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, BHA Consults, LLC
Barbara Hunter’s commitment and dedication to the Chilean Fruit Industry is well known and marked with numerous recognitions including being one of the first Friend of Chile recipients 16 years ago. After ending a long career with Western Industries, today Barbara continues to be actively involved in the Delaware River Port community. As a Director and member of the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay’s Executive Committee, Barbara continues to be an advocate for Chilean interests. Currently she is an active member of both the CBP-AG Working Group and the USDA Treatment Fee Task Force.
In 2012, forming her own company Barbara became a consultant for Western where she had been affiliated for more than 40 years before her departure earlier this year. 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 was became Western’s Director of Imported Commodities as a result of her work with the Cocoa trade; and her deep involvement with the Chilean fruit business, which she attracted to Western in 1979. Having traveled extensively during her career throughout Central and South America, 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.
An innovator and a steadfast champion for Chilean Fruit interests, one of her endeavors was the creation of The Food Safety and Security Program for port terminals. That program was initiated just prior to the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. This was the first program of its type in the country, and it positioned the port terminals where Western provided USDA Quarantine treatments, to take a leadership role in the new security measures to come which would impact port operations.
For her tireless efforts in the Delaware River Ports Ms. Hunter has garnered many awards and recognitions. She has been sought out for interviews, written articles and has been a featured speaker for many industry groups.
