SALT LAKE CITY, Aug.14, 2007 - His Excellency Pekka Lintu, Ambassador of Finland to the United States, announced today that Andrew M. Bingham of Sandy, Utah, has been appointed the new honorary consul of Finland for the states of Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, and he has been officially accredited by the U.S. Department of State. He succeeds Chairman Emeritus of Wells Fargo (NYSE WFC) Spencer F. Eccles, who served as Finland's honorary consul from 1984 to 2005. Mr. Bingham also will be the newest addition to the Utah Consular Corps (UCC), which is a 25-member, Utah-state-recognized group of consuls (www.utahconsuls.org).

"As the official representative of Finland for these four states, I look forward to expanding my acquaintance with the Finnish communities and extending welcome and assistance to the Finns in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana," Bingham stated. "My primary goals as honorary consul are to foster an enhanced sense of community among the Finns and those who love Finland and to promote commercial trade, tourism and cultural ties between our four-state region and Finland."

Andy Bingham is the founder and managing principal of Astoria Capital Management, a Salt Lake City-headquartered asset management firm with offices in Tallinn, Estonia; Shenzhen, China; and Newport Beach, Calif. Previously, Mr. Bingham was a vice president at Merrill Lynch (NYSE MER). He is actively involved in a number of philanthropic and service organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America and The Road Home homeless shelter. As a young man, Mr. Bingham learned to love Finland and that love has grown over the years. He is married to the former Pilvi Fristrom, and they have four sons.

His acquaintance among Utah Finns has enabled him to help unofficially in many
business, cultural and diplomatic matters during the past. "Pilvi and I are excited about this opportunity, and we are really looking forward to officially interacting with the Finnish communities in our region," Bingham added. "As the newest member of the Utah Consular Corps, I'm eager to partner with the other distinguished consuls who serve their countrymen so tirelessly." Bingham recognized one UCC member in particular, Consul General of Mexico Salvador Jimenez, who has been staying in Huntington, Utah, this past week to help the Mexican families of the coal miners trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine.

The UCC was founded in 2000, and its members are career or honorary consuls general, consuls or vice consuls appointed by the heads of state of their respective countries and duly certified by the U.S. Department of State. Consular officers' two primary duties are:

1. Officially develop economic, commercial, scientific and cultural relations between the countries they represent and the areas in which they serve, which increasingly means promoting two-way trade, technology-transfer and investment. Consulates facilitate scientific, academic, cultural, business and professional exchange and are a source of information on the countries they represent. Consular officers also make arrangements for official visits in both directions.
2. Consulates are to safeguard the interests of the sending country and its citizens traveling or residing in their consular district. Traditionally, these interests include issuing (or facilitating the issuance of) passports and other documents such as visas, helping travelers in distress, signing death certificates, legalizing or delivering official documents and assisting travelers who have trouble with local law enforcement or immigration authorities.

The Republic of Finland (Suomen tasavalta) is situated between Sweden and Russia and its capital is Helsinki. Finland's government is a parliamentary democracy, headed by a president. The current president, Tarja Halonen, visited Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Previously part of Sweden, Finland became a Russian Grand Duchy in 1809 -- yet gained its independence in 1918 and became a member of the European Union in January 1995. A nation of 5.3 million people, Finland is the sixth happiest nation in the world -- according to the United Nation's Human Development Index -- and the World Audit Democracy Profile names it the freest nation in terms of civil liberties, freedom of the press, low corruption levels and political rights.

Finland encompasses thousands of lakes and islands that lure many tourists who come for the summer sports of yachting, fishing and hiking. Also, many cultural festivals, markets and performing arts events enliven the lovely Finnish summers. The snowy winters also attract avid sports lovers for Nordic skiing, dog-sleSALT LAKE CITY, Aug.14, 2007 - His Excellency Pekka Lintu, Ambassador of Finland to the United States, announced today that Andrew M. Bingham of Sandy, Utah, has been appointed the new honorary consul of Finland for the states of Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, and he has been officially accredited by the U.S. Department of State. He succeeds Chairman Emeritus of Wells Fargo (NYSE WFC) Spencer F. Eccles, who served as Finland's honorary consul from 1984 to 2005. Mr. Bingham also will be the newest addition to the Utah Consular Corps (UCC), which is a 25-member, Utah-state-recognized group of consuls (www.utahconsuls.org).

"As the official representative of Finland for these four states, I look forward to expanding my acquaintance with the Finnish communities and extending welcome and assistance to the Finns in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana," Bingham stated. "My primary goals as honorary consul are to foster an enhanced sense of community among the Finns and those who love Finland and to promote commercial trade, tourism and cultural ties between our four-state region and Finland."

Andy Bingham is the founder and managing principal of Astoria Capital Management, a Salt Lake City-headquartered asset management firm with offices in Tallinn, Estonia; Shenzhen, China; and Newport Beach, Calif. Previously, Mr. Bingham was a vice president at Merrill Lynch (NYSE MER). He is actively involved in a number of philanthropic and service organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America and The Road Home homeless shelter. As a young man, Mr. Bingham learned to love Finland and that love has grown over the years. He is married to the former Pilvi Fristrom, and they have four sons.

His acquaintance among Utah Finns has enabled him to help unofficially in many business, cultural and diplomatic matters during the past. "Pilvi and I are excited about this opportunity, and we are really looking forward to officially interacting with the Finnish communities in our region," Bingham added. "As the newest member of the Utah Consular Corps, I'm eager to partner with the other distinguished consuls who serve their countrymen so tirelessly." Bingham recognized one UCC member in particular, Consul General of Mexico Salvador Jimenez, who has been staying in Huntington, Utah, this past week to help the Mexican families of the coal miners trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine.

The UCC was founded in 2000, and its members are career or honorary consuls general, consuls or vice consuls appointed by the heads of state of their respective countries and duly certified by the U.S. Department of State. Consular officers' two primary duties are:

1. Officially develop economic, commercial, scientific and cultural relations between the countries they represent and the areas in which they serve, which increasingly means promoting two-way trade, technology-transfer and investment. Consulates facilitate scientific, academic, cultural, business and professional exchange and are a source of information on the countries they represent. Consular officers also make arrangements for official visits in both directions.
2. Consulates are to safeguard the interests of the sending country and its citizens traveling or residing in their consular district. Traditionally, these interests include issuing (or facilitating the issuance of) passports and other documents such as visas, helping travelers in distress, signing death certificates, legalizing or delivering official documents and assisting travelers who have trouble with local law enforcement or immigration authorities.

The Republic of Finland (Suomen tasavalta) is situated between Sweden and Russia and its capital is Helsinki. Finland's government is a parliamentary democracy, headed by a president. The current president, Tarja Halonen, visited Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Previously part of Sweden, Finland became a Russian Grand Duchy in 1809 -- yet gained its independence in 1918 and became a member of the European Union in January 1995. A nation of 5.3 million people, Finland is the sixth happiest nation in the world -- according to the United Nation's Human Development Index -- and the World Audit Democracy Profile names it the freest nation in terms of civil liberties, freedom of the press, low corruption levels and political rights.

Finland encompasses thousands of lakes and islands that lure many tourists who come for the summer sports of yachting, fishing and hiking. Also, many cultural festivals, markets and performing arts events enliven the lovely Finnish summers. The snowy winters also attract avid sports lovers for Nordic skiing, dog-sledding and Nordic walking, as well as people who visit Santa's Post Office in Lapland -- located north of Finland. Culturally, Finland has contributed a great deal to the world -- some notable examples include the creation of the sauna, the functionalist architect Alvar Aalto and the composer Jean Sibelius.

Finland's main economic drivers are services and manufacturing. The largest industries are electronics, machinery, vehicles and other engineered metal products, the forest industry, and chemicals. Some of the leading Finnish companies are Nokia, Stora Enso (the world's largest paper manufacturer), Aker Finnyards (cruise ships), KONE elevators, and Finnair. dding and Nordic walking, as well as people who visit Santa's Post Office in Lapland -- located north of Finland. Culturally, Finland has contributed a great deal to the world -- some notable examples include the creation of the sauna, the functionalist architect Alvar Aalto and the composer Jean Sibelius.

Finland's main economic drivers are services and manufacturing. The largest industries are electronics, machinery, vehicles and other engineered metal products, the forest industry, and chemicals. Some of the leading Finnish companies are Nokia, Stora Enso (the world's largest paper manufacturer), Aker Finnyards (cruise ships), KONE elevators, and Finnair.