At the 17th annual Friend of Chile Awards Luncheon, the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia honored accomplished business leaders, including John Anderson, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The Oppenheimer Group, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Anderson was acknowledged for several achievements, including Oppy’s status as the top North American importer of Chilean stone fruit, bringing millions of dollars in business through the ports along the Delaware River.Martin Welch, chief operating officer of emerging markets for Aramark; Senator Mike Stack, Pennsylvania lieutenant governor elect; and John Anderson, chairman, president and CEO of The Oppenheimer Group. As well, Anderson was officially documented in the state of Pennsylvania by Senator and Lieutenant Governor-elect Mike Stack as a person who has made a difference to the well-being of the people living and working in the state.

The awardees have charted new territory in the realm of international connections and business innovation between the United States and Chile. Benjamin Leavenworth, Consul of Chile, Rob Wonderling, president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and Sen. Stack joined the chamber in offering commendations to the honorees.

“For nearly 40 years, Anderson’s finely honed business instincts have left an indelible mark on a global industry, while building Oppy into a strong and successful produce marketing enterprise,” Ricardo Maldonado, executive director of the chamber, said in a press release.

The Oppenheimer Group currently utilizes all four major facilities on the Delaware River: Holt Terminal in Gloucester City, NJ; Tioga Marine Terminal and Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in Philadelphia; and the port of Wilmington, DE, to import grapes, berries, cherries, citrus, kiwifruit and stone fruit from Chile. In a typical year, the Oppenheimer Group receives 4.5 to 5 million cartons of Chilean produce through these port facilities.

Recently, Anderson was honored with the coveted 2014 BC CEO of the Year Award for a major private company. He was named Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for Canada’s Pacific region in 2002, and in 2013 Anderson was recognized by the B.C. chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth with a Dealmaker of the Year Award.

Under his leadership, The Oppenheimer Group has been named as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies since 2001, and has been part of its esteemed Platinum Club since 2008.

The Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia is a non-profit, apolitical membership organization created to foster increased and improved commercial and trade relations between the Republic of Chile and the Greater Philadelphia region. The chamber brings together people and businesses with an interest in reaching this goal through participation in a variety of activities and programs.