19th Annual “Friend of Chile” Awards Luncheon
Friday, October 28th, 2016
The Union League of Philadelphia | 140 South Broad Street | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chilean Wine Tasting & Reception 11:30 a.m.
Luncheon & Awards Celebration 12:00 Noon
Receiving the 19th Annual “Friend of Chile” Award: Senator Stephen M. Sweeney, Senate President of New Jersey
Senator Stephen M. Sweeney has served as President of the New Jersey Senate since 2010. He has been a leader on the most important state issues, passing laws to increase the minimum wage, allowing Paid Family Leave, establishing marriage equality, setting a two-percent cap on annual property tax increases, and promoting equal educational opportunity through the Dream Act.
Senator Sweeney has fought to create jobs and economic opportunity for everyone. He sponsored bills to provide economic incentives for job creation, to create new jobs and job training for the unemployed, and to restore tax cuts for the working poor. Recognizing the importance of transportation infrastructure to the state’s economy, he has been a leader on renewing funding for the Transportation Trust Fund. He continues to work to make college more affordable and reduce college debt for New Jersey’s students and middle-class families.
Senator Sweeney has taken a leading role in promoting property tax relief and making government operate more effectively and more efficiently. He also helped build schools for special needs children, established parks for children with disabilities, and sponsored and created a statewide registry of offenders who abused individuals with developmental disabilities.
Senator Sweeney has represented the Third Legislative District since 2002.
Receiving the 2016 “Lifetime Achievement” Award: Barbara Hunter, Western Fumigation
After a long and dynamic career with Western Industries that was hallmarked by her tireless support of the Chilean trade, Barbara Hunter marks her departure from the company she has been deeply connected to since 1976. “This is a company that always inspired one to reach, find new and better ways to serve their clients, to stay ahead of the trends and to always conduct business with the highest ethical standards”…recounted Hunter. “I was always proud to be affiliated with such a fine team of talented and committed colleagues.” Prior to joining Western Industries in 1976, as Marketing Director, Ms. Hunter was the Director of Consumer Affairs for the National Pest Management Association, in Washington, DC. In 1980 she became Western’s Director of Imported Commodities while working with the cocoa trade; and with the Chilean fruit business which she was instrumental in attracting to Western in 1979. Having traveled extensively during her career, her first trip to Chile occurred in 1983. That was the beginning of a long and enduring respect for Chilean fruit growers, shippers and all those in the import and export process.
Always an innovator and a steadfast advocate for Chilean fruit interests, one of her endeavors was the creation of a food safety and security program for port terminals. Western’s Food Safety and Security Program was initiated just prior to September 11, 2001. This was the first program of its type in the country positioning Western and the port terminals, where Western Fumigation provided service, to take a leadership role with regulators on the new security measures, which would impact port operations.
In 2012, with family demands precluding extensive travel, her resignation from Western was met with an offer of a consultancy agreement to ensure Barbara would continue to have a presence in the Delaware River Port Community.
For her efforts in the Delaware River Ports Ms. Hunter has garnered much recognition, many awards; has been sought out for interviews, written articles and has been a featured speaker for many industry groups.