International trade plays an integral role in our daily lives. Whether raw materials or finished goods,
imports and exports can impact each of us whether we are at home, at work or on the road. They can
play a major role in overall economic stability and in our quality of life.

In order to support U.S. businesses by keeping them competitive with those operating offshore or
overseas, the U.S. Congress passed the Foreign Trade Zones Act of 1934. Foreign Trade Zones promote
local employment and investment and provide financial benefits for businesses without the use of local
funding.

A Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) is a designated area, usually near a U.S. port of entry, where companies can
reduce import duties and other costs. While located within the United States, FTZs are considered to
be outside of U.S. Customs territory. Imports to an FTZ can be used for assembly, salvage, testing,
sampling, repackaging, relabeling, sorting, mixing, storage and manipulating operations. With special
approval, they can also be used in manufacturing and processing.

What are some of those financial benefits for businesses? They could include duty deferral, reduction
or elimination, direct delivery, weekly entry, duty drawback elimination and more.

The Brown County Port & Resource Recovery Department oversees one of the three Foreign Trade
Zones in Wisconsin, FTZ #167. It includes locations near Austin Straubel-Green Bay Airport, Wittman
Field in Oshkosh and the Oshkosh Southwest Development Park but any area in Wisconsin is eligible to
be part of Green Bay’s FTZ. “As a port operator, I’d encourage those who think an FTZ may benefit
their business to do some research,” said Dean Haen, Brown County Port & Resource Recovery
Director. “It’s a tool designed to keep U.S. businesses competitive.”
Learn more about Foreign Trade Zones at https://www.trade.gov/about-ftzs.

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About the Port of Green Bay: The Port of Green Bay exists to enhance the prosperity of the people of
Northeast Wisconsin by providing facilities and infrastructure able to effectively and efficiently move
commodities and goods across the nation. As the western-most port of Lake Michigan, the Port of
Green Bay offers a direct route for shipping from the Midwest to the rest of the world.
The Port of Green Bay has 14 active terminal operators located along three miles of the Fox River
involved in shipping commodities: Ace Marine, Amrize, C. Reiss Company, Construction Resources
Management, Flint Hills Resources, Fox River Terminals, Georgia-Pacific, Graymont, GLC Minerals, KK
Integrated Logistics, RGL, Sanimax, St. Mary’s Cement and U.S. Venture