Rick Wade, senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, was in Syracuse, N.Y., today for the third stop on his National Main Street Business Tour that is taking him across the country to meet with business leaders and hear directly from them about the challenges they’re facing, taking their concerns and ideas back to Washington.  

In Syracuse, Wade and U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei met with local business owners for a roundtable discussion followed by a tour of New York-based Defenshield, a veteran-owned manufacturer of custom armor and transparent armor solutions. Wade also presented the company with an Export Achievement Award, which recognizes small- and medium-sized enterprises that have successfully entered the international marketplace.