visa outreach events in the past two years, meeting with business leaders, business groups, students and other travelers across southern India. We encourage the business community to consider the United States as a destination of choice for your travel needs as you plan business meetings, incentive travel for your employees, conventions or exhibitions, as well as leisure travel. Group Appointments Last year, President Obama announced that one of his second-term priorities would be to further increase the numbers of foreign tourists who visit the United States. To accomplish this goal, he has promoted reforms aimed at simplifying the process for international visitors. One change in our visa processing allows group appointments for six or more travelers traveling together at the same time and going to the same destination. A few examples of qualifying groups include business colleagues going to a convention or business meeting, performing artists, school trips, professional trainees, and tour groups. However, families and relatives traveling together do not qualify as a group and must request individual appointments. If your group meets the criteria, simply go to http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/in-svc-groupappointment.asp and request a group appointment. After you receive a response, pay the application fee, complete the Nonimmigrant Visa Electronic Application Form (DS-160) for each group member, and schedule your appointments. This simple and easy process makes group appointments a convenient way to schedule visa interviews at the same time. Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chennai.usconsulate Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/USAndChennai

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Chamber Events

February 21, 2014: FEMA Guidelines & Cross Border Trade

Participants actively taking part in Quiz conducted

by Mr. Asif Ali

January 17, 2014: Members’ Network Nite,

U.S. Consul General Ms.Jennifer McIntrye

addressing the members

Mr.L. Ganesh, Chairman, Rane Group addressing the

gathering .

February 14, 2014 - Breakfast meeting

- LISTEN TO THE LEADER

Mr. Suhas Bendre & Mr. Vishnuram Jagannathan posing for photograph. Also seen IACC-TN Branch office-bearers

February 24,2014– Discussion on U.S - India Business Cooperation on Climate Change Issues

The guest speakers Mr. David Waskow &

Mr. Surojit Bose posing for photograph.

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U.S. Commercial Service Trade Leads

SnapGene http://www.snapgene.com/is innovative cross-platform molecular biology software. It is the fastest and easiest tool available to molecular biologists to plan, visualize, document, and share their everyday procedures. Snapgene is looking for distributors in India. Commercial Lynks (CL) http://commerciallynks.com/, based in Alexandria, VA, is an export management company that specializes in trading North American agricultural commodities and consolidated food products. CL works closely with farmers, elevators and producers in order to create a sustained market for U.S. agricultural products worldwide. CLI exports mainly to India, and is interested in identifying partners/importers in India. Dyna Purge, A division of Shuman Plastics-www.dynapurge.comThe New York based company specializes in manufacturing of thermo plastic purging compounds used for cleaning of plastic processors during various stages of plastic manufacturing. Dyna purge is seeking distributors to expand their presence in India. Rosseto Serving Solutions www.rosseto.com The Lincolnwood, IL based company is a manufacturer of dispensers and display ware, crafted from the finest materials for the high-end hospitality industry. They are an approved vendor for various hotels chains and international food service providers such as Hilton, Fairmont, Swissotel& Raffles, Hyatt, Marriott and many more. Rosseto is seeking distributors in India. Ultra-chem Industries Inc. http://www.ultra-chemical.comThe North Carolina based company is an innovative, research based developer and supplier of specialty industrial chemicals. The company is looking to promote one of their products, UltrahoofEnviroclean that is a polymer based, low ph detergent that is useful as a broad anti-microbial, anti-mold and anti-fungal cleaning/sanitizing compound. Ultra Chem is seeking distributors in India. M.A. Ford www.maford.com is a leading rotary cutting tool manufacturer in the U.S since 1919. They are looking for distributors in India. FilmLook Inc., www.filmlook.comhas 25 years of experience in providing high quality digital post production services such as color correction, editing and DVD authoring to the entertainment industry. FilmLook operates a full service production facility that specializes in making electronic production look like film. They are seeking partners in India. If you are interested in any of the above trade enquiries, please contact us by email: sujatha@iaccindia.com

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LegalEra Awards, 2013

Kochhar and Co., Chennai has been awarded the Best Law Firm in Chennai for the year 2013-14 by LegalEra at the awards function held in Mumbai on Satur-day 15th March. Kochhar & Co., were also the proud recipient of the Best Realestate and Construction Law Firm for the year 2013-2014. LegalEra is India’s premier le-gal media group. The LegalEra Awards 2013 - 2014 celebrates excellence among the legal fraternity and identifies true achievers in Legal Arena.. Leaders of Tomorrow, 2013 TRS Forms and Services Private Limited, an ITES organization from Chennai has won Leader of Tomorrow 2013 (south) award from ETNow and Indiamart. This award is in the ITES vertical. This is the first recognized award that TRS have received after around 15 years of services. Now TRS has been nominated for the National award for ITES vertical. As per Mr.N.Subramanian, MD of TRS “The selection for this award was done after several rounds of short-listing and fi-nally with a one to one Jury meeting. The members of the Jury were all leaders in the industry. Hence the selection has been done purely on merit.

Member’s Achievements

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Indo-US Trade News:

India, US trade in goods touch an all-time high of $63.7 billion in 2013 WASHINGTON: The India-US trade reached an all-time high of over $63.7 billion in 2013, with a nearly $20 billion balance in favour of India, official figures released for the year disclosed today. According to the figures released by the US Census Bureau, in 2013 the US exported $21.87 billion worth of goods to India, while imported $41.82 billion worth of goods, with the over trade being a record $63.7 bil-lion, an increase of 1.7 per cent from the previous year of 2012.

The India-US trade has jumped multiple times in the last one decade. In 2003, the US had exported goods worth $4.9 billion to India and had imported goods worth $13 billion, making a total of nearly $18 billion, according to figures. Source: The Economic Times

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS

Published by Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, New No:6 (Old No:2), Seethammal Colony, I Cross Street, Alwarpet, Chennai - 600 018 Phone: +91 44 2435 8391 Telefax: +91 44 2431 0506 E-mail: tn@iaccindia.com Website: www.iaccindia.com Disclaimer: The content of this Newsletter, SPECTRUM has been gathered from various sources. This content has been made available by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce to its members in good faith as a service to them. Though the Chamber has taken adequate efforts to ensure the authenticity of the information, the Chamber will not be liable for any action that readers take based on the information presented. The views presented herein are those of the authors/contributors and are not necessarily the views of the Chamber. The organization does not accept any liability whatsoever nor do they accept responsibility for any financial or legal consequences arising from the use of the information provided herein.

S.No Name Designation Company Name City Line of Business

1

Ms. C. Rajesh-wari

General Man-ager

The Central Scientific Sup-

plies Co Ltd

Chennai

Laboratory chemi-cals, glassware and

instruments 2

Mr. S.S.R. Ra-jkumar CMD

3

Mr. Kesav Raj

Head-Exports

Cholayil Private Ltd

Chennai

Manufacturer & Ex-porter of Ayurvedic

Toiletries