WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today presented Miyamoto International with the President’s “E” Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The President’s “E” Award is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.
“The ‘E’ Awards Committee was very impressed with Miyamoto International’s adaptation of service offerings to meet localized market needs,” Secretary Pritzker noted. “The company’s implementation of life-saving technical knowledge, expertise and training was also particularly notable.”
“Our mission is to make the world a better, safer place,” said CEO Dr. H. Kit Miyamoto, who returned from post-earthquake assessment and recovery work in Ecuador to accept the award. “Our life and city-saving engineering methods are appreciated not only here in US, but globally. I am honored that the Secretary recognized this.”
Miyamoto International is a global earthquake + structural engineering and project management company with 20 offices worldwide providing critical services that sustain industries and safeguard communities around the world. The company’s export is essentially technical knowledge. This technical expertise includes earthquake resilient engineering for both new and existing construction, earthquake risk reduction, disaster response and reconstruction. Outside of the U.S., the company has offices in Costa Rica, Haiti, Liberia, Italy, Turkey, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Japan and New Zealand.
In 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II “E” symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America’s exporters. Today, Secretary Pritzker honored 123 U.S. companies for their export achievements. In 2015, U.S. exports totaled $2.23 trillion, accounting for nearly 13 percent of the U.S. GDP. Nationally, exports contributed to the U.S. economy, supporting an estimated 11.5 million jobs.
U.S. companies are nominated for the “E” Awards through the Department of Commerce’s network of U.S. Commercial Service offices with offices in 108 U.S. cities and more than 70 countries. Record years of successive export growth and an applicant’s demonstration of an innovative international marketing plan that led to the increase in exports are significant factors in selecting the winners. For more information about the “E” Awards and the benefits of exporting, visit www.export.gov.