Small Business Exporters Now Have Access to $100 Million Revolving Credit Through Export-Import Bank Program

More small business exporters in the Pittsburgh region and throughout the United States will have access to $100 million in revolving credit, thanks to a new product unveiled this week by the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) called Global Credit Express (GCE).

"Global Credit Express is an innovative product that will help small business exporters obtain the financing they need to improve their bottom line and succeed in a highly competitive global economy," said Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred P. Hochberg. "This new product will provide additional liquidity for eligible American exporters and access to financing at a reasonable cost."

Through GCE, small business exporters may be eligible for a revolving line of credit, up to $500,000 for 6 to 12 months. During the program's pilot phase, an initial $100 million in financing will be made available through a select number of lenders nationwide. Following the pilot, the Bank will evaluate the results of this direct loan program and determine whether to increase the available amount. The product is specially designed to finance the business of exporting rather than specific export transactions.

Small business exporters interested in applying for financing through GCE the Duquesne University Small Business Development Center at 412-396-1633 or by email at duqsbdc@duq.edu or by contacting Ex-Im Bank directly by calling toll-free to 1-800-565-EXIM (3946) and selecting option 2.

The Duquesne SBDC is one of three of the Ex-Im Bank's City-State Partners in Pennsylvania. It offers no-cost, confidential consulting services and training workshops for small businesses and those thinking of starting a business in the region.

The Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. In the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has earned for U.S. taxpayers $1.9 billion above the cost of operations. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services. For more information, visit www.exim.gov.

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GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays - March 1 at Istanbul Grille - Great Networking Opportunities - FREE!

The GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays event for March will be held at Istanbul Grille at 4130 Butler Street in Lawrenceville from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays is a regular monthly night of networking and socializing with different themes, different activities and different locations - but always with an international flavor - on the first Thursday of every month.

March's event will be held at Istanbul Grille on Thursday, March 1 from 5:30PM to 8:00PM. Join us for an evening of friends, interesting conversation and good spirits with an international flair.

You'll have opportunities to meet GlobalPittsburgh members, friends & visitors from many countries, and network with globally-minded people from Pittsburgh and all over. There will be free appetizers, bar specials, raffles, and more. 

There will be membership information at the event, but you may also join GlobalPittsburgh now at http://www.globalpittsburgh.org/membership

Admission is FREE. Bring your friends! If you have questions, please call Tim at 412-392-4513 or by email at tallen@globalpittsburgh.org.

Thanks to support from Welcoming America!

Photos from past First Thursdays and a few other GlobalPittsburgh events, activities, and programs can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/

See you there!

The GlobalPittsburgh Team

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Pittsburgh International Will Be One Of 30 U.S. Airports To Start New TSA Pre-Check Security Program During 2012

Pittsburgh International Airport will be one of 30 U.S. airports to implement the new Transportation Security Administration Pre-Check program during 2012, which will allow certain pre-screened travelers to pass more quickly through security checkpoints, the agency has announced.

Implementing a key component of what the TSA calls its "intelligence-driven, risk-based approach to security," the Pre-Check program "enhances aviation security by placing more focus on pre-screening individuals who volunteer to participate in order to expedite the travel experience."

TSA is partnering with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as well as U.S. air carriers as part of this pre-flight screening initiative. Certain frequent flyers from Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and certain members of CBP's Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS who are U.S. citizens are eligible to participate.

Passengers who are flying on Delta out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Las Vegas’ McCarran International and Minneapolis-St. Paul International airports or on American out of Dallas/Fort Worth International, Las Vegas’ McCarran International, Miami International Los Angeles International and Minneapolis-St. Paul airports are eligible to participate, which could qualify them for expedited screening at select checkpoints.

Delta will begin TSA Pre-Check operations at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) on February 14 and American will begin at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on February 28. In March, TSA Pre-Check will expand to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) for qualified participants flying on Delta and to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) for participants flying on American.

In 2012, TSA plans to expand TSA Pre-Check for eligible passengers flying on participating airlines at the following airport locations:
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
Honolulu International Airport (HNL)
Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL)
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
Portland International Airport (PDX)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Tampa International Airport (TPA)
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

TSA plans to continue expanding the TSA Pre-Check concept to include additional airlines, as well as airports that participate in CBP’s Global Entry program, once operationally ready. READ FULL ARTICLE

Canada-U.S. Healthcare Technology Summit Scheduled for March 8-9 to Discuss Improving Care Through Innovation

The Consulate General of Canada in Buffalo and the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, along with their partner, the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), will present the inaugural Canada - United States Healthcare Information Technology Summit in Pittsburgh, March 8-9 at the DoubleTree Hotel.

The Summit’s goal is to foster partnerships and identify opportunities for synergies between Canadian Healthcare information technology (IT) companies and U.S. Hospitals and Health Insurers, to accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions, leading to improved outcomes and lowered costs.

As total annual U.S. healthcare costs have passed $2 trillion, the role of healthcare and technology has taken center stage both in Washington and on Wall Street. The United States has embarked on a major overhaul of its healthcare system and is seeking to reduce costs and improve patient care utilizing information technology and mobile communications, as well as through the adoption of advanced care delivery and reimbursement models.

Several innovative Canadian Healthcare IT companies will be selected to participate in the Thursday evening March 8, networking reception/session and the Friday, March 9, educational session from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

A distinguished group of speakers from the United States and Canada will cover these topics and more:
 - Increasing Use of Social Media in Healthcare
 - Hospital CIO will describe her experience with the conversion to ICD-10 codes
 - Use of SMS/Text Messaging for successful health management
 - Update on the HIE progress in Western Pennsylvania
 - Networking opportunities with local contacts & representatives from innovative Canadian eHealth companies

Thursday, March, 8 Networking Reception and Presentation
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.: Networking & Exhibits (refreshments served)

6:30 - 7:45 p.m.: Use of Social Media in Healthcare Panel Discussion, followed by Q&A session
- Kelly Kimberland, Director, Market Strategy & Social Marketing, UPMC Health Plan, Pittsburgh, PA
- Howard Rosen, CEO, LifeWIRE Corporation, Toronto, Ontario & Annapolis, MD

7:45 - 8:30 p.m.: Networking & Exhibits

Friday, March 9, 2012 Educational Seminars 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.: Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.: Welcome
- Mary C. St. Mary, Trade Commissioner, Consulate General of Canada
- Robert Sheesley, President, Western Pennsylvania Chapter of HIMSS

8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.: Surviving the ICD-10 Conversion
- Carlyn Mouton, Chief Business Development Officer, Salumatics, Mississauga, Ontario
- Diane Salois-Swallow, CIO, York Central Hospital, Toronto, Ontario

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Using Interactive SMS for Successful Health Management
- Howard Rosen, CEO, LifeWIRE Corporation, Toronto, Ontario & Annapolis, MD

10:30 a.m to 10:45 a.m.: Break

10:45 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.: Health IT Security Concerns
- Mac McMillan, CEO, CynergisTek, Inc., Austin, TX and Chair, HIMSS Privacy & Security Policy Task Force

Noon to 1:00 p.m. Lunch A select group of innovative Canadian companies will provide brief five-minute overviews of their company’s products & services

1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.: Keynote
Invited Speaker: Representative from Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

2:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Closing

Breakout Rooms will be available to meet one to one with representatives from Canadian companies from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Event Sponsors: © Copyright Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society

Event Sponsors:

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Warhol Museum Launches Two-Year, Five-City Asian Tour With Largest Retrospective Ever Seen in Asia

The Andy Warhol Museum will send its latest traveling exhibition - a retrospective of the Pittsburgh native's work spanning his career from the 1940s to 1980s - to Asia, with the first stop at Singapore's ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands, opening March 17, 2012.

"Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal" is the largest retrospective of Warhol’s artwork to travel to Asia. The exhibition is arranged by decade and features more than 300 paintings, photographs, screen prints, drawings, and sculptures. Iconic works in the exhibition include Jackie (1964), Marilyn Monroe (1967), Silver Liz (1963), Mao (1972), Campbell’s Soup (1961), The Last Supper (1986), and Self-Portrait (1986).

The exhibition, sponsored by BNY Mellon and curated by The Warhol, chronicles the breadth of Warhol’s career and demonstrates the scope of his interests. It will travel to five Asian cities over 27 months. Following Singapore, the exhibition will then tour to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and finally Tokyo in 2014. Further details on these venues will be confirmed as they become available.

“Fascinated by the glitterati, Warhol remains a complex and often misunderstood persona 25 years after his death, whose artwork depicting consumer objects such as Heinz ketchup boxes, and paintings of Marilyn Monroe and Mao Tse-Tung have been imprinted into our collective consciousness,” said Eric Shiner, director of The Warhol.

“We are thrilled that BNY Mellon is bringing the life, work and creative genius of Andy Warhol to cities across Asia," he said "This remarkable and extensive collection celebrates anew someone whose life and work define the concept: fame is fleeting, art is eternal."

“BNY Mellon’s global commitment to the arts is designed to facilitate access and deeper exploration of art through the communities in which we live and work. We are very proud to be supporting The Andy Warhol Museum and bringing this remarkable body of work to Asia,” said Steve Lackey, chairman of Asia-Pacific, BNY Mellon. 


A comprehensive series of education programs will accompany the exhibition and feature silkscreening workshops for schools and teachers and school outreach programs. READ FULL ARTICLE