Peoria, IL (September 16,2013)- A Bradley University expert on trade and international business will receive global recognition for his work. Director of Operations at the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship at Bradley University, Jim Foley, will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Trade Training Organizations (IATTO) this month in Greece.

Foley is being recognized for his leadership and outstanding contributions in trade training. At the International Trade Center at Bradley University, he coordinates a program of counseling and training in international business planning, marketing, logistics and export finance. He works with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs and Bradley University with a mission to promote international trade and assist companies with trade-related expansion and training.

He passionately believes international trade, especially for small and midsized companies, is critical to our country’s economic success. “In working at the Illinois Small Business Development Center’s International Trade center for many years at Bradley University, I’ve had the chance to personally see the impact exports have made to the strength of our communities. The 2008-2009 recession would have had a far greater impact had so many of our outstanding companies not already been engaged in international trade.”
Foley was instrumental in establishing a certification system that sets a professional standard for skills in international trade. “For ten years I led a voluntary effort to create the Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP). In fact the first meeting to develop the national exam was right here at Bradley University. Today nearly 1,500 individuals have received their CGBP designation.” IATTO is seeking to promote a global certification and his work with the CGBP helps support that effort.

Foley was recently the President of NASBITE, the North American Small Business International Trade Educators and now serves as the Board Liaison for International Trade Certification. He also serves as national co-chair of the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) International Trade Committee. He also authored two books on international trade.

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This prestigious international recognition will be take place on September 25th at a gala held during International Export Summit held in Thessaloniki, Greece. The Prime Minister of Greece, Antonis Samaras will be present at the gala.