Greetings, NARBLA members: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth hosted the 2009 annual conference of the North Atlantic Regional Business Law Association (NARBLA) on Saturday, April 4, 2009. Sixty attendees enjoyed a day of 24 paper presentations, socialization, publisher exhibits (Vicky True of South-Western Legal Studies in Business, a division of Cengage; and Randy Sealy of McGraw-Hill), a gourmet luncheon provided by Patty from Harriet's Catering, and a keynote speaker (Dr. Henry B. Wainer, President and owner of Sid Wainer & Son Specialty Produce and Specialty Foods). The conference site was at the Charlton College of Business. The conference volunteers - Jing He (UMass Dartmouth MBA candidate), Chris Jablonski (UMass Dartmouth B.S. candidate), Vanessa Licowski (JD/MBA student, currently at UConn), and Peter Licowski (Pratt & Whitney) - greeted the NARBLA guests, distributed the information packets for the conference, and provided AV support. Adam Sulkowski, Program Chair, opened the Business Meeting, welcoming the NARBLA guests; followed by greetings from Steve White, Department Chair of Management and Marketing at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; and followed by salutations from Ernest Mayo, President of NARBLA. Steve Lichtenstein, NARBLA Treasurer, reported on NARBLA's favorable financial condition. Stephanie Greene, NARBLA delegate to ALSB, reminded everyone that the 2009 ALSB annual conference will be in Denver on August 4-8, 2009 (www.alsb.org), and that she hopes we will be there. A tip of the hat to the Program Chair, Adam Sulkowski, for making the arrangements for the conference this year. Vicky True, Acquisitions Editor at Cengage Learning, which is a longstanding sponsor of ALSB, gave a presentation on Cost Effective Alternatives to Textbooks, including off the shelf or customized print options, and digital prints. Next year's annual conference will be held on Saturday, April 10, 2010, at Suffolk University in Boston. The officers for 2010 are: Adam Sulkowski, President; Jason Peterson, Program Chair; Stephen Lichtenstein, Treasurer; Stephanie Greene, NARBLA Delegate to ALSB, and Robert Bird, Alternate Delegate to ALSB. A special thanks to Bill Read for his continuing service as Editor in Chief of the Business Law Review. There are currently more than 660 subscriptions to the Business Law Review. For questions about the Business Law Review, you may contact Bill at readw@husson.edu. If you did not receive a copy of the SPRING 2008 (VOL. 41) Business Law Review and would like to receive a copy, send an email to Bill Read requesting a copy. Also a special thanks to Marie Hansen, Associate Editor, who supervised paper reviews at the Board of Editors meeting. __________ A warm welcome to the new attendees: Chris Buscaglia (Suffolk University), Richard Golen (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth), Sean Melvin (Elizabethtown College), Lee Speronis (Husson University), Kris Neslund (Golden Gate University, California), Vanessa Licowski (UConn University Specialist), Sandra Smales (Quincy College), and Richard Taylor (Suffolk University). __________ Twenty-four paper presentations during the morning sessions covered a wide range of topics, including Copyrights, Torts, Patents, Trademarks, Corporate Issues, Treaties, Privacy, Regulation, Labor/Employment, Contracts, and Love and Marriage. A note of thanks to the session moderators - Malcolm Abel, Kenneth Schneyer, William Greenspan, Bruce Warren, Robert Bird, Stephanie Greene, and Ernest Mayo. __________ The Luncheon Keynote Speaker was Dr. Henry B. Wainer, President and owner of Sid Wainer & Son Specialty Produce and Specialty Foods. Dr. Wainer is known worldwide for his leadership in food safety, sustainability, and his international efforts to support farmers. The company was started in 1914 by his grandfather, Henry Wainer, on the historic cobblestone streets of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Sid Wainer & Son is the only certified HACCP produce company in America and ships to 23,000 customers nationwide. It has provided product to Queen Elizabeth II. The company employs 500 people and has a 300,000-square foot warehouse in New Bedford. Sid Wainer & Son has been awarded numerous gold medals by the Fancy Food Association. Dr. Wainer is known as the "Produce King" or the "Willy Wonka" of produce. Dr. Wainer spoke about the efforts of Sid Wainer & Son to promote the Slow Food movement, to preserve local farmland, to source locally, and to promote business sustainability. His informative, energetic, humorous, and entertaining presentation left all attendees looking forward to next year's conference. __________ So, NARBLA members and friends, save the date for next year's NARBLA conference: Saturday, April 10, 2010, at Suffolk University. For any questions about the conference, contact Jason Peterson at jpeterson@suffolk.edu. Any questions about paper presentations for publication, contact Bill Read, Editor in Chief of the Business Law Review, at readw@husson.edu. For updates on NARBLA news, as well as Guidelines for Publication of Papers, click on www.narbla.org to reach the NARBLA Web page.