Bush Administration Official Honors
Local Company for Export Achievement

Neal Burnham, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service today presented the Commerce Department’s Export Achievement Certificate to API International, Inc. The award recognizes companies and organizations that have used the export services of the U.S. Commercial Service to make their first export sale or open new foreign markets.

“Most of the jobs in America are created by small businesses,” Burnham said. “Small and medium-sized companies like API International comprise almost 97 percent of U.S. exporters. The Bush administration will continue to work hard to help U.S. companies increase their exports and generate high-paying jobs for the working people of Oregon.”

API International Inc., founded in 1968, manufactures custom-made parts and automotive lubricants for equipment manufacturers. Ross Tamimi, Vice President for International and Masood Behbahany, Senior Account Executive, contacted the Portland U.S. Export Assistance Center for assistance in developing a new international business segment. After helping to identify a new potential market, the Portland USEAC worked with API International to develop export sale leads in Central America. With the research and dedication of both API International and the Portland USEAC, API secured an initial export sale to Panama of almost $5,000. API continues to work with the Commercial Service to pursue additional opportunities throughout Central and South America.

The U.S. Commercial Service is a U.S. Commerce Department agency that helps small and midsize U.S. businesses sell their products and services globally. The Portland U.S. Export Assistance Center is part of the agency’s worldwide network, which includes 107 U.S. Export Assistance Centers throughout the United States and more than 150 international offices.

For more information on the U.S. Commercial Service, please visit www.export.gov or call the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Portland, Oregon, at 503-326-3001.