Aramco Services Company (ASC) is a wholly-owned affiliate of Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), the national oil company of Saudi Arabia. ASC provides a wide range of services to Saudi Aramco from its headquarters in Houston, Texas and an office in Washington, D.C.

ASC has been a part of the Houston community since 1974. The company employs approximately 300 people.

The services provided to Saudi Aramco include engineering; quality assurance and quality control; information technology; marine vessel services and logistics; purchasing and export of materials; financial services and management information; career-development programs for Saudi Aramco employees studying in North America as well as other training programs for U.S.-based employees; recruitment of North American personnel for Saudi Aramco; and the publication of various magazines and journals.

ACCESS, a community-based, non-profit organization located in the heart of Dearborn, MI and has been a major player in the nation’s largest Arab American community since 1971. ACCESS services all of Wayne County through over 70 different programs and the provision of social, mental health, educational, cultural, employment, legal and medical services. ACCESS features a Community Health and Research Center, which includes an on-site Pharmacy as well as an Environmental Outreach Program.

The Arab American National Museum, the new home of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services' (ACCESS) Cultural Arts Department, opened to the public on May 5, 2005 in Dearborn, Michigan. The AANM documents, preserves, celebrates, and educates the public on the history, life, culture, and contributions of Arab Americans. We serve as a resource to enhance the knowledge and understanding about Arab Americans and their presence in this country.

Many communities in America have strong ties to distant homelands. With the introduction of WeFlyHome, Lufthansa brings friends and families closer together by offering great low fares from 16 U.S. gateways to Egypt, Greece, Israel, Russia, Poland and India via an exclusive microsite. The website can be visited under www.weflyhome.com/egypt

Other countries, including Iran, Jordan, UAE and Lebanon, will be added throughout the fall. Hereby, Lufthansa distinguishes itself as the first carrier in the airline industry to introduce a multicultural online booking tool.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my warmest congratulations to you on achieving this milestone and my appreciation for the NAAP's dedication to the goals and objectives envisioned when it was founded over 3 years. I have had the opportunity of personally meeting many of your leaders and members, and I am proud and pleased to know a network of such devoted and motivated individuals.

I offer my best wishes for the success of your 3rd Annual conference and the future of your organization.

A biennial event supported by the Arab League, Gulf Co-Operation Council and U.S. Departments of State and Commerce and USAID, the U.S.-Arab Economic Forum focuses on improving economic ties and economic development as a source of societal change. The 2006 Forum will address transparency and accountability, human capacity building, trade infrastructure, public-private partnerships and empowering women through economics, among other topics. Forum proceeds, and related fund-raising activities, support ongoing initiatives on many of these issues.