U.S. State Dept. Honors Two As Good Corporate Citizens

Compiled ByJill Jusko While announcements of impending layoffs and plant closings have garnered the Ford Motor Co. most of its recent publicity, the Dearborn, Mich.-based manufacturer was honored recently for its international business practices. Ford South Africa received the U.S. State Department's Award for Corporate Excellence for its HIV/AIDS program, which includes an extensive education program, voluntary on-site testing and counseling, upgraded treatment and insurance coverage, and sponsorship of community outreach programs. Selco-Vietnam, a subsidiary of Solar Electric Light Co., Chevy Chase, Md., also received the Award for Corporate Excellence. The company was honored for its work in reducing poverty and spurring economic development in Vietnam's countryside by providing electricity to families that lack access to a power grid. The Awards for Corporate Excellence were established in 1999 to emphasize the important role U.S. businesses can play abroad as good corporate citizens.