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News Archives 2008 OWIT Recognizes Outstanding Achievements at World Conference in Mexico For the first time ever, OWIT awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award to trade consultant Marian Duntley, a founding member of WIT-LA in 1985 and OWIT in 1989. For 23 years, Duntley has demonstrated continuous involvement and participation at the local level as well as at the international level. She has served as a member of the OWIT Advisory Board and as a personal mentor to many OWIT members. Duntley attended almost all of the 17 Annual OWIT Conferences and was instrumental in securing sponsorship from her employer, Toyota, where she recently retired, after 13 years, from her role as Corporate Customs Director. Duntley has 34 years of customs management experience including Director roles at DHL and Price Waterhouse, and as Senior Import Specialist at the US Customs Service. OWIT’s Woman of the Year Award was presented to Pamela Davis Heilman, a senior partner at the law firm Hodgson Russ LLP and a long-time advocate for the advancement of women in business. This award is given annually to a woman who has advanced international trade through excellence and innovation and who, by doing so, has enhanced the status of women in international trade and business. In her career, Heilman was an advisor to the first Business Women's Team Canada Trade Mission to Washington D.C in 1997, and in that same year she was also the panel chair at the APEC Women Leader's Network Conference in Ottawa. In 1999, Heilman represented Hodgson Russ as a sponsor of the first Canada-U.S.A. Business Women's Trade Summit in Toronto – another pivotal event to support and encourage cross-border trade. “How great it is to be from the U.S., to have been nominated by Canadians and to receive the award here in Mexico,” Heilman said when accepting the award. “I cannot think of a better tribute to the true meaning and spirit of what NAFTA is all about and what it has achieved for our respective economies.” OWIT’s Peru Chapter was also celebrated by receiving the Chapter of the Year Awardfor its internationally recognized position of leadership on global trade issues, activities and programs since 1998. With over 500 members, the Peru chapter has also raised awareness for OWIT overall by communicating the organization’s goals, programs and events to local, national and international trade communities, and by encouraging the growth of OWIT International with avid participation in the website committee to enhance OWIT’s brand. OWIT’S Member of the Year Award was presented to Carmen Romero of the Peru Chapter for her exemplary dedication to the organization, which began at the chapter level, serving on the Peruvian executive board for eight years. Following her impressive tenure with the chapter, she joined the OWIT International Executive as VP Chapter Support, building capacity within the existing chapter network. Most recently, she helped facilitate OWIT’s involvement at an APEC meeting in Peru. Other highlights of the conference included keynote addresses from Bruno Ferrari, Director of Promexico, Josephine Cooper, Group VP of Government & Regulatory Affairs, Toyota Motor, North America; and Bertrand Desjardins, Consul General of Canada in Monterrey. Participants also benefited from a popular networking workshop hosted by the Sherpa Learning Company’s Judy Thompson and Gayle Hallgren-Rezac. About OWIT The Organization of Women in International Trade (www.owit.org ) is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to advancing global trade opportunities for women by providing networking and educational opportunities. It has over 20 chapters worldwide. -30- Contact: Susan Baka
OWIT Woman of the Year Helps Companies Cross Borders Pam has devoted substantial time to the promotion of women in international business and to the development of cross-border business relationships. In 1997, she was an advisor to the first Business Women's Team Canada Trade Mission to Washington D.C., a seminal event in promoting cross-border trade for women that served as an impetus for the start-up of the first Canadian chapter of OWIT. She also was panel chair at the APEC Women Leader's Network Conference in Ottawa in 1997 and represented Hodgson Russ as a sponsor of the first Canada-U.S.A. Business Women's Trade Summit in Toronto in 1999 – another pivotal event to support and encourage cross-border trade. “I am very pleased and honored, and it is especially meaningful to have been nominated by my colleagues in Canada since this truly reflects the international nature of the award and the value of participation in OWIT,” says Pam. “OWIT is an outstanding organization which provides valuable and value-added assistance to women seeking to grow their businesses through international trade. In today's global economy, succeeding in business in most cases means succeeding internationally, and OWIT provides the right level of personal support and education to make this happen for women in business at all levels.” A member of Hodgson and Russ’ Corporate & Securities, and International/Cross Border Practice Groups, Pam focuses her practice on international commercial transactions for non-profit and business corporations. She is one of the lead lawyers in Hodgson Russ’ cross-border Canada/U.S. Group and provides legal counsel to Canadian businesses and organizations seeking to expand into the U.S. market. Pam received the Ambassador’s Award from the Canadian Consul General in Buffalo in 1999 to recognize her efforts in promoting a strong bilateral trade relationship between Canada and the U.S., the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world. Active in the community, Pam serves on a number of boards, including the World Trade Centre at Buffalo/Niagara and the Canadian American Business Council, and is a judge for the Canadian American Business Achievement Award. Hodgson Russ has offices in Toronto, Ontario, New York City and Buffalo, New York and five other U.S. cities. Pam will formally receive her award during OWIT’s 17 th Annual World Conference in Monterrey, Mexico October 22-24, 2008. The award ceremony on October 23 will complement the timely program with its theme “Trade and the Triple Bottom Line: Societal, Economic and Environmental Sustainability” and a variety of international speakers and networking opportunities. Visit www.owit.org/en/annual/Index.aspx.
Women’s Trade Mission to Monterrey, Mexico October 2008
The Canadian chapters of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT-Toronto www.owit-toronto.ca and OWIT-Alberta www.owitalberta.org) are hosting a trade mission to Mexico this fall to coincide with OWIT’s Annual World Conference. OWIT’s Canadian chapters have a sister chapter in Monterrey, which provides a strong link to networking opportunities and business contacts to enhance success. The focus of the mission is on match-making and networking for participants. Sectors representing the greatest opportunity for Canadian businesses include: advanced manufacturing, automobile industry, auto parts, plastics, agri-food, environment, construction, biotechnology and IT. Service-based companies may have good opportunities if they serve the sectors listed above or if they form a partnership with local service companies and bring new systems and technology. The preliminary agenda for the trade mission:
The trade mission will take place just prior to the 17th Annual OWIT International Conference that will be held in Monterrey from October 22-24, 2008. The theme of the conference, which is a further opportunity to network with high-level women involved in global trade, is Trade and the Triple Bottom Line: Societal, Economic and Environmental Sustainability. See www.owit.org
Sponsored by:
Grant Program Launched to Assist Ontario Exporters Export Market Access is a new cost-sharing grant designed to help small to medium size firms take advantage of opportunities in foreign markets beyond the U.S. Eligible activities include market research, marketing tools, direct contacts and foreign bidding projects. The program helps with funding to:
Criteria to qualify for a grant covering up to 50% of such eligible costs incurred to develop export sales includes a minimum of five employees and annual sales of at least $500,000. “Far too many SME’s find initial expansion daunting and out of reach, and often it just takes the right partner to push them in the right direction,” Len Crispino, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, said at the program launch in Toronto in July. He added that Export Market Access, an initiative of the Ontario Chamber with support and funding from the Ontario government, is exactly the kind of partner that can help Ontario businesses put their best foot forward beyond our borders. “Diversification has never been as important as today….and research shows that firms that export outperform their non-exporting competitors.” For more information and to complete an online application, visit www.exportaccess.ca. You will receive a response within 30 business days. If you are registered – or interested in registering - for OWIT’s upcoming trade mission to Mexico in October contact Lesley Cole, International Trade Consultant at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, at 416.482.5222, ext 239 or lesleycole@occ.on.ca to discuss if your business might be eligible for funding assistance under this new Export Market Access program.
June 2008 Now in its 10th year, the PROFIT W100: Canada's Top Women Entrepreneurs is the country's largest celebration of women entrepreneurship. It's the definitive list of Canada's leading women-owned and women-run businesses, ranked by revenue. Winners will be recognized in the November 2008 issue of PROFIT magazine and year-round at PROFITguide.com. They'll also receive a complimentary invitation to the PROFIT W100 Idea Exchange, a powerful business-building conference at which W100 leaders share ideas, learn from experts and enjoy unmatched networking opportunities. Request a nomination package by calling 1-800-713-GROW or completing the online ballot at www.PROFITguide.com/w100ballot.
Do you have some views on Canada's trade and the role of Export
April 2008 The 2008 OWIT World Conference will be held in Monterrey, Mexico from October 22-24, hosted by the Monterrey chapter. The theme is Trade and the Environment: The Triple Bottom Line and its Impact on Business. Watch www.owit.org for details. And many congratulations to the Monterrey chapter, winner of the 2007 OWIT Chapter of the Year. Our Toronto chapter mentored Monterrey two years ago when it was launched as the first OWIT chapter in Mexico. I encourage Toronto chapter members to plan to attend the 2008 World Conference in Monterrey, says Susan Baka, Past President & International Rep, OWIT-Toronto. The Monterrey chapter has already begun planning the event, and I know they will do an exceptional job, as they did when they hosted our international board meeting earlier this year. And I know that Mexican businesswomen are eager to do business with Canada, so it will be a great opportunity to build alliances. Preliminary plans are underway by our chapter to organize a trade mission to Mexico in conjunction with the conference, which would include business matching. If you are interested, contact Susan at susanb@owit-toronto.ca.
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