Congressman Phil English (R-Pa.) received the U.S. Commercial Service Certificate of Appreciation for Achievement in Trade on Tuesday, August 1, 2006, at his annual Business Development Conference and Expo at Gannon University, Erie, PA.

Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services, Al Frink, presented the award to the Congressman during the morning opening remarks of the Congressman’s annual event. This marked the first time the award has been presented to a Member of Congress in its four year history.

Established in 2003, English’s annual business development conference has devoted the majority of its focus on exporting topics and foreign markets, attracting such headline speakers as Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services, Al Frink; First Vice President The Export Import Bank of the United States, April Foley; and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Commercial Domestic Operations, Bruce Blakeman. Each year, participants can choose from 12 informative sessions, ranging from specific market research and international finance issues to practical export know-how. Some of the market focus subjects in the past have been Central Europe, the Middle East, and Brazil. These sessions have included speakers from the U.S. Commercial Trade Information Center, CEEBIC, Senior Commercial Officers, and District Export Council.

Picture top, Congressman Phil English (PA-3)receives the Certificate of Appreciation for Achievement in Trade from Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services, Al Frink.

For the past 10 years, Carver International has been providing freight forwarding and export documentation services to companies throughout Northwest Pennsylvania. Led by the company’s President, Gary Carver, Carver International has gone well beyond the conventions of a typical freight forwarder or export documentation company, becoming a valued local partner to the Pittsburgh office of the U.S. Commercial Service and valued a source of export assistance to the local business community.

Gary Carver’s commitment to seeing the region’s business community grow through the development of export markets has led him to take an active role in providing assistance and support not only to area companies but also to the region’s export assistance organization. Mr. Carver currently serves as a member of the Western Pennsylvania District Export Council (WPaDEC) and has been actively involved in creating and supporting the WPaDEC’s event s and seminars in Northwest Pennsylvania.

Beyond being an active member of the WPaDEC, Mr. Carver gives a great deal of his time and effort to help the region’s exporters on shipping, logistical, documentation, and payment issues. Mr. Carver is frequently a speaker at export education related seminars and events and serves as a valuable and willing resource to the staff of the Pittsburgh office of the U.S. Commercial Service, helping the staff to answer shipping and documentation related questions received from clients. On August 1 2006, Carver International was awarded the Certificate of Appreciation for Achievement in Trade at Congressman Phil English's annual Business Development Conference and Expo at Gannon University, Erie, PA.

Picture second from the top, from L to R, Congressman Phil English (PA-3, Carver International President, Gary Carver, and Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services, Al Frink.

Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission,
based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (PA) is one of ten regional offices in Pennsylvania’s Regional Export Network (REN) and an integral partner of the the U.S. Commercial Service Pittsburgh office (CS Pittsburgh). SPC’s export development program provides customized solutions to create both domestic and international opportunities for companies to increase their export sales and also serves as the local gateway to the State of PA’s 16 overseas trade offices.

Over the past 9 years, CS Pittsburgh and SPC together have played an integral role in the export development of Southwestern Pennsylvania. In 2005, SPC and CS Pittsburgh jointly assisted companies to increase their international sales by more than $10 million dollars.

In recognition of SPC’s promotion of U.S. exports and continued commitment to assist Southwestern Pennsylvania exporters, Congressman Mike Doyle presented SPC with the U.S. Commercial Service’s Certificate of Appreciation for Achievement in Trade at the Congressman Doyle May, 2006 Manufacturing Summit: Maximzing Your Business Potential.

Picture, center right, from L to R, SPC International Trade Manager, Rena Liu-Belshe, Congressman Mike Doyle (PA-14), and SPC Planning & Development Director, Lew Villotti

Fed Ex Corporation, an export service provider that makes exports possible for many small to medium sized U.S. companies every day through their worldwide transportation services, hosted Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18) and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance, David Bohigian, in April 2006 for a Briefing on the Benefits of Trade for U.S. Companies and Workers. In May 2004, Fed Ex was selected through a competitive procurement process in which a number of private sector entities competed for an initiative of joint partnership with the U.S. Commercial Service to promote U.S. exports and to improve the U.S. competitive advantage. As a result of this partnership, FedEx is now aligned with the U.S. Commercial Service in more than 40 countries in Asia, Latin American, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East to assist foreign buyers and global distributors source U.S. manufacturers.

In recognition of Fed Ex’s promotion of U.S. exports and commitment to assist their customers in growing their export business through international expansion and strategic growth plans, Congressman Tim Murphy and Assistant Secretary David Bohigian presented Fed Ex with the U.S. Commercial Service’s Certificate of Appreciation for Achievement in Trade at their trade briefing.

Picture, bottom, from L to R, Drew Wilburn (Fed Ex), Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance David Bohigian, and Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18)