Bryan-College Station is an international community. According to the Open Doors Survey conducted by the Institute for International Education in 2006, international students alone brought nearly $70 million into our local economy. Our community now hosts more than 4,000 international students and some 600 international faculty and scholars who bring families, buy homes and autos and enroll their children in local public and private schools.
(Media-Newswire.com) - The Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce and the International Programs Office of Texas A&M have partnered to create the new International-Friendly Business Award, sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank.
“The community has made great strides in providing a welcoming environment for our international students, faculty and scholars,” said Emily Ashworth, Associate Vice President for International Programs, “but I am not sure the business community realizes the economic impact this group brings to the community.”
Bryan-College Station is an international community. According to the Open Doors Survey conducted by the Institute for International Education in 2006, international students alone brought nearly $70 million into our local economy. Our community now hosts more than 4,000 international students and some 600 international faculty and scholars who bring families, buy homes and autos and enroll their children in local public and private schools. It is estimated that these faculty and scholars bring as much as $100 million to the local economy.
Royce Hickman, president and CEO of the B-CS chamber said the International-Friendly Business Award was established in 2007 to recognize businesses that go out of their way to provide a welcoming business environment for international students, scholars and faculty and other international residents of the community.
“The award will raise awareness of the business needs of our international community,” Hickman said, “and reward the initiative taken by businesses to help meet those needs.”
A small and a large business will be singled out through a nomination process to receive the first awards. The award-winning businesses will be revealed during in November of 2008 during International Education Week, then the recognition program will become an annual event.
Hickman said anyone may nominate businesses, but the nominees must be members in good standing of the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce and complete an application justifying the nomination.
“We are looking for businesses that have shown that they have met the needs of a broad cross-cultural clientele that is inclusive rather than exclusive,” Hickman said.
The recipients will receive a glass globe award for display at their place of business, be honored at the Brazos Valley Worldfest in downtown Bryan, and receive appropriate recognition in news releases sent to all local news outlets. To learn more about this new award visit http://www.bcschamber.org and click on Community Information.
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