Manufacturing Law Industry Team Recognized for Continuing to Make Significant Contributions to Export Expansion
HARTFORD, CT (May 20, 2024) – Robinson+Cole was honored with the President’s “E Star” Award for Export Service by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. The distinction was presented during a ceremony in Washington, DC on May 14, 2024 in recognition of the firm’s achievement in making continuing significant contributions to an increase in U.S. exports. In 2019, the firm was presented with the President’s “E” Award, the highest recognition a person or U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports. The “E Star” Award is a continuing recognition of noteworthy export promotion efforts. In total, Secretary Raimondo honored 13 U.S. entities with the President’s “E Star” Award during the 63rd “E” Awards ceremony.
“Robinson+Cole has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion,” said Secretary Raimondo in her congratulatory letter to Robinson+Cole. “The ‘E’ Awards Committee was very impressed with Robinson+Cole’s work of broad impact within the business community to further expand U.S. exports. The firm’s case studies demonstrating measurable export growth achieved by its clients were also particularly notable. Robinson+Cole’s achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.”
Robinson+Cole, an AmLaw200 firm with more than 250 lawyers throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Florida and California, regularly represents manufacturing clients throughout the United States and globally ranging from Fortune 50 companies to privately held and/or family-owned companies that sell both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) products an
d services.
“Exporting is crucial to the success of the businesses we work with,” said Jeffrey J. White, Robinson+Cole partner and Manufacturing Law Industry Team chair. “Every day we see the growth of our clients’ businesses, due in large part to exporting. This growth has enabled our clients to add jobs and support their local communities as they expand their bottom line. Robinson+Cole is honored to receive a second award and continue to support the efforts of the U.S. Department of Commerce. I would especially like to thank the senior members of our trade compliance team, including Kevin Daly, Edward Heath, and Kathy Porter.”
White accepted the “E-Star” Award on behalf of Robinson+Cole. He has been a leader in the manufacturing and aerospace sectors for many years and was even named a “New England Trailblazer” by the business arm of Law.com and the Connecticut Law Tribune for having “moved the needle in the legal industry” by being a true agent of change. White has engaged in several national, regional and local efforts to support the commercial efforts of Robinson+Cole’s clients:
- White has served, by appointment from two different U.S. Secretaries of Commerce, multiple two-year terms on the Connecticut District Export Council (CTDEC), a not-for-profit affiliated with the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center. In 2020, White was one of six business leaders to receive the CTDEC 2020 Ambassador Award in recognition and appreciation of outstanding contributions and leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic in service to the region’s exporters and manufacturers.
- In 2022, White was appointed by Secretary Raimondo, and United States Trade Representative, Katherine C. Tai, to the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Aerospace Equipment (ITAC 1) serving as a representative of The Lee Company, for the purpose of fulfilling an advisory role to the United States Secretary of Commerce as well as to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), related to the U.S. aerospace and defense manufacturing industry.
- White serves on the board of directors of several trade organizations focused on manufacturing and aerospace issues, including the Women in Manufacturing® Association (WiM), ManufactureCT, the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA), and the New England Air Museum.
- White has been invited to speak at The White House, United States Department of Commerce events, by other trade associations, and to the media for insight on developments affecting manufacturing and aerospace businesses. He has been published in and provided comment for various news outlets, including Industry Week, Industry Today, Aviation Week, POLITICO PRO and more. An article in the Indiana Lawyer even noted Robinson+Cole as “one of the nation’s top manufacturing law practices.”
In 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II “E” symbol of excellence to honor and recognize America’s exporters. American companies are nominated for “E” Awards through the U.S. and Foreign commercial Service office network, located within the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. Record years of successive export growth and an applicant’s demonstration of an innovative international marketing plan that led to the increase in exports is a significant factor in selecting the overall winners. For more information about the “E” Awards and the benefits of exporting, visit www.export.gov.
About Robinson+Cole’s Manufacturing Practice
Robinson+Cole’s manufacturing practice has been a trendsetter in the legal industry through a series of “firsts” such as the widely read Manufacturing Law Blog and roundtables designed for in-house counsel at manufacturing companies (Manufacturing Law Group) and for executives at small to mid-sized privately held manufacturers (Manufacturing Executive Roundtables). The firm’s team of manufacturing lawyers represent manufacturers and distributors both nationally and internationally. For more information, please visit http://www.rc.com/industries/Manufacturing.cfm
About Robinson+Cole
Robinson+Cole is an Am Law 200 law firm established over 179 years ago, with a deeply rooted culture of collaboration, civility, and inclusion. The firm is ranked #17 in the 2024 Vault Best Law Firms to Work For, is a Mansfield Rule Certified Plus firm and has more than 250 lawyers in eleven offices throughout the Northeast, MidAtlantic, Florida, and California, serving regional, national, and international clients, from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies. Robinson+Cole is a service mark of Robinson & Cole LLP. For more information, please visit www.rc.com.