Latest Insights – MAI Blog

SEUS//CP Alliance Conference 23-25 July 2023 St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada

For the 15th year, the MAI team of industry, trade, and investment specialists designed and implemented a successful B2B component of the Southeastern United States//Canadian Province Alliance Business Forum in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada hosted by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and its Department of Department of Industry, Energy and Technology (IET). Close to 70 companies participated. Anchor companies included The Coca-Cola Company, Port of Argentia, and the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University. SMEs met one-on-one to discuss various potential business relationships, including R&D partnerships, supply chain development, [...]

By |2025-05-12T12:17:14-04:00May 12th, 2025|Insights|0 Comments

SEUS//CP Alliance Business Forum 4-6 August 2024, Biloxi, Mississippi

For the 16th year, the MAI team of industry, trade, and investment specialists – Diane Alleva Caceres, Crystal Porter, Doug Wood, and our Georgia Tech interns – designed and implemented a successful B2B component of the Southeastern United States//Canadian Province Alliance Business Forum in Biloxi, Mississippi 4-6 August 2024 hosted by the Mississippi Development Authority. Over 70 companies participated. Large, anchor companies included Airbus, Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mississippi Polymer Institute, Mullen Automotive, Inc., Mississippi Power, Skydweller Aero, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, Port of Pascagoula, and Mississippi Power a Southern Company. Many SMEs [...]

By |2025-05-12T12:14:16-04:00May 12th, 2025|Insights|0 Comments

SEUS//CP Alliance Conference 19-21 June 2022 Savannah, GA, USA

For the 14th year, the MAI team of industry, trade and investment specialists - Diane Alleva Caceres, Crystal Porter, Doug Wood, and our Georgia Tech interns - designed and implemented a successful B2B component of the Southeastern United States//Canadian Province Alliance conference in Savannah, GA 19-21 June 2022 hosted by the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Over 90 companies participated. Large, anchor companies included Delta Airlines, Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia Power a Southern Company, Kia Georgia, Norfolk Southern Corporation, and The Coca-Cola Company. Many SMES met one-one-one to discuss a variety of [...]

By |2022-10-27T17:24:18-04:00October 27th, 2022|Events|0 Comments

Innovation Revisited

The word innovation has become firmly embedded in our vocabulary. Countries from the US to China and firms from Fortune 500s to Startups continue to develop innovation strategies with varying success. Yet we tend to forget innovation’s original meaning and why it’s important to our competitiveness. Innovation is not just a new technology or an invention. It’s a process beginning with new combinations of knowledge and resources and ending with market entry. Its impact on economic change can be either disruptive or incremental. The key, emphasized by the Austrian economist Alfred Schumpeter [...]

By |2019-09-04T19:00:26-04:00September 3rd, 2019|Insights|0 Comments

The US-Canada Innovation Ecosystem

The US-Canada bilateral trade and investment relationship is the largest in the world with $714.1 billion worth of goods and services traded in 2018. No wonder trade tariffs and the still to be approved, US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) continue to make headlines. Disrupting supply chains and an economic partnership of this size forces firms and consumers to make costly adjustments, but under the radar is a vibrant innovation ecosystem between the two countries. Organizations from both the US and Canada are teaming up in ways that positively impact value chains of R&D partners, [...]

By |2019-09-04T19:07:35-04:00August 24th, 2019|Insights|0 Comments

Managing International Payables

Managing International Payables In today’s global economy, small-to-medium sized companies increasingly source goods and services from international suppliers. These suppliers offer a wide range of high-quality products that are in great demand all over the world, including French cheese, Australian wine, Italian tile, Danish furniture, German precision equipment, Japanese electronics, and Swiss watches. Without the negotiating leverage of larger companies, paying international suppliers in a timely and cost efficient manner can be challenging, especially for smaller companies. In today’s global economy, small-to-medium sized companies increasingly source goods and services from international suppliers. [...]

By |2019-09-04T18:50:57-04:00August 23rd, 2019|Insights|0 Comments

Savvy CFO Strategies for Hedging Foreign Exchange Risk

To some, the word “hedging” has a negative connotation, maybe because it brings to mind high-risk or complicated hedge fund strategies. But currency hedging is a straightforward management practice for reducing or eliminating foreign exchange (FX) currency risk, like an insurance policy a company can buy to protect its profits from FX movements. When a U.S. company commits to a future transaction where foreign currency is paid or received, that company runs the risk of losing money if the value of the currency changes before payment is made or received. Savvy chief [...]

By |2019-09-04T18:52:53-04:00August 23rd, 2019|Insights|0 Comments

The Yield Curve Inverted… Now What?

Much has been discussed lately how close we may be to a recession. This week, one of the major signs of trouble according to precedent from previous economic crises came in the form of the inverted yield curve. Yield is usually the return that you hope an investment gives you in return for your risk-taking, but ultimately charts are showing that putting faith in bonds out in the long-term, say 10-year U.S. treasury bond, for example, does not pay you more than the short-term investment into a 2-year treasury bond. Ultimately, in [...]

By |2019-09-04T19:32:58-04:00August 23rd, 2019|Insights|0 Comments

Michelle Nunn Receives the Portman Global Leadership Award at Georgia’s 3rd Annual World Trade Day

Over 220 executives and thought leaders in global trade and investment attended the World Trade Center Atlanta's 3rd Annual World Trade Day on May 3rd, 2018. This year’s theme was, “Trade Talk: Capturing Global Markets in a Turbulent World.” Similar to last year, the event included a full-day conference with eight panel discussions and a keynote address by Griffith "Griff" V. Lynch, Executive Director Georgia Ports Authority. New this year was the expansion of the  International Pavilion. The John C. Portman Global Leadership Award, created to honor the legacy of John C. [...]

By |2019-08-23T22:36:11-04:00August 23rd, 2019|Events|0 Comments

Southeastern U.S.//Canadian Province Alliance 2018 – MAI Drives B2B Success

For the 11th year in a row, the MAI team of industry specialists including Bruce MacLellan, Diane Alleva Caceres, Crystal Porter, Doug Wood and Sheillach McDougall designed and implemented a successful B2B component of the Southeastern United States//Canadian Province Alliance conference in Mobile, AL 3-5 June 2018 hosted by Alabama's Department of Commerce. Over 70 companies - from large anchor companies like Mercedes Benz, Airbus and Austal t0 many SMES - met one-one-one to discuss a variety of potential business relationships from R&D partnerships and supply chain development to joint ventures and [...]

By |2019-08-23T22:46:45-04:00June 23rd, 2018|Events|0 Comments
Go to Top