On October 20, 2011, Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway attended an awards luncheon in New York City hosted by the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC). Per the official site for the royal house of Norway:
The NACC was founded in New York in 1915 to promote trade and business cooperation between Norway and the US. The organization has conferred the Norwegian-American Trade Award and Norwegian-American Achievement Award since the early 1990s. King Harald V and Queen Sonja were in attendance at the gala luncheon at the Pierre Hotel where the awards were presented today.
The fashion design company “Moods of Norway” was this year’s recipient of the Trade Award, while Mr Jack Waitz and the organisation Aktiv Mot Kreft received the Achievement Award. The King lauded the efforts of each of the recipients in his speech:
‘The fashion designers in “Moods of Norway” have successfully exported their designs to the United States. ”Moods of Norway” has both strong Norwegian roots and flourishing international branches. They are representatives of the up-and-coming Norwegian fashion and creative industries, and a symbol of a new generation of Norwegian businesses in the US. Congratulations to all of you.
Our well-known long distance runner, the late Grete Waitz, is a legend in Norway as well as in New York. She was a recipient of the Achievement Award in 2005 in recognition of both her accomplishments in running, as well as her inspirational work. In her later years, she was admired for her incredible work for the cancer cause. She shared this passion with her husband Jack. They supported the founding of Aktiv Mot Kreft, established by Helle Aanesen in 2007. I would like to congratulate Jack Waitz, Helle Aanesen and Aktiv Mot Kreft with the Achievement Award.’
