Wings of Hope, Jaros Technologies & LaserBand Honored With Awards at Growing Global 2005

St. Louis, Missouri, September 28, 2005 — Three visionary organizations have been honored with prestigious global achievement awards for extraordinary leadership and success in international arenas.

The award winners are LaserBand, LLC, of St. Louis; Jaros Technologies of Granite City, Illinois; and Wings of Hope of Chesterfield, Missouri. Each company received honors at “Growing Global 2005,” an event hosted last Friday by World Trade Center Saint Louis.

Wings of Hope, a non-profit charitable enterprise that coordinates aircraft flights, volunteer doctors and other professionals to deliver services to help people in need worldwide, received World Trade Center Saint Louis’ “Global Ambassador Award.”

Wings of Hope coordinates flights of aircraft and additional services that deliver medical care, food and supplies to remote parts of the world affected by floods, earthquakes and other disasters. Douglas G. Clements, Executive Director of Wings of Hope, accepted the Global Ambassador Award on his organization’s behalf. For more information about Wings of Hope, please see the website www.wings-of-hope.org.

Jaros Technologies, a software firm that develops “data mining” products which offer visibility into business performance by providing end-to-end reporting and analytical services for companies in manufacturing, automotive, financial and other industries, was honored with World Trade Center’s “Global Entrepreneur Award.”

Since its origin in 1999, Jaros Technologies has grown into a leading provider of data mining software solutions for major companies across Europe and the U.S. Jaros renders reporting solutions that focus on sales, financial, purchasing, manufacturing and inventory performance. Paul Scheibal, President, accepted the “Global Entrepreneur Award” for the company. For more information about Jaros Technologies, please see the website www.jarostech.com.

LaserBand, LLC, a manufacturer and marketer of medical identification products that help improve the quality of patient care in the U.S. and internationally, received the “Export Achievement Certificate” presented by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Founded in 1995, LaserBand produces advanced lines of wristband and label products that accommodate both routine and critical requirements for healthcare patients of all ages, including newborns. The company began to expand internationally in 2004 and since then has achieved substantial growth and attracted new distributors for its products overseas. Jorik Ittmann, Director of Business Development Worldwide, accepted the “Export Achievement Certificate.” For more information about LaserBand, see the website www.laserband.com.

Robert R. Heuermann, Jr., Executive Director of World Trade Center Saint Louis, said, “World Trade Center Saint Louis and the U.S. Department of Commerce are proud to honor these organizations for their vision, capabilities and commitments to help improve quality of life for their stakeholders locally and internationally.”

Growing Global, sponsored annually by World Trade Center Saint Louis, is the region's premier international business luncheon for top international executives, government officials and educators. This year’s event was hosted at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in St. Louis.

World Trade Center Saint Louis offers customized global market research and business intelligence services; conducts more than 40 trade events annually; renders access to global business resources; and provides education programs. It serves individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations across Missouri and Southern Illinois. It is a division of the St. Louis County Economic Council, a division of St. Louis County government. Its license is granted by the World Trade Centers Association in New York City.

For more information, please see the website www.worldtradecenter-stl.com or call Cheryl M. Marty at 314.615.8141.

Media contact: Jeff Dunlap @ 314.721.5505.

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