Luke Blotsky Accepts Presidential E Award on Behalf of GOGOn May 27th of 2014, Luke Blotsky, Global Organics Group (GOG) managing partner and CEO, along with part of the Global Organics Group team, were presented with the Presidential “E” Award for Exports. The award presentation took place at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. where U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, presented Blotsky and his team with the prestigious award. Luke Blotsky was overjoyed to receive such a celebrated and impactful award. While Global Organics Group was one of 66 companies throughout the country to be presented with the “E” Award, they were the only company in Arizona to receive the award (the first Arizona company since 2002), bringing much attention to the state, the company, as well as to CEO Luke Blotsky himself. The “E” Award is the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive in terms of contributing to the expansion of U.S. exports.
“Global Organics has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The ‘E’ Award Committee was very impressed with Global Organics’ ability to customize its products for export markets,” said Secretary Pritzker in her congratulatory letter to GOG announcing its selection as an award recipient. “The company’s efforts to overcome barriers to trade was also particularly impressive. Global Organics’ achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.”
The History of the “E” Award
The “E” Award was originally created on December 5, 1961, as a way to show recognition and gratitude to a person, firm or organization that made a significant contribution to enhance United States exports. The creation, or revitalization to be exact, took place many years after the end of World War II, when President Kennedy worked to renew what used to be referred to as the “World War II ‘E’ Symbol of Excellence.” He did so as a way to honor and provide recognition to American exporters. Since then, notable persons, firms and organizations alike have continued to receive this prestigious award.
In 1969, the “E Star” was sanctioned as a way to further recognize those who once received the “E” award, and who continued to make great strides for United States exports. While this was the first time Global Organics Group has received the “E” Award, Luke Blotsky and the entire GOG team are looking forward to the future as they continue to strengthen and work towards enhancing U.S. exports on an even greater scale.
“Exporting continues to be the foundation of our sales growth, and we are honored to receive the ‘E’ Award,” said Luke Blotsky. “When we first began exporting in 1998, our export sales accounted for five percent of our total sales. During the past 16 years, export sales grew to nearly 35 percent of our total sales, enabling us to sustain jobs and even expand our workforce within most all of our operations.”
Global Organics’ Impact
In 2013, U.S. exports of goods and services hit an all-time high, reaching $2.3 trillion. This led to an increase in jobs, reaching 11 million national jobs supported by exports, which increased 1.6 million since the year 2009. Luke Blotsky is proud that Global Organics Group can play such a vital role in enhancing U.S. exports and increasing American jobs. Keeping in line with the enhancement and growth of national exports, President Obama recently launched a new phase of the National Export Initiative (NEI/Next) which works to boost economic growth and support additional American jobs. NEI/Next assists U.S. companies (of all sizes) in exporting to more markets across the globe.
“E” Award Nomination
U.S. companies are nominated for the “E” Award for exports through the Department of Commerce’s U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service office network. This office network is located within the Department’s International Trade Administration, which has offices in 108 U.S. cities and more than 70 countries to help U.S. exporters. For a company to be considered for the “E” Award, they need to have completed at least four years of contributions to export expansion. These four-plus years must be measureable, innovative, and sustainable, and they must have had a “broad impact.” While this criterion is rather broad, it quickly rules out all persons, firms and organizations that have not made large enough enhancements to U.S. exports.
About Luke Blotsky
Luke Blotsky has been in the highly specialized agricultural industry for over 22 years. Studying at the University of Arizona, Blotsky was able to hone his business and sustainable resource skills, and has continued to grow his career and expand his knowledge around the entire business, focusing on Global Organics Group as a whole, as well as their sister companies BioFlora, Mineral BioSciences (MBS) and the Integrated Life Sciences Research Center (ILSRC). Luke has grown the company tremendously over the years and looks forward to growing it even further.
What’s Next
Morale is high and the future is bright for everyone at Global Organics Group, and that is made exceptionally apparent by the recent presentation of the Presidential “E” Award. With this prestigious award under their belt, there is no saying how far Global Organics Group and Luke Blotsky will go in terms of U.S. exports.
