Dear FTA Members and Friends,
The Marjorie M. Shostak award is presented to an individual who the FTA Board of Directors feels has distinguished himself or herself through outstanding service and contributions to Southern California’s international trade community. We are pleased to announce that Norman Harris III is this year’s recipient of our prestigious Marjorie M. Shostak Distinguished Service Award!
Born in Washington, D.C., Norman’s first job at 16 years old was as a photographer working with the D.C. Bicentennial Commission documenting little known historical sites. He later won first place in a local photography store contest with a picture of the Woodrow Wilson High School football coach. He was selected to spend a week at Columbia University in New York to study journalism.
Norman worked as a motorcycle messenger delivering international shipping documents to Washington National Airport after high school. He studied Comparative Politics abroad at Syracuse University in London, England, and worked a semester as an Intern for the Honorable Senator Edward Brooke in Washington, D.C. before earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University while working at United Parcel Service (UPS). Norman served as President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (1906), Sigma Chapter in 1980. In Los Angeles, he started as a runner advancing to Senior Supervisor before receiving his Customhouse Broker License in 1989.
Holding various positions at Harper, Robinson & Co., Air-Sea Forwarders, Inc., Nippon Express USA, Inc. and Panalpina, Inc., Norman now works with NNR Global Logistics in the role of District Customs House Broker. Clients serviced during these years include Toyota Motor Sales, Canon USA, Nordstrom, Inc., Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Hermes, and Armada Skis.
In 2005, he joined the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association (LACBFFA) serving as Treasurer, Vice President, President and Chairman. Since 2009 he continues to teach a Customs Broker Exam preparation course for the LACBFFA.
As a participant in the 2015 Port of Long Beach Photo Program Contest, Norman was awarded First Place.
In 2018, Norman graduated from a six-week U.S. Customs and Border Protection Citizens Academy in Los Angeles.
Norman is honored to have been recognized by, worked with and served on the Board of Women in International Trade – Los Angeles (WIT-LA).
Former Port of Los Angeles Director of Trade Development, Jim MacLellan, invited Norman to present industry related topics at Trade Connect, a one-stop resource for small and midsize U.S. businesses looking to learn the nuts and bolts of exporting their made-in-America goods and services.
Through photography Norman has also supported the Los Angeles Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association, the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America, the Pacific Coast Council, the Foreign Trade Association, the Propeller Club, the International Seafarer’s Center, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Hometown News and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
At California State University, Long Beach CITT Norman currently teaches Transportation and Logistics Management Classes: Customs Broker, Import Regulations & Payment Methods, Specialty Warehouse and Foundations in Global Trade Class: Customs Border Protection & Enforcement.