ATLANTA - Local businesses were honored today by the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) for their excellence and innovation in international business in 2010.
The Global Commerce Council of the Metro Atlanta Chamber hosted the second annual Global Impact Awards. The keynote speaker was Shedrick Harrison, Jr., vice president, TeleWeb STG Americas, IBM Corporation.
"Today we celebrated our members' excellence, innovation and achievements in international business," said Sam A. Williams, president of MAC. "The winners honored today continue to solidify Atlanta as an international city."
International businesses are thriving in metro Atlanta, with more than 2,400 international companies and 65 countries represented by consulates, trade offices and investment agencies here. International companies employ nearly 148,000 in metro Atlanta, and in the last three years, 31 percent of the new jobs were from international companies.
This year, the Metro Atlanta Chamber and its partners traveled to India and will also travel to other global destinations to help companies do business there as well as market metro Atlanta as an international business center with a low cost of doing business, a strong base of talent and a high quality of life.
A list of the categories and winners of the Global Impact Awards is below:
Category: Foreign Investment
Winner: Sekisui SPR Americas, LLC
The Global Impact Award for Foreign Investment recognizes a company that has established a presence in the Atlanta area that is/has been significant in terms of capital investment and high quality job creation, community leadership and sustainable practices.
Category: Trade/Business Development
Winner: NewFields Companies
The Global Impact Award for Trade/Business Development recognizes a company that has operations in the Atlanta area and has exhibited significant growth in terms of capital investment and high quality job creation as a result of international trade, community leadership and sustainable practices.
Category: Service Provider
Winner: Habif Arogeti & Wynne, LLP
The Global Impact Award for Service Provider recognizes a service provider in the metro Atlanta area that has played a significant role in increasing high quality job creation by attracting capital investment to metro Atlanta and/or by fostering international trade through methods that go above and beyond the normal scope of business, taken an active role in the leadership or betterment of our community and employed sustainable practices.
Category: Global Partner
Recipient: Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
The Global Partner Award honors the long-term contributions by a member company, partner organization or individual who has engaged with MAC to further our Global Commerce efforts and extend Atlanta’s international reach.
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Metro Atlanta Chamber --Everything we do at the Metro Atlanta Chamber - from recruiting businesses to Atlanta from all over the world, to tackling policy issues - is about creating jobs and prosperity to help Atlanta thrive. Our board is made up of Atlanta's top business leaders. Our professional staff serves 4,000 member companies that employ nearly 1 million workers. We focus on recruiting headquarters and global business -- and companies in the supply chain and advanced manufacturing, bioscience, technology and business services sectors. In public policy, we tackle critical issues such as transportation, water and education. For members, we offer 150+ events and activities each year. In sports, MAC's Atlanta Sports Council has helped drive almost $2 billion in economic impact through sporting events over the last 10 years.