In this episode I sit down with Cindy Allen, CEO and Managing Director of Trade Force Multiplier LLC.  She is a global trade expert and former Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Compliance at FedEx Logistics, to unpack the growing complexity of international trade.

With over four decades of experience, Cindy shares her journey from an entry-level customs clerk to leading compliance strategy at some of the world’s largest logistics organizations. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at how global trade systems have evolved—and why compliance is now a critical business function, not an afterthought.

The conversation dives deep into today’s most pressing issues, including:

• The rise of AI in government trade enforcement and risk analysis
• How tariffs, trade regulations, and policy shifts are impacting exporters and importers
• Why companies must understand their compliance "risk profile"
• The increasing role of compliance leaders at the executive level
• Real world strategies for navigating audits, disputes, and regulatory challenges

Cindy also explains how government agencies are leveraging decades of trade data with advanced AI tools to identify anomalies - making proactive compliance more important than ever.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/how-ai-is-transforming-import-export-compliance-insights-from-cindy-allen

We also discuss Cindy's own podcast called 'Simply Trade', which offers a clever way of addressing the above issues.

We are so grateful to the Memphis World Trade Club for sponsoring this episode. 

They would love to have you join them for this year's Golf Tournament, June 8th at Windyke Country Club.  

Visit MemphisWorldTradeClub.com to learn more.

2026 is the 8th year for Export Stories Podcast (woo hoo!!), and we have some great guests lined up for you, beginning with today's episode.

Many of you know, because I mention it frequently, that I grew up in Memphis.  And if you are from Memphis, because of its proximity, you might have been lucky enough to visit one of the most beautiful and most interesting of American cities - New Orleans. The history is so fascinating.
 
And, if you are in the export or import business, you are going to be very excited to hear my conversation with today’s guest, Beth Branch, President & CEO of the Port of New Orleans.  Not only does she bring us up to date on what is happening with this dynamic ocean port, but she is also a great storyteller in her own right.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/beth-branch-president-ceo-of-the-port-of-new-orleans-multimodal-hub-and-much-much-more
 
I hope you enjoy this episode. After you’ve listened, we would love to hear your thoughts and comments, which you can post below or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.

Thank you for listening.

I would really like to thank our wonderful and faithful sponsor, Levy Commercial Realty, LLC

To celebrate our 60th episode, an accomplishment of which I am very proud, I looked to a new subject matter that we haven’t remotely explored – the world of literary management.  How fortunate to be able to welcome a delightful guest - Emily Sweet who is the Partner, Strategy and Communications with Park, Fine, & Brower, a world-renowned literary management agency. 
 
Though very closely aligned with publishing, this is a wholly unique business that I was fascinated to learn about and share our discussion with you.

You can listen here:

​https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/emily-sweet-shares-stories-about-the-world-of-international-literary-agency
 
For more information about Park, Fine, & Brower, here is a link to their website:

https://parkfinebrower.com/

I hope you enjoy this episode. After you’ve listened, we would love to hear your thoughts and comments, which you can post below. 

​I want to especially thank our generous sponsor - The Ohio State University Center for International Business Education and Research!

I always enjoy interviewing U.S. manufacturers with a long history of exporting because they are, in some ways, the heart of what Export Stories Podcast is all about.
 
Today’s guest, Blanca Ramirez, works for one such remarkable company, and has some wonderful stories to share from her long experience in international trade.  Blanca is the Green Hydrogen Solutions Manager for Lectro Dryer, a Kentucky Company that serves the international gases and liquids industries.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/blanca-ramirez-shares-stories-about-the-remarkable-company-that-is-lectro-dryer-of-kentucky-uioAvWmU

For more information about Lectro Dryer, here is the link to their website:

https://lectrodryer.com/

I hope you enjoy this episode. After you’ve listened, we would love to hear your thoughts and comments, which you can post below. This is your opportunity to lend your voice to our community of exporters.

I want to especially thank our generous sponsor - The Ohio State University Center for International Business Education and Research!

In our last episode with Ohio State’s CIBER’s Dr. Michael Knemeyer and Dominic DiCamillo, they proudly referred to Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business’ National Center for the Middle Market.  Such an important resource center.  If you think about it, it is really where most American companies reside. So, I am delighted to have as today’s guest the Managing Director, Doug Farren.
 
We had a great discussion about the varied work that they do supporting U.S. companies.  I know you will find it interesting.  You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/doug-farren-discusses-the-ohio-states-national-center-for-middle-markets

For more information about the Center, you can visit their website at:

https://www.middlemarketcenter.org/

I hope you enjoy this episode. After you’ve listened, we would love to hear your thoughts and comments, which you can post below.

I want to especially thank our generous sponsor - The Ohio State University Center for International Business Education and Research!

I want to thank our wonderful sponsor for today's episode - the Ohio State CIBER

We’re back – and it is Year #7 for Export Stories Podcast.  I’m pinching myself.  Thank you for joining us.
 
I was very determined that our first episode of 2025 would be about AI and exports.  I found the perfect guest for a ‘deep dive’ discussion.  He is Paul Edelblut, Vice President of Global Operations for Vantage Labs.  We are so honored to have Paul join us.  You’ll hear the voluminous questions that I had for Paul, and the ease in which he is able to discuss the technology and its relevance to the export community.  And, of course, he shared some fascinating stories with us.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/paul-edelblut-educates-us-on-ais-use-in-export-zgsUHTqG

We thank Paul for joining us.   You can learn more about Vantage Labs here:

https://www.vantage.com/

We welcome your comments and/or questions, which you can post below.  Thank you very much for listening.

We also want to thank our generous sponsor, Levy Commercial Realty, LLC, your long-term strategic real estate partner, from concept to completion!

You have probably noticed that I keep coming back to the subject of agriculture on this podcast – for very good reasons – it is critical to the U.S. export economy.  And then it occurred to me – here, practically in my own backyard, in Shelby County, TN, we have the most amazing not-for-profit organization – Agricenter International. 
 
So, it is our good fortune that the President and CEO, John Butler, agreed to be my guest and enlighten us all about the Agricenter.  John’s background is both unique and fascinating.  I hope you enjoy our conversation.

You can listen here:

https://export-stories-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/john-butler-and-agricenter-international-a-gem-in-the-world-of-agricultural-research-Q2oSEKrp

After you listen, we would love for you to share your comments here or on our Facebook page or via LinkedIn

For more information about Agricenter International, visit:

https://www.agricenter.org/


Thanks for listening!