Wikoff Color Corporation, an employee owned company founded in 1956 specializing in supplying high quality inks, coatings and varnishes to the graphic arts industry, was presented an Export Achievement Certificate in Columbia on Monday, March 14. Tom Moore, Deputy Director General of the U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, presented the certificate during a kick-off luncheon for "Export South Carolina", a Free-Trade-Agreement-Promotion initiative funded by a MDCP grant to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and co-sponsored by the S.C. Department of Commerce. Mr. Jim Freid, Director of Distributor and Export Sales, accepted the award on behalf of the company. Wikoff Color, located in Fort Mill, S.C., has been a client of the Columbia U.S. Export Assistance Center since 1998 and has utilized U.S. Commercial Service assistance throughout the development of their export sales. The Export Achievement Certificate recognized Wikoff's entry into the Chilean market. The company recently obtained a contract in Chile to sell the inks and coatings used in the production of scratch-off lottery tickets and pre-paid phone cards.

Pictured from left to right are: Tom Moore, U.S. Commercial Service; Jenny Sanford, South Carolina’s First Lady, Andres Bianchi, Chilean Ambassador to the U.S., and Jim Freid, Wikoff Color Corp.

The Export Achievement Certificate was created by the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce to recognize U.S. companies that successfully penetrate international markets for distribution of their products. The primary mission of the U.S. Commercial Service is to assist U.S. companies, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, to sell their products and services into international markets. With a network of more than 100 U.S. Export Assistance Centers throughout the United States and more than 150 international offices located in American Embassies and Consulates throughout the world, the U.S. Commercial Service provides a direct link to international markets for U.S. companies wishing to initiate or expand export sales. Last year, the U.S. Commercial Service helped facilitate over $23 billion in U.S. export sales.