Contact: Shawn Uhlman, PDC, 503-823-7994
May 14, 2013
Four Portland companies will be recognized as recipients of the 2013 Mayor’s International Business Awards at a celebratory dinner on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Portland Art Museum Kridel Ballroom. Two additional awards for individual and organizational leadership will be presented by the Oregon Consular Corps (OCC), a partner with the City of Portland for this event.
The winners and categories are:
- Asiana Airlines, Global Leader;
- AIMCO, Export Leader;
- Adidas America, Foreign Direct Investment;
- Elemental Technologies, New Exporter.
The OCC award for individual achievement will go to Dean Robert Klonoff of Lewis & Clark Law School, and for organizational achievement to Gerding Edlen’s Green Ambassador Team.
By design, the awards dinner takes place during Oregon World Trade Week, May 13-17. A signature event of the week is Business Oregon’s International Road Show, an opportunity for Oregon’s small- and medium-sized enterprises exporting goods and services to learn about assistance from state, local and federal government agencies designed to help Oregon companies tap into foreign markets. Local companies may sign up for individual meetings on May 13-17 with government representatives of Japan, China, the European Union and Saudi Arabia to discuss the pursuit of business opportunities in those countries. Schedules and contact information for appointments are available at http://www.oregon4biz.com/Grow-Your-Business/Export-assistance/tradeweek/
The Mayor’s International Business Awards program, launched in partnership with the Oregon Consular Corps in 2010, seeks to elevate awareness of the importance of international trade to Portland’s regional economy. Expanding Portland’s traded sector industries will support living-wage job growth and have a significant impact on the regional economy. The city and its partners are guided by the Greater Portland Export Plan, developed in collaboration with Greater Portland Inc. and the Brookings Institution, to connect local companies to international opportunities and drive export activity.
To that end, PDC led several companies on a trade mission to Japan from April 15-19 under the banner of the We Build Green Cities initiative, to promote Portland green development firms’ services and expertise in global cities. The participating firms – ZGF, CH2MHill, Glumac and Murase Associates – met with local and national development industries and other government agencies involved in smart city initiatives to share successes and develop new business relationships abroad.
We Build Green Cities launched in 2012 as a branding campaign to tell the region’s story, to put a spotlight on the region’s leading companies, and ultimately to build Portland’s competitive edge. The campaign is one of four key strategies identified in the Greater Portland Export Plan, anticipating clean tech companies and products as an emerging source of export growth.
