LIBERTY, Mo. — Through many economic ups and downs, like the uncertainty of tariffs and the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Trade Council of Greater Kansas City has helped local businesses navigate foreign waters.
The organization is celebrating 80 years of dedication to the region on Thursday, Sept. 25.
“We have a lot of exporters and importers in the area. We also have a lot of great logistics hubs because we are in the center of the country,” said Ruiping Ramboldt, president of ITCGKC.
A group of local business people, led by J.C. Nichols, started the nonprofit organization in 1944 to make Kansas City more active in international trade.
Present day, ITCGKC offers educational workshops on international trade and creates networking opportunities for local businesses to get their names out.
“If you’re a small business ... exporting can be really complicated. You don’t even know where to start," Ramboldt said. "So that’s when we come in and help the small business people figure out who to talk to, and then we make connections for them in terms of import/export, brokerage, international shipping, what you have to do in terms of product sourcing, even which country to go to to source. Most people may think, 'Oh, it’s easy. I go to China or Mexico, find a manufacturer and bring goods in.' But it’s a lot more complicated than that.”
Scarbrough Global is one of those businesses and has been working with ITCGKC for over 10 years. Since 1984, Scarbrough Global has been helping businesses import and export without stress by handling freight, customs, warehouses, distribution and brokerage.
“The connections that they offer to Kansas City businesses is great for us. As a service provider, we get to go to their events and, as a networking opportunity, meet people that we otherwise would not have had an opportunity to meet,” said Caleb Hall, director for U.S. Customs Brokerage. “It’s a really great resource for us to grow as a company.”
Lately, Scarbrough Global has been lifting up clients by taking down pressure related to tariffs. Some companies are slowing down while others are pausing shipments altogether.
President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on goods reaching the U.S. continue to pose uncertainty for businesses and higher prices for consumers.
A federal appeals court ruled last month that most of Trump’s tariffs are illegal but kept the ruling from taking effect until Oct. 14, to give the Trump administration time to ask the Supreme Court to reverse the decision.
“The average customs entry has gone from taking about 10 to 15 minutes on average to taking 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how complex the customs entry is,” Hall said. “But some of our clients can’t stop importing — they’ve had to find ways to deal with that, whether it’s through price increases or something along those lines to make sure that goods can still come into the country.”
Ramboldt said ITCGKC shines best in times like these.
“We’ve already done a couple of tariff-related seminars this year,” Ramboldt said. “Do not sit on it and wait and see. Talk to an expert and find out what is the right strategy for you.”
ITCGKC also works with international student programs at universities to build relationships with future trade partners now.
Ramboldt put the relevance of import and export to the life of an average Joe this way: “If you’re in the market to buy a new car, should you buy this year or wait for next year because of the tariff that's in place?”
In July 2025, the U.S. topped $280.5 billion in exports and $358.8 billion in imports. For an economic impact this big, ITCGKC is committed to another 80 years.
“We want to promote Kansas City with hometown pride,” Ramboldt said.
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