Houston - UTC Overseas, Inc., Houston-based experts in global logistics planning and service delivery, has honored Lauren Wilk of the National Association of Manufacturing (NAM) for her leadership role in helping restore the functionality of the U.S. Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank. The Bank has served as the U.S. government’s credit financing agency for international trade since its formation in 1934.  Today, over 60 different nations operate similar institutions, designed to promote the sale of their nations’ products to foreign customers through a combination of financing and loan guarantees. In recent years, political opponents of the Ex-Im Bank have tried to halt or limit its operations, but the Trump administration has signaled its support and submitted nominations to fill all vacancies on the organization’s Board of Directors.  Senate confirmation of those nominations is needed to meet the quorum required to approve larger projects reviewed and recommended by staff experts. The award was presented to Ms. Wilk at a celebratory reception in Washington, DC by UTC Global Strategy Advisor, Magdelena Posthumus. It commends Wilk’s leadership role in NAM’s Exporters for EXIM Coalition, helping to bring greater awareness to the far reaching benefits the Ex-Im Bank provides when fully functional. UTC Overseas’ Executive Vice President Marco Poisler noted that Ms. Wilk, NAM’s Director of Trade Facilitation Policy, has played a major role in helping organize support for Ex-Im.  “Her work for the ‘Exporters for EXIM Coalition’ helped increase public awareness of the vital role the U.S. Ex-Im Bank plays in jobs creation by stimulating sales of U.S. products to overseas customers,” he noted.  “We were proud to work with her, NAM and the Coalition to get the project cargo industry to reach out to their elected representatives and let them know how important the Bank’s work is to our industry and to the American economy. “There is still work to be done,” Poisler concluded, “but without the support and drive of Lauren, NAM and the Coalition, we would not have won re-authorization of the Bank or been able to increase awareness of the reforms needed to restore full functionality.  It is for that reason that we honor her and her organization for their tireless efforts.”