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5040 Timberlea Blvd • Mississauga • Ontario • Canada • L4W 2S5 • T: 905-792-0500 • F: 888-686-2568 • E: clientsolutions@elandscs.com • W: elandscs.com International Logistics • Customs Brokerage • Freight Forwarding • Highway & Intermodal • Container Drayage • Warehousing • Certified Weighing & Sampling A Full Service World Class Company BRC Certified In Food Safety 18 Tea & Coffee Trade Journal | www.teaandcoffee.net uct," said Juan Certain. "We continue the tradition that our grandfather started over fifty years ago, being respectful of the environment and of each other while producing a number of great products." The brothers came with their par- ents to the U.S. as political refugees in 1999 during the violence in Colombia. David Certain, who was 18 at the time, endured several kidnapping attempts, which was a popular way for guerillas to extract money from local landowners to fund their cause, according to his broth- er Juan. After first moving to Miami and not enjoying the city bustle and traffic, they decided to retake the pas- sion for coffee and go back to the farm and import their beans to Albuquerque, N.M. The state seemed like a perfect match since the coffee was grown at high elevation and roasted at almost the exact same elevation.—Zachery Bridgeman NCA Outlines Strategies & Initiatives at Annual Convention in Coronado The National Coffee Association (NCA), kicked off its annual convention by hon- oring the military presence of its host city–San Diego/Coronado–with a wel- come party aboard the USS Midway on March 17 th . Attendees were able to tour the ship and peer inside many of the mil- itary's elite fighter planes and helicopters (many even posed for pictures in front of the plane Tom Cruise flew in Top Gun). With a focus on being more stra- tegic, NCA president Bill Murray out- lined the Association's top ten initia- tives, which include a new website, a new member directory, a sustainability showcase, a new communications strat- egy, a Coffee Career Center (job board) and even a National Coffee Week sur- rounding National Coffee Day (Sept. 29 th ). During his speech, Murray noted that more than 1.5 million people in the U.S. directly and indirectly depend on coffee for their livelihoods. He also introduced John "JD" DeMuria as the new NCA chairman, succeeding Bruce Goldsmith, and Michael Gaviña, as the new (and youngest ever) vice chair- man (he succeeds DeMuria). DeMuria discussed the Economic Impact Study the NCA commissioned to help bol- ster its clout for advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C., as well as the NCA aggressively tackling challenges such as fighting legal and regulatory issues arising from coffee chemistry and its strategy to attract and engage younger industry members. The opening day keynote speaker was Michael Steele, former chair of the Republican National Committee and MSNBC Political Analyst, who offered his perspective on the current U.S. polit- ical landscape and unprecedented and unpredictable presidential election. This year marks the seventh anniver- sary of the end of the "Great Recession." In his session, "The Seven Year Itch," Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.'s man- aging director, Scott Clemons, explained the U.S. Federal government's monetary policy, the volatile energy prices and the faltering Chinese growth market, and what this means for investors and business owners. Clemons noted that although 2.7 million jobs (U.S.) have been added in the last year, bringing unemployment down to 4.9 percent, the workweek is increasing and there is an absence of wage growth (in this seventh year of a labor market recovery). He also noted that there is a divergence between economic activity in the manufacturing and service sectors, and that personal consumption has not been (over the last few years) and will not be a driver of economic activity. During the session, "The Economic Impact of the Coffee Industry," David Henkes, senior principal, and Joseph Pawlak, managing principal, of Technomic Inc., presented the results of New&Notable USS Midway in San diego harbor