WASHINGTON D.C.
At a ceremony in Washington, D.C. today, the Office of Economic and Small Business Development (OESBD) received the President's "E" Award for their outstanding contributions to U.S. exports. For the past four years, OESBD has been committed to export expansion through its innovative International Trade initiatives that have a broad impact.
President Kennedy revived the World War II “E” symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America's exporters. Thus, the “E” Award Program was established by Executive Order 10978 on December 5, 1961. The “E Star” was authorized in l969 to recognize “E” Award winners for continued efforts in export expansion.
In Washington, DC on behalf of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners and County Administration to accept the prestigious award were Broward County’s Vice Mayor Dale V.C. Holness, District 9, and Economic Development Specialist (International Trade) Paola Isaac Baraya. United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross referenced in the award recognition letter that the Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development’s achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S economy and create American jobs.
Since 2013, the Office of Economic and Small Business Development has provided education about exporting to more than 3,500 attendees. They have presented over 100 seminars/workshops, as well as host the annual Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo (FITCE) attracting over 3,300 participants including U.S. businesses and international delegates representing 52 countries.
Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen said, “The Broward County Board of County Commissioners would like to thank the United States Department of Commerce for this remarkable honor and recognition. Our Office of Economic and Small Business Development works diligently to provide meaningful education and information to our local small businesses. The international trade services OESBD provides, such as our annual FITCE Conference and our nationally recognized export readiness seminar, 11 Steps to Exporting, provides useful tools to small businesses to help navigate and demystify the exporting process.”
The Office of Economic and Small Business Development
The mission of this office is to enhance Broward County's economy with value-added job creation, business expansion and retention, small business growth, business development, international trade development, export readiness and entrepreneurial training and development. Services are delivered through partnerships with state, local and private sector organizations. Broward County promotes equal access to procurement opportunities for small business enterprises in local and federal small business programs and helps position small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs to grow their businesses beyond Broward.
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