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Press Release
WORLD TRADE CENTER INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES WINNER OF PRESTIGIOUS COMPASS AWARD AND NAMES THREE INDIVIDUALS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LEADERS OF THE YEAR
February 7, 2002 (Baltimore, MD) - The World Trade Center Institute (WTCI) announced today that the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs was selected as the 2001 Compass Award Winner and Steve Phillips, Burton Patton and Lorenzo Di Casagrande were named the 2001 International Business Leaders of the year by a panel of private and public sector business leaders.
Established in 1997, the WTCI Compass award recognizes "sustained, exemplary efforts in support of Maryland's international relations." Deborah Kielty, President World Trade Center Institute will present this award to Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs' President Frank Burd and Board Chairman Lloyd Carpenter on Thursday, February 7 at the Maryland Science Center during the 6th annual International Business Leadership Awards.
Founded in 1980, the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs has hosted more than 450 prestigious international speaker events featuring such speakers as George Bush (Sr.), Zbigniew Brzezinski, Edward Teller, Jeanne Kirkpatrick, Caspar Weinberger, Paul Nitze, Sam Nunn, Anthony Lake, Wesley Clark, and the ambassadors of more than 60 nations. The Council's upcoming programs will feature Dr. Robert Legvold of Columbia University, the Ambassador of India to the United States, the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, and the Baltimore Sun foreign policy panel.
“Frank Burd has led the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs for 22 years, and is admired by council members as a master at succinct and delicate question phrasing, said Ms. Kielty. Dr. Burd's personal knowledge of international relations traces to his educational and professional background, including a B.S., United States Military Academy; M.A. and Ph.D. (Political Science) University of Chicago; and over 30 years teaching American Foreign Policy at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Lloyd Carpenter, Vice President of Northrop Grumman, has chaired the Council for the past 7 years and "he is deeply committed to the Council, makes his expectations very clear, understands the possibilities and limitations of the Council and provides exceptional support and encouragement,” said Dr. Burd.
"I had the pleasure of serving on Frank Burd's board years ago,” said Harold Adams, Chairman of RTKL and Chairman of the Board for the World Trade Center Institute.
"Marylanders are very fortunate to have Burd and Carpenter at the helm," Adams said.
The World Trade Center Institute and Deloitte & Touche L.L.P. also honored three Maryland executives for their creative successes in the global marketplace over the last three years. Ten distinguished nominees representing a variety of industry sectors and regions of the state were featured throughout the evening and selected from a group of nearly 30 nominees.
“As you can see from the exhibits displayed by our top ten nominees, trying to narrow the field to select three winners was a difficult task for our review panel,” said Ms. Kielty. “We are pleased to feature these fine Maryland companies. They span an impressive range of industries, from bio technology to global shipping to educational services and more. These candidates possess a wealth of experience and world-wide recognition and we are proud to have representatives from each of these companies here with us tonight."
Nominees from Montgomery County include (1) Robert J. Goodwin, Jr., Executive Vice President of Operations for Chindex Int'l -- the leading independent American company providing Western healthcare products distribution and medical services in the People's Republic of China; (2) Michael Pellet, CEO of M2 Limited -- a premier provider of translations, globalization, localization and publishing services required for success in international business; and (3) Burton Patton, Executive Vice President, Patton Electronics -- a leading manufacturer and marketer of Network Access and Connectivity products.
Nominees from Baltimore City were: (1) Lorenzo Di Casagrande, Vice President, Mediterranean Shipping Company, U.S.A. -- the second largest global shipping line (in number of vessels operated) engaged in worldwide container transport; (2) Steve Phillips, President, Phillips Foods -- a leader in the restaurant and food service industry (including crab processing facilities around the world), and the world's largest manufacturers of blue swimming crabmeat; and (3) Doug Becker, Chairman and CEO of Sylvan Learning Systems -- the world's leading provider of educational services to families, schools, and industry.
The remaining four finalists represent companies located in Baltimore, Frederick, Harford, and Queen Anne's Counties. Representing Baltimore County was Stephen Mefferd, President, Bio FX -- a leading source for innovative reagents and unique applications for the biomedical research and medical diagnostic markets; from Frederick County, Bill Goldstucker, Director International, Galaxy Control -- a division of Digital Systems Corporation and manufacturer of high quality integrated access control solutions (hardware and software) ranging from small applications to fully integrated security management systems; from Harford County, Irka Zazulak, President, Modular Components National -- a high technology manufacturer of microwave circuit boards, wave guides, housing and components for use in defense applications and in commercial telecommunications; and from Queen Anne's County, Paul Reed Smith, Managing Partner, Paul Reed Smith Guitars -- manufacturer of high quality guitars and guitar products.
Tom Kelley of Deloitte and Touche announced the top three award winners of the International Business Leadership Award while Ms. Kielty presented them with a beautiful high polished Salisbury pewter bowl and a matching ebony center tray, each personally engraved. The top three winners were Steve Phillips of Phillips Foods for his exemplary leadership overall and particularly in the area of international product sourcing, Burton Patton of Patton Electronics for his impressive success in identifying and developing international distributors, and Captain Lorenzo Di Casagrande of Mediterranean Shipping Company for year after year of steady business growth and for his early commitment to Baltimore as a destination port.
The World Trade Center Institute (WTCI) was founded in 1989 to act as an international business educational organization. Since that time it has developed an annual international business seminar schedule and established a library and resource center with written and electronic directories and databases related to international trade. In 1995, the WTCI in conjunction with Deloitte & Touche LLP, organized the annual Maryland International Business Awards recognizing creativity and excellence in various sectors of the state's economy such as manufacturing, agriculture, hi-tech, environmental and service. A special Compass Award recognizes an organization and/or individual who has demonstrated sustained and exemplary efforts in support of Maryland's international relations and/or trade. The WTCI has received the President’s E-award for Exporting and in 1997 incorporated the management of the Maryland Sister State relationships into its portfolio of services.
WTCI offers a full range of international business training, research, and services for the business community in the Mid-Atlantic region. As a non-political private non-profit organization, WTCI is part of the renowned WTCA global association of over 300 World Trade Centers around the world. WTCI's mission is to strengthen the mid-Atlantic international community through international business education, information and worldwide connections.