Community of Des Plaines, Others, Honored for Export Awareness By GEORGE H. RYAN, Lieutenant Governor Chairman, Illinois Export Council

Coming under the banner of "Illinois World Trade Month, April 20-May 28," Illinois recently completed a very successful series of trade-related events. We took our cue from the federal EXPORT NOW initiative and actively pursued a number of avenues to increase awareness of the importance of exporting to our state's economy.

One program of which I am particularly proud was the presentation of the Illinois Export Council Achievement Awards. As Chairman of the Export Council, I saw a clear need to recognize the outstanding contributions of municipalities, individuals, businesses, organizations, banks and others who are working to develop and expand trade between Illinois and the international community.

Why is exporting important? Overseas sales provide jobs for approximately 300,000 Illinois workers. On average, export sales from Illinois companies account for about 19% of total sales. According to the latest available figures, Illinois ranks second in agricultural exports and seventh in overall exports.

This success would not be possible without the tremendous dedication of Illinois business people and community members committed to using export sales to strengthen the Illinois economy. On Monday, May 23, a number of those individuals received long-deserved recognition through presentation of the Illinois Export Council Achievement Awards.

A key feature of the awards this year was that honorees came from across the broad spectrum of international trade. Predictably enough, exporting companies were featured for their accomplishments. Indeed, six such firms were honored this year. However, a municipality was cited for its outstanding Sister Cities program; a bank was named for its work in international financing; and an economic development organization was lauded for its work in promoting and developing international trade on a regional basis.

Specifically, awards were presented to the following:

• Sister Cities Association of Des Plaines, Illinois Inc. — Des Plaines
• Parkway Bank and Trust Company — Harwood Heights
• Leadership Council of Southwestern Illinois — Edwardsville
• Marketing Information System, Inc. — Evanston
• Sherri Borensen, Clem Environmental Corporation — Chicago
• GROWMARK, Inc. — Bloomington
• Babson Brothers Company — Oak Brook
• Richardson Electronics, Ltd. — LaFox
• James Ribordy, RD Systems, Inc. — Roscoe

Charles L. Wachs, E. H. Wachs Co. — Wheeling: U.S. Small Business Administration Exporter of the Year

and

Martin Widdowson, SLM Instruments, Inc. — Urbana: District Export Council Export Achiever of the Year

All of these honorees are to be congratulated, for they have demonstrated a commitment to the vibrancy of the Illinois economy. By looking past our own borders — exploring markets and other resources in the international arena — our export awardees have shown themselves to be models for other communities, banks, and firms all across Illinois. My very best wishes to them all for continued success in this area. •

Page 12 / Illinois Municipal Review / June 1988