In the latest episode of “Talking Trade,” UK Consul General in Chicago, Alan Gogbashian, shares insights on the post-Brexit global trade landscape and other trends.

Trade between the United States and the UK is on the rise, he notes, as “the economic relationship is thriving” between the two nations.

“Sitting here in the Midwest, we obviously play a major part of that — this is an economic powerhouse region, it’s a hugely diversified economy,” he said.

Gogbashian weighs in on the ripple effects of the UK leaving the European Union, noting uncertainty following the move in early 2020 has largely died down. He argues companies “now have the certainty they need,” pointing to various frameworks for “creating certainty and clarity” around international business.

“Since leaving the European Union, the UK has been allowed to pursue its own international trade policy,” he said. “We couldn’t do that as a member of the [EU] … We can pursue our own trade objectives in the way that makes the most sense for UK interests, and the interests of the individual countries we have relationships with.”

The discussion also touches on the potential for a free trade agreement between the U.S. and the UK, for which negotiations began under the Trump administration but fizzled under President Joe Biden, Gogbashian said.

“We’ve had a fantastic economic dialogue with this administration, it just looks different to an FTA conversation,” he said. “In the future, if an FTA were to come back on the table, then we’d certainly be interested in pursuing that. But in the meantime, there’s so much opportunity for us to pursue at state level.”

Talking Trade is hosted by E.M Wasylik Associates Managing Director Ken Wasylik and M.E. Dey & Co. President and Managing Director Sandi Siegel.

In the latest edition of “Talking Trade,” Wisconsin District Export Council Acting Chair Chris Wojtowicz discusses the latest developments in the global export landscape and how it connects to the state.

Wojtowicz, who’s also an international trade consultant with the Small Business Development Center, said he’s seeing “a lot of continued opportunity and growth” in the ports of Superior and Duluth.

“Around the state, we’re seeing really cool opportunities in foreign direct investment,” he said. “That’s something that we really don’t talk about quite a bit, but you know, between Japan, China’s still investing of course, Mexico’s investing, Italy — it’s just been really kind of neat.”

The discussion also touches on companies looking at alternatives to China for diversifying their supply chains, as well as some recent disruptions that have underlined the fragility of these networks. That includes the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, caused by a collision with a large container ship.

The DEC recently re-launched its website with a new events page, Wojtowicz said, aimed at capturing all international trade-related events happening across the state.

In this week’s episode of “Talking Trade,” Michael Sekula of InPro Corporation discusses global supply chain challenges and how companies are navigating them.

Sekula is vice president of global supply chain management and safety for the Muskego-based company, which provides architectural products for commercial buildings.

“There are a couple wars going on, there’s the Red Sea issue going on, and from an export and import perspective, it’s difficult,” he said. “But flying around to various countries … I was just in Europe, and I was just in Dubai, and in the end, you know, there might be those things going on but all they want to do is do business.”

He also shares advice for companies facing compliance hurdles, noting InPro Corp. recently underwent multiple audits that didn’t uncover any issues.

“It’s also important to show that you’re a compliant company,” he said. “Don’t try to hide anything … Reach out to them, reach out to the officer or whoever it is and understand what they want, so there’s clear direction on both sides.”

The discussion touches on the role of compliance consultants in logistics decisions, as well as the potential for technologies such as AI to shape the industry, balancing sustainability with growth and more.

Sekula also shares insights on how InPro is approaching Asian markets, the impact of tariffs and other government regulations.

“It’s been a good exercise for us,” he said. “We still have a long way to go but we are mitigating our risks, that’s for sure.”