Ambassador Devinda R. Subasinghe, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the U.S. visited Corporate Head Office of the Limited Brands in Ohio, Columbus on February 11, 2005. The Limited Brand, which is a huge player in Sri Lanka, purchases more apparel products from Sri Lanka than any single U.S. Company. Funded in 1963 with one woman’s apparel store in Ohio, Columbus, Limited Brand has grown into more than 3,800 stores and 6 retail brands.

Ambassador Subasinghe had discussions with Mr. Mark Weikal, Chief Operating Officer, Victoria’s Secret Stores and Mr. Jerry Stritzke, President and CEO of MAST Industries Inc. and addressed over 250 Limited Brands Associates.

Ambassador thanked the Limited Brands for bringing talent, skill and values to Sri Lanka, which have helped to get the industry to a better place. He said “I want to say this clearly, Sri Lanka is a better more prosperous and more progressive country because of the Limited Brands”. He further added that the Limited Brands has helped Sri Lanka to build a world class apparel industry.

Ambassador Subasinghe also took this opportunity to thank Limited Brands for arranging the shipments of oral dehydration formula (Pedialyte) and said that “the very first private sector relief supplies to arrive in Sri Lanka were the supply of oral dehydration formula arranged by Limited Brands, shipped via FedEx, which was handed over to a leading NGO in Sri Lanka by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who was in Sri Lanka to gain a first hand information on the unprecedented disaster wrought by Tsunami and ongoing rescue and relief operation.” He added that Sri Lanka will always remember this response, a response from a compassionate and generous people.

Ambassador Subasinghe also visited Abbott Laboratories, Ross Division, which supplied above Pedialyte to shipment to Sri Lanka to personally thank executives of the Company for their generous support in this hour of need. During his visit to Ohio, Columbus he also met print (The Columbus Dispatch) and electronic media (WBNS TV10) and took that opportunity to thank Americans for their generous support for the Tsunami victims in Sri Lanka.

Embassy of Sri Lanka
Washington DC
USA

15 February 2005