Herb Ouida

For me, the special remembrance is of a program we created to help small and mid-sized companies in the region increase their international sales. XPORT was the first Public Export Trading Company created by a government agency.

I was proud to serve as XPORT’s director from its founding in 1982.  XPORT provided comprehensive, expert assistance to local firms with export potential, concentrating on six product groups that reflected manufacturing strengths in the New York-New Jersey region. Staff offered hands-on expertise in export sales development. As a designated branch office of the Export-Import bank of the US (Eximbank), XPORT screened companies for financial assistance and helped them prepare applications. The program generated more than $ 100 Million in export sales by local small businesses in its first eight years of operation.

XPORT earned the Port Authority national recognition from Harvard University with the "Innovation Award” including a $100,000 prize. The United States Department of Commerce also saluted XPORT with the "E" or export award. I was privileged to join Port Authority Chairman Philip Kaltenbacher when he accepted the award from President Ronald Reagan in a Rose Garden ceremony on April 30, 1986.