Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo handed out President’s “E” and “E Star” awards to 19 American businesses and organizations at the 61st awards ceremony at the Herbert C. Hoover Building.
Five manufacturers and 14 small and medium-sized businesses from 15 states were among the honorees who received the highest honors a U.S. organization may achieve for significantly increasing exports from the country, according to a Department of Commerce news release.
“U.S. exports are a crucial component of our global commercial engagement and example of our competitiveness in the global marketplace,” Raimondo said in the release. “I’m thrilled to recognize the achievements of this year’s recipients for showcasing the innovation and dynamism that is characteristic of America’s private sector.”
The International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce accepts nominations for businesses through its network of U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service offices, according to the release. Record years of continuous export growth and an applicant's ability to provide a creative worldwide marketing strategy that contributed to the growth in exports are key criteria for choosing the overall winners.
The President established the President's “E” Award in 1961 by executive order, the release reported. Nine businesses this year received the “E” Award for Exports in recognition of their continuous growth in export sales over a four-year period.
