Street smarts: EDC SBDC takes home prestigious President’s award
The Economic Development Collaborative Small Business Development Center received one of the highest forms of recognition on June 6 when it was recognized for its outstanding achievements in exports with the prestigious President’s “E” Award for Export Service.
The award was presented to EDC SBDC at the 62nd anniversary of the “E” Awards ceremony held on June 6.
Established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, the President’s “E” Award symbolizes excellence in exporting and serves as the highest form of recognition bestowed upon individuals or entities in the United States for their significant contributions to the expansion of U.S. exports, according to a press release.
American exporters were nominated for the prestigious “E” Awards through the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service office network, which is part of the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration.
This year, a total of 24 U.S. companies and organizations from 14 states were honored at the ceremony.
EDC SBDC was one of only four companies and organizations that received the “E” Award specifically for Export Service for assisting and facilitating export activities this year.
As the Los Angeles SBDC Network lead for international trade consulting across Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties, EDC SBDC provides no-cost access to specialized business assistance, training and resources.
EDC SBDC has become also one of the only local economic development organizations in the state to facilitate significant business access to the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), which provides financial awards to state and territory governments to assist small businesses with export promotion and development.
SCBT AWARDS SIGHTINGS
We saw a lot of familiar faces at the South Coast Business and Technology Awards held at the Hilton on June 7! It was another wonderful event with a packed house and it’s another sign of how in-person events are once again becoming the norm. Here are some friendly faces we noted: Manny Molera, Brooks Wise, Steve Sereboff, Linda Cheresh, Janet Garufis, Zohar Ziv, Dan Campbell, Rich Block, Vince Caballero, Jackie Carrera, Anne Wilder, Robert Lum, Elizabeth Cholawsky, Kirsten McLaughlin, Eleanor Gartner, Charla Batey, Anant Yardi, Kathy Odell, Emily Arnold, Marjorie Large and so many more.
COX DONATION
Cox Charities awarded a total of $10,000 in grants to three Santa Barbara South County nonprofits, including the Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center, the Los Padres Forest Association and the Goleta Education Foundation.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Sail1Design has named Santa Barbara Youth Sailing Foundation’s Program Director and Head Coach, Nick Kaschak as this year’s Coach of the Year. Congrats to Nick on a fantastic achievement as he is widely regarded as one of the top youth sailing coaches in the United States. Much deserved recognition!
AMGEN MURAL
One of the largest biotech firms in the world, Amgen, will be hosting a scientist mural dedication on its Thousand Oaks campus on June 21 at 10 a.m. The ceremony will highlight the recently redesigned Scientist Mural outside Building 15 to highlight a diverse group of pioneers whose contributions have shaped the company’s work.
WHALE WATCHING
Island Packers, official concessioners to Channel Islands National Park, is expanding its non-landing schedule to include Summer Whale Watching excursions through mid-September. Passengers on Summer Whale Watching trips, departing Ventura Harbor Village, have an excellent chance to view several whale species in the Santa Barbara Channel! Sounds like it will be a whale of a time.
JOB FAIR
The city of Camarillo is hosting a job fair on June 21 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and it is free for all Camarillo and Oxnard businesses that are members of the West Ventura County Business Alliance.
NOMINATIONS WANTED
Nominations for the 73rd annual Oxnard Community & Business Awards will close on June 19. The awards recognize the city’s top people, businesses and organizations that make it a wonderful place to live, work and do business in. Winners will be celebrated at a luncheon at Heritage Square on August 17. The proud Title Sponsor is Montecito Bank & Trust.
LOVING JOB
Westlake Village-based PureSpectrum ranked 23rd on Newsweek’s annual Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplaces list. The results were determined after surveying more than 2 million employees from businesses with workforces varying in size from 30 to more than 10,000. Congrats to everyone at PureSpectrum!
AWARDS SEASON
The 17th annual Champions Dinner & Awards, hosted by CommUnify was a big hit on June 8 and we would love to pass on our congrats to the honorees at this year’s event, Deckers Brands for its “Deckers Gives” program, Reverend Randall Day of St. Marks-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, the Santa Maria Elks and Lorraine Neenan, Director of Children’s Services for CommUnify who is retiring after 20 years with the organization.
FINAL SCENES…
FRESH SIGHTS: Goleta held a groundbreaking ceremony for the city’s first community garden and splash pad on June 12. We can’t wait for the work to be done in October.
SENIOR EXPO: The 32nd Annual Senior Expo of Santa Barbara, the largest active aging fair, will take place on Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. The deadline to register as a sponsor or exhibitor is Aug. 1.
TALL FRIEND: The Santa Barbara Zoo recently welcomed a new 3-year-old male Masai giraffe to the family. Welcome to Santa Barbara, Theo!
