PETRUS USA JOINS U.S.-UKRAINE BUSINESS COUNCIL (USUBC)
New company importing products from Ukraine to the USA
U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), Wash, D.C., Fri, Oct 30, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. - PetRus USA, LLC has been approved for membership in the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), the USUBC executive committee announced today on behalf of the entire USUBC membership of over 100 companies and organizations who have business operations, investments or other development programs in Ukraine.
PetRus USA, LLC, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, was established in the spring of 2009 as a sister company of PetRus, Ukraine. PetRus USA, is an importer of alcoholic beverages, such as Zlatohor vodka, manufactured in Ukraine by PetRus Ukraine.
The PetRus Ukraine holding company, Kyiv, Ukraine, unites a group of trade and industrial companies in various businesses: alcoholic drinks, confectionaries, agricultural production, customs and warehouse services, alcohol, cosmetics, food imports, vehicle distribution, and investment projects for the construction of commercial and housing real estate.
VLADIMIR M. KOYFMAN
Vladimir Michael Koyfman serves as Chairman & CEO, PetRus USA, LLC. He was born in Kyiv, Ukraine and came to the USA in the early 1990's. He is an experienced business entrepreneur who combines his knowledge of doing business in Ukraine with a good understanding of the U.S. market.
His business experience includes: Senior Vice President, CIO of Nationwide Credit Card Company, LLC; President, CEO of New American Technologies, Inc.; advisor of International Business Relations for the Greenville Consulting Company, LLC.
In addition to running PetRus USA, Vladimir is exploring business opportunities in Togo (West Africa). He is President and CEO of V-Group-Phosphate International Company, Togo (West Africa) with business in Ukraine and the USA. He was elected as "Man of the Year", by the Cascade-Maryland Community Newspaper in 2006. Vladimir will represent PetRus USA on the USUBC board of directors.
The Chairman/CEO of PetRus Ukraine, Mykolay Petrenko, and Lyudmila Rusalina, a well-known businesswoman in Ukraine, serve on the board of directors of PetRus USA. Mykolay Gergalo is the Director General; Dmytro Babich, Wholesale Manager; Stan Stern, Shipping/ Receiving Manager; Oleg Petrenko, Distribution's Administrator; and Ivan Lanier, Government Relations Advisor.
PETRUS UKRAINE HOLDING COMPANY
The PetRus group of companies originated in the “TopTrans” company which was established in 1992. The company was the first private Ukrainian provider of services of bonded warehouses. Later on the company expanded its business to include the import of food products and cosmetics with well known trademarks.
By 1998, the company had become one of the largest importers of food products in Ukraine with its own distribution network. Wishing to restore the lost reputation of a domestic manufacturer and to gain the consumers’ confidence, the founders of PetRus chose to modernize and expand the Cherkassy biscuit plant. In 2000 the plant was merged into “Svit Lasoschiv” Ltd.
The same year, PetRus took into administration Zolotonosha Distillery “Zlatogor”. In 2005 PetRus gave the new birth to the Uman Distillery and Kremenchug Distillery. And the opening of Luzhany Distillery became an outstanding event of 2006. During 2005-2006 the company had been increasing its activities in the sphere of imports of food products and alcoholic beverages.
Today PetRus Ukraine is importing cognacs and cognac blends from France, canned fruits and vegetables from Thailand, Vietnam and Spain. Imports from China are dried seafood (Dalian city), canned mushrooms (Xiamen city), cocoa milk (Haikou city). In addition to imports to Ukraine the company is also importing mushrooms and snacks to Georgia.
USUBC is very pleased to have PetRus USA, LLC, as a member," said Morgan Williams, Director, Government Affairs, Washington Office, SigmaBleyzer Emerging Markets Private Equity Investment Group, www.SigmaBleyzer.com, who serves as President/CEO of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC).
"USUBC now has a membership base of over 100 companies and organizations which allows USUBC to provide its new members such as PetRus USA, LLC with a full-time operation and a significantly expanded program of work," according to USUBC membership director, Iryna Teluk. "USUBC was introduced to PetRus USA by Robert Walker, Assistant Secretary, Division of Business and Enterprise Development, Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development in Baltimore. Robert is a new member of the USUBC board of directors and we appreciate his outstanding support," said Teluk.
USUBC MEMBERSHIP NOW OVER 100 AND STILL GROWING
Over One-Hundred Members, October, 2009, Membership in January of 2007 was 22.
The list of USUBC members can be found at: http://www.usubc.org/members.php.
SENIOR ADVISORS TO USUBC- 2009
[1] Anders Aslund, Senior Fellow
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Washington, D.C.
[2] Ariel Cohen, Ph.D, Senior Research Fellow
Allison Center for International Studies,
Davis Institute for International Studies,
The Heritage Foundation
Washington, D.C.
[3] Keith Crane, Senior Economist
Rand Corporation
Washington, D.C.
[4] Leonid Kozachenko, President
Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation (UAC)
Kyiv, Ukraine
[5] William Green Miller
Woodrow Wilson Center Senior Policy Scholar
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
Washington, D.C.
[6] Steven Pifer, Visiting Fellow
The Brookings Institution
Senior Advisor, Russia & Eurasia Program, CSIS
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
Washington, D.C.
[7] Dr. Edilberto Segura, Partner, Chief Economist
SigmaBleyzer Private Equity Investment Group
Chair of the Advisory Board of The Bleyzer Foundation
Kyiv, Ukraine
[8] Keith Smith, Senior Associate
Europe Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Former U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania
Washington, D.C.
[9] William B. Taylor, Jr.
Vice President, Peace & Stability Operations
United States Institute of Peace
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine
Washington, D.C.
USUBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
For Year 2009 (http://www.usubc.org/excommittee.php)
[1] Margarita Karpenko
Managing Partner
DLA Piper Ukraine LLC
Kyiv, Ukraine
[2] Michael E. Kirst
Regional Vice President
Central/Eastern Europe and Russia
Westinghouse Electric Company
Brussels, Belgium
[3] Paul Nathanson
Principal
Bracewell & Giuliani LLP
Washington, D.C.
[4] Dr. Irina Paliashvili
President and Senior Counsel
RULG-Ukrainian Legal Group, P.A.
Washington, D.C./Kyiv, Ukraine
[5] Andrew A. Pidgirsky
Chairman
Board of Governors
Ukrainian American Bar Association (UABA)
Houston, TX
[6] Mara L. Sovey
Director, International Affairs
John Deere Public Affairs Worldwide
Deere & Co.
Washington, D.C.
[7] Samir B. Sahgal
Director, International Operations
Washington, D.C. Operations
The Boeing Company
Arlington, VA
Treasurer, USUBC
[8] Patrick H. Sweet
President
Sweet Analysis Services, Inc. (SASI)
Alexandria, VA
[9] Arnold F. Wellman
Vice President
Corporate Public Affairs
Domestic/International,
UPS
Washington, D.C.
[10] E. Morgan Williams
Director, Government Affairs, Washington Office
SigmaBleyzer Private Equity Investment Group
Washington, D.C.
Chairman, Executive Committee, USUBC
President/CEO, USUBC
[11] Van A. Yeutter
Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Cargill
Washington, D.C.
[12] Jack I. Heller
Attorney at Law
Heller & Rosenblatt
Washington, D.C.
Legal Counsel, USUBC