Honoring Tacoma businesses for their role in international trade, the World Trade Center Tacoma held its annual Globe Awards Dinner last night at the Tacoma Convention Center Sheraton.
Gov. Gary Locke, members of the Legislature and county and city government officials joined regional business leaders at the organization’s annual awards banquet.
Tacoma’s newly elected Mayor Bill Baarsma told the crowd this was his first time serving as master of ceremonies as the city’s mayor, describing the Globe Awards as “the biggest event of the year.”
Gov. Locke was introduced by Bob Watt, Boeing vice president of government and community relations, to give his keynote address, “Globalization in the New Millennium: What’s Next for the Northwest?”
“Washington state is not just a regional – but a global – powerhouse,” Locke said, emphasizing the state’s trading relationship with Asia.
Japan is Washington’s number one trading partner, receiving $4.3 billion in exports from the state, while Korea is number four with $2 billion in goods from Washington, Locke explained.
“We simply must cultivate these markets that support high-wage jobs in Washington state,” Locke said. “We have much to offer the people of the world. It’s a win-win situation.”
Beyond economic issues, the governor said trade among nations helps promote international education and American values such as freedom and capitalism.
“The genie can’t be put back in the bottle,” Locke told the audience, thanking the night’s award winners for their part in promoting international trade.
Sagem MORPHO was the winner of the Tacoma Pierce County Chamber’s 14th annual George Francis Train International Business Commemorative for bringing its biometric identification technique into the information age and taking it to a global level.
Part of the French technology conglomerate Sagem Group of Paris, Sagem MORPHO records fingerprints digitally and stores the electronic records in databases.
The fifth annual Marco Polo Award, which was created by the Frank Russell Company to recognize a small or medium-sized business for first time success in international trade, went to IDmicro.
IDmicro experienced significant sales growth outside the United States in long range radio frequency identification technology.
In October the company announced it had signed two agreements with China providing such technology that will be used in automating a government operated border-crossing area between Hong Kong and Shenzen, China.
The order is valued at over $500,000, IDmicro’s largest order to date.
The coveted ninth annual Globe Award went to the Globe Machine Manufacturing Company for that company’s expanding export sales.
Globe Machine is a custom machine manufacturer principally known for panel saw lines and complete finishing systems for composite wood products and mineral bonded panels.
Export sales make up approximately 30 percent of the company’s $30 million annual sales volume.
They export products around the world to countries such as Canada, Brazil, South Africa and China.