1997 Fourth Annual

Russia and the

CIS Business Forum

focusing on

SUCCESS IN THE CIS

At the University of Arizona

SUCCESS IN RUSSIA AND THE CIS

This symposium is designed to assist businesses and business people who either operate or are considering starting a business in the CIS. The program will include case studies of successful businesses, presentations on US government business support programs, and analyses of the current legal, cultural, and economic situation.

The symposium will take place at the University of Arizona McClelland Hall, Room 208, 1130 E. Helen Street, Tucson, Arizona. It will open with a reception on Friday, October 31 at 7:30 p.m. The schedule for Saturday, November 1, is as follows:

8:00 Breakfast

9:00 Session 1

10:00 Session 2

11:00 Session 3

12:00 Lunch Break

1:00 Session 4

3:00 Session 5

5:00 Session 6

Session 1. Led by Linda Wetzel, who holds a post-graduate degree from Harvard University in Soviet studies and is a consultant to international businesses on the CIS and other regions. Her current project is a multi-phase intelligence study for a multinational corporation involved in natural resource exploitation in several former Soviet states and other countries. Ms Wetzel will present an overview of the current Russian economic scene, particularly in the Far East region. She will address the vast opportunities for foreign partners and investors in energy, timber, and other riches of the region, the growing independence of regional and local economic decision making there, and the gradually improving tax, financing and export regimes.

Session 2. Led by a panel of US government representatives providing information about such programs as: SABIT - the internship program for managers from CIS whom you can train in your business activities in the US in order to assure their effective work for your business in the CIS; EXIM BANK - the source of guarantees for commercial loans and other financial services; BISNIS - Business Information Service for the CIS which can assist with an assessment of business opportunities and provide the latest regulations and legislation in the CIS.

Session 3. Led by Vladimir Sergeevich Kuznetsov, Consul General of the Russian Federation in San Francisco. He will address the current political situation in Russia and the CIS and implications for American business. Mr. Kuznetsov has been serving as Consul General since October 1993. A graduate of the international economic relations faculty of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (with a PhD in economics), he is the author of a series of books and articles on international economic cooperation. Before becoming Consul General, Mr. Kuznetsov served as Governor of the Primorsky Krai, which includes the city of Vladivostok. He played a key role in economic reform and democratic development of the territory.

Session 4. Led by a panel presenting case studies of successful businesses in the CIS. Participants include: William Edwards, chief development officer and senior vice president of AlphaGraphics, the leading worldwide provider of rapid-response printing and related business services with 330 centers operating in 24 countries (including several in Russia) on five continents. Dennis Carroll, Manager for Strategic Planning, Hughes Missile Systems Company. His responsibilities include leading the development of enterprise strategy, integrating strategic objectives across Hughes business units, and resource allocation. These responsibilities encompass both a domestic and international focus. His discussion will focus on development of ongoing strategic relationships in the international market. JoAnn Trego, program manager, International Research and Development, Motorola, Inc., whose primary customers include Motorola Russia research laboratories and associated contractors. Ms Trego has 15 years of experience in semiconductor operations, including extensive international programs within the Caribbean, Far East, and Europe. The focus for this presentation is successfully exporting materials from the USA to Russia. Alla Weinstein, Director of Russia and CIS Business Development for Honeywell Co., whose primary areas of expertise include Russian aviation industry, international project finance, operation of the field office in Moscow, establishment of a Russian legal entity, marketing, and the pursuit of aviation business.

Session 5. Led by a panel presenting a variety of case studies. David J Bodney, deputy managing partner of the Phoenix office of Steptoe & Johnson, LLP, practices media and constitutional law. He is chairman of the Trial Techniques Committee of the Libel Defense Resource Center and co-author of the Arizona chapter of the LDRC's annual 50-State Survey of Media Privacy and Related Law. He is currently assisting an American newspaper in its defense of a libel lawsuit in London brought by a Russian plaintiff. In June 1997, Mr. Bodney addressed the first Russian-American conference on mass media law in Moscow before an audience of Russian and American judges, lawyers, and journalists. Garold E. Sokolenko, international operations coordinator, representing Western Forms International, Inc., a leading innovator in aluminum forming systems for concrete construction. Western Forms serves contractors, builders and developers in forty countries around the world and is developing its presence in the construction market of the Russian Federation. Lawrence Linson, marketing representative, CIS & Eastern Europe, Modular Mining Systems, Tucson, Az. As an international exporter Modular Mining Systems is pursuing multiple strategies to develop opportunities in the CIS. Because Modular Mining pursues direct sales, its focus is identifying potential clients that have the financial means to make large capital purchases or have the ability to obtain financing for such purchases. Michael H Mobbs, a partner in the international section of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP, is based in the firm's Washington, DC, and Moscow offices and is managing partner of the latter. He heads the firm's Russian practice and concentrates on commercial and corporate matters involving the CIS and Eastern Europe. Mr Mobbs has particularly strong experience in structuring, negotiating, and implementing a variety of international commercial transactions, including defense conversion projects, joint ventures, stock and asset acquisitions, distribution and licensing agreements, privatization of state-owned enterprises, and other forms of foreign capital investment in the CIS and Eastern Europe. Emmett McLaughlin & Ursula McLaughlin. Building on a decade of experience in the former East Bloc, Ursula and Emmett McLaughlin will describe their High Tech Conference Center -- Gaussig. Located near Dresden, Germany, this restored manor house will be a vital link for the transfer of American technology to the East.

Session 6. Presentation led by Kimberly A Miller, special assistant to the Pima CC president, who will introduce a group of 15 Russian entrepreneurs from Krasnoyarsk, Russia. They will be in Tucson through a USIA grant received by Pima CC to promote business ties with their American counterparts.