RALEIGH – Sec. Jim Fain today announced the names of 12 finalists for the seventh annual North Carolina International Community and Economic Development awards. NCICEDA is an honor bestowed by the N.C. Department of Commerce to recognize foreign-owned companies that demonstrate outstanding corporate philanthropy and volunteerism.

 

“These companies have embraced the North Carolina communities in which they do business, and this award is designed to applaud their civic and philanthropic contributions,” Fain said. “It is important to recognize the role they and their employees play in making our state a better place to live.”

 

The finalists range from a Chinese company with one full-time employee in Cary to a Swedish truck manufacturer with 1,900 workers in Greensboro. They include the world’s largest manufacturer of consumer sewing, knitting and quilting products as well as a financial services company, healthcare supplier, agrochemical manufacturer and a logistical services provider. Their headquarters span three continents from North America to Asia, including two from the Middle East.

 

Members of an eight-member committee comprised of non-profit workers, community volunteers and state government officials interviewed the finalist and will announce the winners during a luncheon event at Embassy Suites Greensboro Airport in Greensboro on Nov. 15. Winners will be chosen in each of three categories: small companies with fewer than 150 workers, mid-sized companies with 150-500 workers, and large companies with more than 500 workers.

 

·        Globe Express Services, an international logistics provider, is headquartered in Lebanon with its North and South American headquarters in Charlotte. The company employs more than 100 workers in Charlotte, all of whom are encouraged to volunteer in the community. In addition, the company offers a dollar-for-dollar match for employee contributions to company-sponsored fundraisers such as a recent collection for Smile Train, an organization that helps pay for surgeries for children around the world to correct cleft lips/palates.

 

 

·        NCK Enterprises/China Star was established in 2003 in Cary to serve the state’s growing Chinese community. The company helps new residents overcome language and cultural barriers, and organizes events for the community and publishes a free, bi-weekly Chinese language newspaper and a Website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·        AW North Carolina, a Japanese automatic transmission maker in Durham with 1,250 workers, is a subsidiary of Aisin AW Co.  Among the community programs AW North Carolina supports are Duke Children’s Hospital, Special Olympics of North Carolina, the Bahama Volunteer Fire Department and the N.C. Community College System. Also active in Durham Public Schools, the company provided new sports equipment for a middle school and recruited students to help clean up the Eno River Park and Trail areas. Team members also prepared 75 “care from home” boxes for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

·        AXA Group is a French financial services company with 800 employees in Charlotte. The company provides scholarships, matching gifts and charitable contributions that have totaled almost $700,000 since 2002. In addition, AXA sponsors an annual day of service, during which employees are encouraged to take time during work hours to participate in a community service project. Last year’s project, called “Classroom Central,” involved providing free school supplies to teachers and students in low-income schools around Charlotte.

 

·        DSM, a Dutch nutritional and pharmaceutical manufacturing company, employs 1,200 workers in Greenville. DSM’s volunteer and philanthropic activities focus on education, health and wellness. The Teacher Executive Institute allows the company to host 20 teachers from Pitt County schools each year, who are taken on a tour of the facility and introduced to the pharmaceutical industry. DSM also hosts a week-long science camp for Pitt County middle schoolers and a summer academy for at-risk students. The company enjoys a close working relationship with East Carolina University and contributes to area charities including the March of Dimes and United Way.

 

·        Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc., a German medical supply company, has more than 600 employees in Cary. The company, which has been in North Carolina for 16 years, contributes to many area charities such as Duke Children’s Hospital.  Recently, the company named the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics as the winner of the 2006-07 Siemens Foundation Founder’s Award to recognize the school for encouraging students to participate in math, science and technology research programs. The award carried with it a $15,000 prize. The company also has been involved in Hurricane Katrina and Indian Ocean tsunami relief efforts and the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

 

·        Volvo Trucks North America is a Swedish company that has operated in Greensboro for 26 years. The company, which employs 1,900 workers in the Piedmont Triad, has focused on increasing child safety in Guilford County and has donated more than 1,700 car seats in the past two years for distribution to low-income families. Recently, the company expanded that program to include bicycle helmets and reflectors. In addition, Volvo Trucks supplied a truck trailer full of supplies to Hurricane Katrina victims in a small Mississippi town; last summer, it helped organize a dental clinic for low-income children and is currently collecting holiday items for a High Point elementary school.

 

 

For more information about the N.C. International Community and Economic Development Awards program, contact Deborah Barnes at (919) 733-5082.