SAVE YOUR SPOT!

April 23-25, 2008

TITLE SPONSOR:
     

Be among the first 100 conference registrants and you will be eligible to participate in a drawing for an iPod Touch!

Conference Web site:  http://www.regonline.com/babc2008

On behalf of the British-American Business Council, Chicago and British Airways, our Title Sponsor, we are pleased to invite you to participate in the 2008 BABC Transatlantic Business Conference in Chicago, April 23-25. 

Focusing on the theme "Connectivity in a Transatlantic World," this conference will bring together over 200 business and political leaders, key executives and investment agencies from both sides of the Atlantic.

From the moment you register on April 23, you can meet up with colleagues or make new contacts in the hospitality area, until it’s time to head off to the opening welcome reception.

Hosted by the British Consulate-General, Chicago, the opening welcome reception will include remarks by Sir Nigel Sheinwald, the British Ambassador to the US.
 
On Thursday morning, the two-day conference program begins, packed with interactive sessions and insights from industry leaders.  Some highlights include:   

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• The opening session, featuring Sir Nigel Sheinwald, the British Ambassador to the United States;  Richard LeBaron, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy in London; and moderated by Colin Dyers, Chief Executive Officer, Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated.

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 • Keynote luncheon speaker Willie Walsh, Chief Executive Officer, British Airways, on Thursday afternoon.

 

 

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• Olympic panel discussion on Friday morning featuring Patrick G. Ryan, Chairman & CEO, Chicago 2016 Olympic Team Exploratory Committee and Sir Alan Collins, Olympic Champion 2012 Olympic Team London.    

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We know that you've come to learn, but also to network.  So before and after sessions, we've included extended refreshment breaks for informal conversation with peers and experts, as well as opportunities to make valuable new contacts, in a friendly, relaxed exhibit atmosphere, hosted by British Airways.  British Airways will display a 777 cabin exhibit with their new flat-bed seats and some design elements from the new elite passenger lounges in Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 which opens next month.

After a full day of sessions on Thursday, we’ve planned an entertaining gala dinner event at the Adler Planetarium, one of Chicago's most renowned museums, which offers exciting interactive exhibits and breathtaking views of the City.

We look forward to seeing you!  And kindly spread the word about the conference to your colleagues and clients!

For more information and to register, visit the conference web site at http://www.regonline.com/babc2008.

 

Bliss
...products, and services to market
 

SBS Worldwide is a provider of innovative supply chain solutions with a wealth of talent and knowledge across the globe. When faced with the formalities of international commerce and the ever increasing security aspects is of great importance, yet not your core business; SBS Worldwide offers a flexible, professional and personable approach in meeting your objectives.

SBS Worldwide is proud to be the North American distributor for Bliss Home Design’s contemporary designer house wares for the modern home. Bliss works with well-known product designers and kitchen connoisseurs from the U.K. such as Nigella Lawson, Sebastian Conran, Oliver Hemming, and Britain’ best selling homes interiors magazine.

Mike Bliss, company director of Bliss Home Design, works closely with SBS Worldwide in both the U.K. and the U.S., and thus far the partnership has proved a strong combination.

Bliss now has available to customers over 300 product lines, featuring the best designs from Britain and around the world, delivered to customers in the global market place by SBS Worldwide.

Bliss Home; a web based supplier, faced a number of challenges as their business gained momentum with growing global sales. Pressures to retain, and surpass the high level of delivery commitment and expectation of their customer base, whilst remaining competitive, profitable and innovative, steered Bliss to review their supply chain components.

The objectives were clear and measurable. The contribution of SBS Worldwide provided Bliss with a streamlined end to end solution with significant improvements across all elements of the supply chain.

Assessments to truly understand the business began swiftly alongside open planning sessions, allowing engagement at every level and the production of agreed time lines and implementation schedule.

Security, compliance and sustainability issues figured highly within each component to ensure requisite standards and internal directives were met or exceeded.  High and low level visibility updates provided Bliss with assurances, that all involved were at pace and project goals were achieved, on time with required results.

SBS Worldwide manage multiple vendors over two continents, creating real time visibility to SKU and PO detail giving Bliss the control of costs and product whilst allowing them to concentrate on their core activities.

Key consolidation points were established at origins to maximise ocean payloads with a single U.S. landed center, based in Chicago. This SBS facility receives and accommodates the inventory via a stock module system whilst supporting 15 to 30 orders daily, which are picked and dispatched same day. Domestic courier and truck moves are utilised for final delivery across North America to retail outlets, commercial accounts and private residence.

The priority given to the flow of information being as crucial as the product itself and the commitment of all involved, have produced greater efficiencies and reduced waste within this supply chain. But it doesn’t stop there.

SBS Worldwide will continue to review and enhance the processes, remove unnecessary cost and waste whilst exceeding the performance criteria.
 
Open forum reviews allow thoughts and ideas to flourish from all involved as we look to evolve the business and the relationships for our mutual and continued success.

Article contributed by Dennis Potts, General Manager, SBS Worldwide.  For more information on SBS contact Dennis at 630-617-6260.

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If you would like to submit an article to Anglofile, please
e-mail Chris Brenkus at cbrenkus@babcc.org.  Article contributions are most welcome. 

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SIXTH ANNUAL BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL AWARDS

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

The British Consul General Awards was established to encourage and recognize corporations and/or individuals who have made significant contributions to furthering trade, commerce, civic, philanthropic, and/or cultural relations between the United Kingdom and the United States. There are two company categories for the awards: 1) Companies with annual budgets in excess of $1-million; and 2) Companies with annual budgets under $1-million.

The British-American Business Council's Board of Directors encourages you to help us identify qualified nominees, including your own company, for the Awards.  The deadline for submitting nominations is May 30, 2008.  The Awards dinner is scheduled for the Fall of 2008.

Click below to download the Criteria and Nomination Form:

Award Criteria

Award Nomination Form

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Recipients of the British Consul Award

 

2007 British Consul General Award Recipient
Tate & Lyle produces a wide range of food and industrial ingredients, namely in the US and Europe, and is one of the largest corn refiners in the US. Tate & Lyle (with headquarters in London) has 10 manufacturing or blending facilities in the US and its global research and development center is based in Decatur, IL. In addition to corn syrup, Tate & Lyle also manufactures food ingredients, such as starches, sweeteners (including SPLENDA® Sucralose), acidulates, citrates, savory flavors, animal feed, and ethanol. Tate & Lyle is being honored for its significant and consistent growth over the last several years; its investment in ethanol—Tate & Lyle will have the ability to fill the need for corn-based ethanol as a oxygenator/octane, and continue to develop their wet mills to be flexible for a number of corn-based products; and for the company’s overall commitment and approach to the environment.

2007 Smaller Enterprise Award Recipient
Neogen Europe Ltd, established in 1998 and located in the west of Scotland and acquired in 2003 by the Neogen Corporation headquartered in Lansing, MI, is dedicated to the development and marketing of novel diagnostic test kits that address topical concerns about the quality and safety of agricultural and food products. Neogen Europe Ltd. is a recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade. The BABCC is honoring Neogen Europe for its innovation in the development and marketing of solutions for animal food and safety and creation of high quality jobs as a result of its rapid growth.

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2006 British Consul General Award Recipient
Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated, the world's leading real estate services and money management firm, is being honored for its exemplary integration of two businesses which were--each in its own right--successful institutions on the business maps of London and Chicago respectively: Jones Lang Wootton, a U.K. firm dating from 1783, and LaSalle Partners, a U.S. firm founded in 1968. Since its merger in 1999, the firm has continued to grow its business and today has 22,000 employees in 50 countries. In 2005, Jones Lang LaSalle achieved record revenues and profits and was named to the Forbes Platinum 400—the only real estate money management and services firm to be included in that listing of top companies from all sectors. Jones Lang LaSalle has created a suite of innovative services for its clients, an example of which is the first integrated global accounts payable system in the real estate outsourcing industry. It is involved in important governmental initiatives on both sides of the Atlantic, providing real estate advice to the London Olympic team in connection with the largest sporting event that the U.K. will ever have hosted, and also advising The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on the redevelopment of the World Trade Center.

2006 Smaller Enterprise Award Recipient
British School of Chicago,  part of a privately-held, British-owned group, is being honored for the outstanding growth it has achieved and for its unique contribution to the Chicago educational community.  Offering an alternative choice for private school education (K-12) in Chicago, the school opened its doors in September 2001 with approximately 15 pupils and has grown to 260 pupils in 2006.  The school offers a challenging and broad curriculum based on the English National Curriculum, facilitating educational continuity for a range of international executives and their families—with 85% of the families being American.  Other British Schools are located in Washington, D.C., Boston, Charlotte, and Houston.

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2005 British Consul General Award Recipient
RR Donnelley was the recipient of the 2005 British Consul General Award.  RR Donnelley, the world’s premier full-service global print provider and the largest printing company in North America, is being honored for its global leadership, expanded outreach to existing and new clients, and innovation--changing the role of print in every marketplace it serves.  With the acquisition of The Astron Group, a leading U.K.-based provider of integrated business process outsourcing solutions (for approximately $990 million), RR Donnelley expanded its ability to serve global customers with locations in the U.K. and U.S.  In addition, in May of 2005, RR Donnelley opened a new European headquarters for its Global Capital Markets financial printing business in a renovated building in the heart of London’s financial district.  This 24 hours a day, 7 days a week facility reflects the technological sophistication that makes this London facility the center of their European financial printing operations.  

2005 Smaller Enterprise Award Recipient
Batavia-based Gripple, Inc., a subsidiary of Gripple Ltd. headquartered in the U.K., is being honored as an outstanding emerging company for its resilience, innovation and determined market focus, which has led to the successful building of a strong and dynamic US platform for Gripple, a platform from which shareholder value has been dramatically enhanced.  In January 2002, with a team of just four people, Gripple introduced its unique range of industrial hanger systems to the North American construction market.  Today, the company is on track to reach US revenues of $5-million in 2005 with a team now numbering 18 and global sales revenues of $30-million.  Growth has been achieved as a result of outstanding customer service, the supply of unique innovative products, and tremendous brand awareness for its products.  Gripple products have been not only used, but also requested by name in the construction/renovation of buildings owned by such companies as Walmart, Boeing, Ford Motor, U.S. Navy, Toyota, Honda, Meijer, and Home Depot.

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2004 British Consul General Award
Dyson was the recipient of the 2004 British Consul General Award.  Dyson, the hottest new vacuum cleaner company, was honored for its overall excellence in innovation, market penetration, job creation, and international exposure.  Since the October 2002 launch of UK inventor James Dyson's DC07 vacuum in the United States, Dyson has made a significant impact in the vacuum category and has built strong brand awareness.  The vacuums can now be found in more than 3,000 stores across the country and sales have exceeded expectations.  Dyson retailers include Sears, Target, Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, Kohl's, Costco, Linens 'n Things, Amazon.com, Hammacher Schlemmer, and other independent vacuum retailers nationwide.

2004 Smaller Enterprise Award Recipients
Mintel International Group, Ltd., a global market research firm, was honored for its enviable customer orientation, innovation, and ability to provide a unique overview of a market's dynamics and prospects.

Electronics market leader Newark InOne, a subsidiary of global distributor Premier Farnell plc, was honored for its ability to manage change and work across geographic and business boundaries with its UK parent to provide its customers exceptional service

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2003 British Consul General Award Recipient
Robert N. Culshaw, British Consul General, Chicago.    Robert Culshaw served at the British Consulate-General in Chicago from 1999-2003. During his post in Chicago, Robert's enthusiasm, excellent cultural, civic, and business knowledge, fine judgment and diplomacy raised the profile of the United Kingdom in Chicago and the Midwest to unprecedented levels. To recognize Mr. Culshaw's contribution in furthering the U.K. and the U.S. relations, the BABC awarded him the first Consul General Award at his farewell dinner on March 10, 2003.