Ernie Ellis, president of Baltimore-based Sea-Fire Marine, participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by President George W. Bush on Oct. 6.
The event, which was held in Washington, D.C., focused on jobs and the economy, with an emphasis on entrepreneurial spirit and global commerce.
The White House issued special invitations to entrepreneurs who demonstrated success in international trade. Each business leader was given an opportunity to review his company history and respond to questions from the president.
Ellis, in a statement, said, "It was a most rewarding experience to sit around the table with several other businesses and communicate our views."
Sea-Fire was the 2004 recipient of the Presidential E-Award for excellence in exporting. Ellis outlined the company's history, its international presence and discussed its recent expansion into the Pacific Asia market. He also expressed an interest in the Bush administration's efforts to relax regulations and open up the market with China.
"One of the jobs of government is to make sure the entrepreneurial spirit is strong, creating an environment that encourages entrepreneurship, which means low taxes, less regulation, rational spending at the government level [and] opening markets overseas so that the entrepreneur can trade," President Bush told the audience.
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy Al Hubbard, also participated in the discussion.