Congressman LaHood Honors Local Company for Export Achievement

Peoria, Illinois--October 30--Exports are big business for small and midsized Illinois companies. That was the message from Congressman Ray LaHood and Commerce Department International Trade Specialist Shari Stout, who today presented local company Maui Jim with the U.S. Commercial ServiceÕs Export Achievement Certificate. The award recognizes U.S. businesses that have made their first or significant new to market export sale.

"Maui Jim is a wonderful Peoria-based company that has shown how international trade makes a positive impact on our community," said Congressman LaHood. "It is not just the huge, multinational corporations that benefit from free trade, it is small manufacturers, farmers, suppliers, and other local businesses that rely on overseas markets to sell their goods. In turn, these small businesses contribute mightily to the economy by providing good jobs throughout the country. I congratulate Maui Jim on this award and I thank them for their support of the Peoria-area economy."

Maui Jim, a Peoria-based company established in December 1996, is the fastest growing polarized sunglass manufacturer in the world. As a result of their aggressive export strategy, which includes working with the Peoria U.S. Export Assistance Center to enter new foreign markets and increase their penetration in existing markets, Maui Jim has established distribution offices in Australia, France, Mexico, and Ontario. International sales have been growing at a rate exceeding 50 percent for the past two years and now exceed 10 percent of the companyÕs sunglass sales.

The U.S. Department of CommerceÕs Export Achievement Certificate recognizes companies that are business clients of the Commerce DepartmentÕs U.S. Commercial Service, and that have used their services to make their first export sale or open new foreign markets.

The U.S. Commercial Service is a Commerce Department agency that helps small and medium-sized U.S. businesses sell their products and services globally. The U.S. Commercial ServiceÕs network includes 108 U.S. Export Assistance Centers throughout the United States and more than 150 international offices. In 2001, the U.S. Commercial Service helped businesses generate export sales worth more than $34 billion.

The U.S. Department of Commerce Peoria Export Assistance Center was established at Bradley University in 1999. The Center works with BradleyÕs International Trade Center and NAFTA Opportunity Center to assist area companies expand their international trade.

For more information on the U.S. Commercial Service, visit www.buyusa.com.