Turkish American Chamber of Commerce (TACCI) organized a business luncheon in honour of the President and the Vice President of Istanbul Gold Exchange, Mr. Osman Sarac and Mr. Yunus Oguzhan Aloglu at the Internationally known Turkish Cuisine "Dervish", located at the Times Square. President of TACCI, Ms. Sevil Ozisik introduced the two gentlemen and made a short speech about the Istanbul Gold Exchange. Then Mr. Osman Sarac greeted the guests and gave a speech about the current rise in the gold prices all over the World, and also introduced the Istanbul Gold Exchange, and talked about their visit to USA. The attendees enjoyed the delicious lunch and also had the chance to ask questions to Mr. Sarac and Mr. Aloglu. The event gathered around 20 attendees, both Turkish and American, representing different businesses and state offices.

Mr. Osman Sarac greeting the guest and making a small presentation about the Istanbul Gold Exchange

Jewish Identity in the Turkic World, a symposium co-organized by TACCI was held on 23rd of November, at the Center for Jewish History in New York City.

The symposium was opened by introduction speech by Dr. Javid Huseynov from Azerbaijani – American Council (AAC). He underlined that this event was intended to be about the culture between peoples – nothing about the politics.

The President of Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA), Tomris Azeri stressed that the timing of this unique event was very important. She also mentioned the long history of the Jewish people in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan which goes back to more than 2500 years ago.

David Saltzman from Turkish Coalition of America talked about his friendship with Mr. Gunay Evinch and his personal history about Turkey as a Jewish person. “Wherever there are or have been Turks, there are or have been Jews.” he said. Sometimes isolated, but always together.

After Mr. Saltzman, it was time for Mrs. Yildiz Yuksek Blackstone, President of the Luca Luca fashion brand, who is also a Turkish Jewish from Izmir. Mrs . Blackstone shared her memories from her childhood and her peaceful life where she had the chance to experience the Sephardic Jewish traditions

Sevil Ozisik-TACCI President, Erhan Atay,TABA Board Member, Basar Sen, Deputy Consul General, Fidan Ozyurt,Turk of America Magazin Ali Cinar, ATAA Northeast VP

Then it was Mr. Alan Cordova’s turn. He made a small presentation about the Sephardic Jewish History in Rhodes and Marmara Region. Mr. Cordova’s family also comes from Turkey. After Mr. Cordova, Mr. Gunay Evinch, the President of the Assembly of the Turkish American Associations (ATAA) made a speech about the current facts and figures of the Turkish economy and the strategical importance and also emphasized that people should watch Turkey closer than ever due to its increasing role in the region.

In the other sessions, speakers like Sergei Weinstein, Rashbil Shamayev, Farkhod Muradov and Rafael Nektalov gave speeches about the Mountain Jews, the situation of Islam and Judaism in Modern Russia and the Jews in Uzbekhistan.

In the final part, Mr. Barry Habib, a Turkish Jew who is a successful Broadway Musical Producer made a speech and finally, Ms. Victoria Barrett kicked off the film screening session with the touching documentary called “Desperate Hours”.

All the speeches ended with Q & A sessions and the audience included more than 150 people, some of whom traveled from different countries to attend this event.

At the end of the events, there was a reception, attended by the Consul General of Turkey in New York, Mr. Mehmet Ali Samsar and many distinguished guests. The Kavkaz Jewish Youth Center performed traditional dances and internationally reknowned Azerbaijani-born Jewish artist Stass Shpanin also had an exhibition throughout the event.

The event was attended by President of TACCI, Ms. Sevil Ozisik and several TACCI members.

"Negotiating Business Contracts - The Future of the Organization" seminar was held by Turkish American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TACCI), on November 19th at the Turkish Center. The event kicked off at 6 pm with approximately 40 guests who had the chance to mingle and do networking enjoying the delicious treats, complimentary from Ali Baba Turkish Cuisine, a member of TACCI.

After the networking session, both speakers of the night were introduced by the President of TACCI, Ms. Sevil Ozisik.

Dr. Domenico Lepore, who is also the author of "Deming and Goldratt: The Decalogue with Oded Cohen", started his speech about "Translating Knowledge Into Action: the constraint to growth". He talked about the three faculties of the intellect: intuition, development and execution. He also talked about his past experiences in business world, the importance of sustainability and interactivity in reaching the goals set by all kinds of business entities.Mr. Lepore's session was followed by the Q & A's.

After Mr. Lepore, it was time for Mr. Mark Meirowitz, an attorney at law and a Premium TACCI Member, who is also a "celebrity" for the Turkish community.

He started his speech in Turkish and joked about how difficult Turkish language can get, since the order of the sentence is reverse most of the time, when compared to English. With thanks to the attendees and organizators of the event, Mark started his speech about the legal issues in business world. Supported by the hand-outs, he spoke about the essentials in business contracts and negotiations. He also mentioned the most often mistakes in business contracts and gave tips on avoiding the risk. Mark's speech included a lot of interaction with the attendees and ended with a Q & A session.

Both Mr. Meirowitz's and Mr. Lepore's speeches were followed by high involvement from the audience.

Our guests had a chance to do networking before and after the seminar.

Commercial attachés of the Turkish Consulate, Mr. Yavuz Ozutku and Mr. Ahmet Canli also attended our event. (Left)

Mr. Mark Meirowitz

Mr.Mark Lepore and Ms. Angela Montgomery, talking to our new board member Mr. Celal Secilmis and Ms. Sevil Ozisik.

Mr. Mark Meirowitz during his interactive speech.

Mr. Burak Alpaslan, Ms.Martha Soffer,Mr. Ayhan Ogmen and Mr. Mark Meirowitz.

At the beginning of the seminar Ms.Sevil Ozisik introduced the speakers.

Mr. Lepore during his speech.

Mr. Ahmet Neidik, Ms. Sevil Ozisik, Mr. Ozutku and Mr. Canli

Turkish American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TACCI) organized a Pre-Gala/Power Dinner - Sponsors Meeting with Globond International Company that at The Marmara Manhattan Hotel. President of TACCI Ms. Sevil Ozisik and Globond Representative Kirstin Myers both gave a speech about the upcoming “Gala” event of TACCI. Following their remarks, all the guests were introduced by Mrs Ozisik and Ms Myers. Our special guest Philip Berry, who is also the President of our newest member at TACCI, the “Philip Berry Associates LLC”, gave an outstanding speech about the “Four Qualities of Leadership”. The speech delivered by Mr. Philip Berry was followed by the audience with a high interest. The guests had the chance to enjoy the top-quality Ancyra series of Internationally famous Turkish wine “Kavaklidere”, in their “Pasabahce” wine glasses; another Internationally known Turkish glassware brand.

We would like to thank all the attendees who shared the beautiful ambiance with us that night.

Our special thanks to the generous sponsors of the night:

• The Marmara Manhattan Hotel – Ms. Nur Ercan Magden – Acting General Manager(Also one of our Premium Members at TACC
• The House of Burgundy, Inc – Mr. Mehmet Yorukoglu - President
• Pasabahce-Sisecam USA – Mr. Neil Orzeck – Managing Director

Ms. Sevil Ozisik and Ms. Kristin Myers introduced all the guests.

Mr. Philip Berry gave a speech about the “Four Qualities of Leadership”.

Mr. Neil Orzeck, Pasabahce-Sisecam USA

Ms. Sevil Ozisik and Mr. Mert Goker, ATA Freight

Mr. Mehmet Yorukoglu and Ms. Lillian Lai

Ms. Nur Ercan Magden, The Marmara Manhattan Hotel

Our guests enjoyed the view of The Marmara Manhattan Hotel

Turkish American Chamber of Commerce & Industry organized Iftar Dinner and hosted the members in Istanbul Restaurant at Sheepshead Bay. President Sevil Ozisik gave a speech about upcoming events of TACCI, introduced the new potential members and gave words to Mehmet Ali Erdem, Turkish Consulate General, Office of the Commercial Attache, to make his farewell speech. Mehmet Ali Erdem thanked to all members and wished them good luck. New Potential Members introduced themselves and their businesses.

Mehmet Ali Erdem, Turkish Consulate General, Office of the Commercial Attache.

Handan Ilaga - Ilaga& Ilaga

Sibel Seker - USA Representative for ATLAS Private Educational Consulting Co.

Omer Bayrak - Kabatash LLP

Turkish American Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted ITO (Istanbul Ticaret Odasi) President Mr. Murat Yalçıntaş in Docks Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill.

Mr. Yalçıntaş visited New York for the 28th Annual Conference. After the conference Mr. Murat Yalçıntaş had lunch with the Turkish American Chamber of Commerce and Industry members, board of Directors and president Ms. Sevil Ozisik.

During the lunch Mr. Yalçıntaş talked about the global crisis effecting Turkey and how they will over come these difficult times.

He also stated that “after this crisis is over Turkey will be the country who will rise and recover fast while other countries most likely struggle to get their economy back the way it was”.

Ms. Sevil Ozisik gave a speech on how TACCI progressed over the last year and what the chamber have accomplished. Also Ms. Ozisik discussed what Turkish American Chamber of Commerce’s goals for the future.

Mr. Yalçıntaş was impressed by the accomplishments that TACCI have done over these short years. Mr. Yalçıntaş said “I am very sure that TACCI will achieve these goals and help increase the trade a lot more between Turkey and USA”.

At the end of the lunch Mr. Murat Yalçıntaş congratulates the Turkish American Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mrs. Sevil Özıșık for bringing Turkish and American firms together to increase trade and investment between Turkey and USA.

The Turkish American Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce successfully hosted the Renewable Energy Conference Event today, the 20th of May at the Levin Institute in New York City. The event began early in the morning as guests, companies and speakers found the chance to socialize and network over continental breakfast, coffee and Turkish pastries. The attendees were kindly invited to take their seats in the conference room, and the symposium began at 8:30 am.

Ms. Nancy Ploeger, the president of the Manhattan Chamber, started the conference by introducing the chambers and informing the attendees of the partnership between TACCI and MCC for this event. Ms. Sevil Ozisik delivered a speech, thanking all attendees and companies for joining the chambers at this conference. Ms. Sevil Ozisik then introduced the Hon. Counsel Ms. Pinar Senturk Sevi from the Turkish Consulate Generale in New York, who gave specific information about the importance and improvements of renewable energy in Turkey.

Ms. Ploeger introduced Ms. Gunduz from the MCC, who remained as the MC for the rest of the conference. Ms. Gunduz gave the floor to Mr. Brett Weinberg from AMEX, who spoke of potential foreign exchange trading opportunities between the United States and Turkey.

US Representative from the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges, Ms. Duden Yegenoglu, gave information about the companies that make up the core of the Union and green energy opportunities in Turkey.

The other speakers were from Orrizonte Development, Con Edison, Rubicon Cleantech, AWSTruewind and Proje Enerji From Turkey.

Nancy Ploeger, MCC president

Sevil Özişik, TACCI president

Brett Trainor, Amex

Ally Gunduz, MCC

Pinar Şentürk Sevi, Consul, NY Consulate General of Turkey

Duden Yeğenoğlu, TOBB US Representative

Mehmet Bayraktar, Orrizonte Development

Denise Nelson, Con Edison

Denise Nelson from Con Edison, Duden Yeğenoğlu (Us representative) and Mehmet Bayraktar from Orrizonte development

Jim Adams, AWSTrueind

Serhat Devecioglu, Rubicons Cleantech

Senol Tunc, Proje Enerji

Turkish-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry attends The Empire State Development Corporation's Buffalo Trade Mission

The TACCI American Recovery Event Took place the 14 of April at Arent Fox LLP. The goal of this fifth business conference of the Turkish American Chamber of Commerce and Industrie was to explain how to use the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to stimulate the small companies business.

After an introduction by our president Sevil Özışık, Martha Soffer (Business Development Specialist, U.S. Small Business Administration) opened the conference by explaining that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, (ARRA) signed into law on February 17, is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy.

After an introduction by our president Sevil Özışık, Martha Soffer (Business Development Specialist, U.S. Small Business Administration) opened the conference by explaining that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, (ARRA) signed into law on February 17, is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy.

The conference explained from that point how to use the following benefits from the ARRA :

• Financial relief to encourage borrowing by (and lending to) for-profit companies (existing and start-up).
• Tax relief benefits and tax incentives
• Unlocked credit markets
• Temporary elimination of some loan fees

The Second speaker the audiance enjoyed listening was Ms. Merle O Brien (Sr. Stakeholder Liaison CLD SThe Second speaker the audiance enjoyed listening was Ms. Merle O Brien (Sr. Stakeholder Liaison CLD SB/SE, Internal Revenue Service).

Ms. O Brien explained more precisely how to obtain the tax relief benefits and tax incentives using the ARRA and covering the key provisions of the new legislation affecting the taxpayers they serve at VITA and TCE Sites.

Indeed, In general, the provisions do not impact tax returns for 2008, exception being the new First-time Homebuyers Credit.

Ms O Brien conclude by insisting on the saving that small businesses can make but also refunds obtainable thru the SBA.

Finally, the audiance had the opportunity to develope several points and ask questions on the different subject addressed.

After complete understanding of businesses opportunities presented the fifth TACCI business conference ended.

Recovery Act Overview

The American Recovery Act FAQs

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (1)

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (2)

The Annual TACCI General Assembly met on the 31st of March at the Turkish Center. 40 Members out of 79 active members were present or represented at the event. The meeting started with opening remarks from the TACCI President Mrs. Sevil Ozisik. Mrs. Ozisik then informed the attending members on the agenda of the assembly.

As stated by TACCI bylaws, Mr. Yavuz Ozutku, Commercial Attaché, was the president of the General Assembly and led the attendees through the Assembly discussion.

Next topic on the agenda was the election of Assembly Secretaries. Mr. Yavuz Ozutku opened up the floor to discussion about the election of the two new secretaries. Mr. Tahir Erimli and Mr. Burak Alpaslan were nominated by the attendees and elected unanimously.

Mrs. Sevil Ozisik took the floor and informed the attending members about the activities that the chamber has hosted over the past business year. The President stated the importance of the events for the success of the chamber and encouraged the members to start attending more events to generate substantial profit. After a thorough discussion, the activity report was approved by all and the assembly board moved on to the next topic.

The Audit Committee, represented by TACCI Member Mehmet Bilici, was invited to the podium to discuss the recent company audit. After a short but thorough information session about the finances, all attendees were informed that the chamber has been functioning with complete transparency. Mr. Ozutku opened up the floor for discussion. No questions were asked: the audit report was approved unanimously.

The next topic of discussion was the 2009 Planning Report. Discussed by Sevil Ozisik, the report contained information about the upcoming Green Energy Expo, Organic Food Convention and the Annual TACCI Gala. Mrs. Ozisik opened up the floor for questions. Mr. Ali Dogan, owner of Ali Baba Restaurant, offered his help for future events in regards to locations and event preparation. The report was approved by all members.

Mrs. Sevil Ozisik next discussed the budget and financial situation of the chamber. After the members were informed of all the matters, the floor was opened up for further discussion. Mr. Tahir Erimli, secretary of the assembly, shun light on the sponsorship for the Gala event. Mr. Erimli explained that this event is the most profitable event of the chamber. No further discussion was held; the 2009 Budget was also approved unanimously.

After a last session of general issues and discussion, the Assembly came to an end with closing remarks from the Assembly President Mr. Yavuz Ozutku. All attending members and the assembly board agreed that hard times lie ahead due to the current economic state of the world and the only way to reach success is to work together and deal with new business and problems day by day.

Please click to download Activity Report and Activity Report

Turkish American Chamber of Commerce & Industry presented 4th of its Business Conferences Series with Anthony Vincent Bova, president of Bova Communication System.

Anthony Vincent Bova hosted Communicate With No Apologies seminar for selected TACCI members at his Times Square New York Theatre. Anthony Vincent Bova trains elite business executives how to communicate more effectively.

TACCI member, Ugur Aksu, Barsan International demonstrated Anthony’s expert specialty – training executives how to communicate more clearly, authentically, dynamically and confidently.

Anthony’s Communication System is based on a specific system of acting that trains the actor how NOT TO ACT but rather how to eliminate obstacles to authenticity!

Anthony regularly trains Master acting workshops (Bova Actors Workshop) as well as executive training seminars (Bova Communication System) in Istanbul, assisted by Betul Alganatay. His next Istanbul trip is scheduled for July 2009, in which he will be training the top Turkish actors as well as some of the elite Turkish business community executives and leaders. Some of the Turkish actors he has taught are Sebnem Donmez, Fahriye Evcen, Meltem Cumbul, Hande Ataizi, Azra Akin and many others.

For more information contact Anthony at www.bpadvantage.com

TACCI Conference on the Implementation of Continuous Process Improvement with Lean Six Sigma was held on February 10, 2009 at Eurostars Hotel in Manhattan. Following a networking reception, TACCI president Sevil Ozisik presented the speaker, Dr. Bahadir Inozu, Co-founder and CEO of NOVACES, a TACCI member based in New Orleans.

Lean Six Sigma is now applied across all industries worldwide including federal agencies, state and city governments as well as mid and small size companies. Dr. Inozu recommended modifying delivery models originally developed for large companies to accommodate the advantages and disadvantages of small companies. “Simplicity of organization structure and agility in decision-making enable faster and better results,” he added. Less training with the help of process improvement experts leads to better results.

The presentation was also made available live on the web for the first time for TACCI members.

In addition to this informative session, attendees found a chance to network over complimentary drinks and food offered at the hotel’s lounge.

For further information and video of the conference, please login to your TACCI account and use the Reports link to access the conference documents. Non-members please e-mail for further assistance.

TACCI attended to the 3rd Adana Economical Forum (12-13 Jan 2009) with the support of Adana Chamber of Commerce and in collaboration with Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

TACCI Delegation after "The Business Opportunities in US" panel. From left to right Mr. Ferhan Geylan (TACCI, Vice President), Ms. Ayse Gunduz (MCC Global Business Director), Mr. Lee Mancuso (Trinity LLC, CEO), Ms.Jennifer McDonnell (Environmental Strategy Innovations, LLC), Mr. Sam Natapoff (Senior Advisor to the Governor of New York State for International Commerce and Development) and Mr. Kenan Saatcioglu (TACCI, Director).

Mr. Rifat Hisarciklioglu (TOBB President) received TACCI delegation in Adana

Mr. Sam Natapoff and Mr. Rifat Hisarciklioglu's hand shake showed signs of future cooperation.