In Memory of

Richard

L.

Barovick

Obituary for Richard L. Barovick

RICHARD “DICK” BAROVICK , journalist, publisher, and international trade consultant arrived in Washington, D.C. from New York City in 1968 with wife Lani, and 4 month old daughter Nadia. They rode in a station wagon that he bought from a college classmate, and all of their furniture rode in a U-Haul driven by Roger Hall, Nadia’s godfather, a veteran of the OSS and author of You’re Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger.

In New York, he earned a B.A. from Columbia College in social science, and masters degrees from New York University in English and political science. He worked for the Journal of Commerce, then the bible of international trade news, as a reporter and editor in the trade field. He also worked for the British Automobile Manufacturers Association, marketing UK cars as a group. Other jobs included public relations for the Philippines and Portugal, and communications work for the United Nations Development Program.

In Washington, he worked for Ruder and Finn, a public relations firm, on New Zealand and Japanese clients, and at the same time serving as Washington editor of Business Abroad, a Dunn & Bradstreet monthly, and International Reports, a weekly later owned by the Financial Times.

He established an international corporate consulting firm with others in 1972, and went into business for himself in 1979 as International Business Affairs Corp. The firm published two newsletters, International Trade and Investment Letter, on U.S. policies and programs, and Eximbank Letter, on trade finance. He provided international government consulting for twenty corporations, among them Bechtel, Corning Glass, Dow Chemical, Ford, Mitsui, and Westinghouse. He provided information services and advice on current policies and programs, and held off the record meetings for clients with government decision makers.

From 1987 on his focus shifted to small business export expansion. For five years he ran the National Federation of Export Associations, a group of smaller export trading companies, and until 2007 he worked with associations and banks providing newsletters and government relations on export programs. He gradually became a part of the Washington establishment in his field, testifying before Congress on trade finance, trading companies, and the organization of government for trade purposes. When Congress established a council to study U.S. economic competitiveness, it hired him to prepare an analysis of U.S. export programs. In 1989 he worked with Bill Alexander, 3rd ranking House Democrat to create the House Export Task Force.

He is survived by daughter Nadia Barovick Penza of Doylestown, PA and grandson Michael. His second wife, Janet Wheeler Barovick, died in 2017.

A memorial service for Richard will be held at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6301 River Road, Bethesda, MD 20817 on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 10:30 am, with a luncheon to follow at the church.

Cremation services were private under the direction of the Varcoe-Thomas Funeral Home, 344 North Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to the American Lung Association www.lung.org would be appreciated.

Send condolences to www.varcoethomasfuneralhome.com