By Mark Edward Nero
US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker presented the Port of
Everett with the President’s “E” Award for Export Service during a ceremony in Washington,
DC on May 28. The “E” Awards are the highest recognition a US entity can receive
for making a significant contribution to the expansion of American exports.
The Port of Everett, located 25 miles north of Seattle, is a
natural deep-water port that specializes in handling over-dimensional, high value
cargoes for the construction and manufacturing industries, and is a link for the
local aerospace industry transporting the parts for the 747, 767 and 777 jetliners.
In addition to aircraft parts, the Port of Everett transports
heavy equipment, machinery and mining equipment manufactured primarily by Midwest
companies. The cargo is transported to the port mostly by rail.
“The Port of Everett has demonstrated a sustained commitment
to export expansion. The ‘E’ Awards Committee was very impressed with the Port of
Everett’s commitment to finding unique solutions for logistics challenge in exporting
oversized equipment,” Pritzker said in a congratulatory letter to the company announcing
its selection as an award recipient.
According to the U.S. Customs and Foreign Trade Division, the
Port of Everett is ranked first in Washington State for export value at $22.7 billion
in 2013, making it fourth on the West Coast in export value behind the ports in
Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland.
“The Port of Everett is a national strategic asset that plays
a critical role in achieving the President’s goal of doubling exports by 2020,”
Port of Everett Executive Director John Mohr said in a prepared statement. “The
Port of Everett is not a throughput port, but rather a value port. We focus our
operations very specifically on supporting the aerospace, construction, manufacturing
and energy industries.”
The “E” Awards were established in 1961. US companies are nominated
for the award through the Department of Commerce’s US and Foreign Commercial Service
office network. A total of 64 US companies were presented with the President’s “E”
Award this year, as well as two ports, Everett and the Port of Maryland.
