You're reading: US-Ukraine Business Council presents Distinguished Service Award to Michael Bleyzer

Editor's Note: The following is a press release by the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council, which promotes business ties between the United States and Ukraine. ISTIL Group, which owns the Kyiv Post, is a member.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  The
U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC) presented its first ever
Distinguished Service Award (DSA) to Michael Bleyzer, Founder and President,
SigmaBleyzer, at a dinner last week in Washington, D.C., which
included six top Ukrainian government officials from Kyiv and the
Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States. The event
was held at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel. 

The first ever such USUBC award was given to
Bleyzer for his outstanding contribution, over the past 20 years, to the
economic and business development of Ukraine, to the development of the
SigmaBleyzer private equity management firm, to the significant membership
growth of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC) and to the prosperity of the
people of Ukraine.

US CONGRESSWOMAN ILEANA
ROS-LEHTINEN

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chair of the U.S. House
Committee on Foreign Affairs, spoke at the dinner and recognized the
contributions made by Michael Bleyzer to Ukraine. The Congresswomen said,
“I have known Michael for several years and been aware of his most
outstanding work to assist his homeland Ukraine develop as a strong,
independent, democratic and prosperous country under the rule of law and a
private market economy. It is my pleasure to be with you this
evening and see Michael receive this well deserved award. I offer my personal
congratulations to Michael.”

 ‘The United States has strongly supported the people of
Ukraine. Ukraine is a very important country and the United States has a
strategic partnership with Ukraine,” stated Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen. “I
am sure through the work of the over 195 members of the U.S.-Ukraine
Business Council (USUBC) and especially members like SigmaBleyzer, Ukraine will
grow and become a prosperous nation and at the same time strengthen its
democratic institutions and the rule of law.”

 USUBC RESOLUTION HONORING
MICHAEL BLEYZER

Patrick Sweet, President, SASI,. (Sweet Analysis Services
Inc), a long-time member of USUBC, who serves as the USUBC Secretary-Treasurer
and a member of the Executive Committee read the following USUBC resolution:

                       
‘On behalf of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the
U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), representing the

                      
over 195 members, I hereby certify the following resolution was
approved by unanimous vote of the USUBC executive committee:

                        WHEREAS: Michael Bleyzer was born in Kharkiv,
Soviet Ukraine, and as a young college student began dreaming about what

                         life could
be in a democratic country where one could develop and use their gifts and
talents in a creative, positive way;              

                        WHEREAS: Michael Bleyzer soon decided he
wanted to live in the United States and started working on a plan to move to
the

                       
U.S.  After several tough and difficult years Michael, his wife Natasha,
and their small daughter, left for the U.S. in late 1978;

                        
WHEREAS: The Bleyzer family
soon landed in Houston, Texas, with only a few suitcases and no funds. Bleyzer
quickly

                       
developed a highly successful career with Exxon for over 12 years and then
with Ernst & Young;

                         WHEREAS: In the early 1990’s Michael and his
brother Lev, decided to end all of their business activities in the US and
open

                        
an office in Kharkiv, Ukraine, to work in their motherland in the field of
economic and business development;

                         WHEREAS:  From 1995-1997 Michael and
Lev founded, with a partner from Kharkiv, Valery Dema, the SigmaBleyzer

                        
private equity management firm and raised $100 million in private
equity capital totally from private sources.  Seventeen years

                        
later SigmaBleyzer manages almost one billion dollars of private
equity capital;

                         
WHEREAS:
  In 2001 The Bleyzer Foundation was created as an
economic think tank to assist in the economic development

                          of
Ukraine and later the DAAR Foundation was organized by the Bleyzer family to
implement educational, cultural and humanitarian projects in Ukraine; 

                          WHEREAS:  In 2001 SigmaBleyzer became
a member of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC) and believed a large

                         and effective
business council was needed in Washington, D.C. to be a strong international
voice for business in Ukraine.  Since

                         2007 SigmaBleyzer
has been the largest corporate sponsor of USUBC and has watched USUBC grow from
20 members to almost 200 members;

                          THEREFORE: The U.S.-Ukraine Business Council
(USUBC), on behalf of its membership, presents Michael Bleyzer with

                         the first
ever U.S.-UKRAINE BUSINESS COUNCIL (USUBC)
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD (DSA)
.  USUBC offers its special thanks and best wishes to Michael
Bleyzer.

                          SIGNED:  Patrick Sweet, USUBC
Secretary-Treasurer; Member, USUBC Executive Committee (Washington,
D.C., Thursday, September 20, 2012.)