AIAC CHAIRMAN TO BE AWARDED OFFICIER DE L'ORDRE DE MÉRITE DU GRAND-DUCHÉ DE LUXEMBOURG

Honor To be Conferred by His Royal Highness Guillaume V, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

For Immediate Release

New York, April 2, 2026 - L. M. Levie, Chairman of American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) and Trustee of The Explorers Club, shall be formally invested as Officier de l'Ordre de Mérite du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg (Officer of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) in a private ceremony and formal luncheon held at Luxembourg House, 17 Beekman Place, New York on April 14, 2026.

This royal honor shall be personally conferred by His Royal Highness Guillaume V, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Minister of Finance Gilles Roth. The investiture ceremony will be followed by a formal luncheon hosted by the Grand Duke and attended by a small number of dignitaries and invited guests.

Established by Grand Ducal decree, the Order of Merit stands among Luxembourg's highest national honors and reflects the Grand Duchy's longstanding commitment to international partnership, diplomacy, and excellence. Mr. Levie was recognized for his distinguished contributions to economic development, science, exploration, dispute resolution, and emergency relief.

AIAC Chairman L. M. Levie issued the following statement:

"This investiture is a profound honor that I accept with deep humility and gratitude. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has long been a beacon of international cooperation, diplomacy, and economic dynamism. I am privileged to be recognized by His Royal Highness and the Grand Duchy, and I accept this honor on behalf of the thousands of managers and employees of the AIAC Group worldwide and the members of The Explorers Club whose collective efforts have made the world a better place."

"Beyond the honor itself, I am moved by the warmth of a cherished personal friendship with His Royal Highness Guillaume V, whose character and vision inspire all who know him. Grand Duke Guillaume is not only a dedicated and active member of The Explorers Club, but a passionate champion of the World Scouting movement, and a visionary advocate for the space industry - causes that reflect his deep commitment to human discovery, youth leadership, and the boundless potential of our future. It is in that spirit of shared purpose and enduring friendship that I receive this distinction with the greatest pride and affection."

Mr. Levie composed a song in honor of the 2025 coronation of Duke Guillaume, presented below:

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The Luxembourg investiture adds to a series of international recognitions and tributes for Mr. Levie. In May 2024, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor - one of the nation's most prestigious distinctions, officially recognized by both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and memorialized in the Congressional Record - in recognition of his contributions as an industrialist and philanthropist. Fellow 2024 medalists included David and Susan Rockefeller, Senator Rob Portman, Sharon Bowen (Chair of the NYSE), and General Joseph Dunford (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff).

Mr. Levie and his companies have been awarded Turnaround of the Year Awards conferred by the Turnaround Management Association three years in a row for the corporate transformation and revival of Union Metal Industries, Canadian Kraft Paper Industries, and Vermont Aerospace Industries.

On November 18, 2025, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island recited Mr. Levie's epic poetic tribute, The Ballad of Jane Goodall, on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

The Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

The Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Ordre de Mérite du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg) is an order of merit instituted on 23 January 1961 by Grand Duchess Charlotte. It is awarded for outstanding professional achievement and for services performed in specific fields, with eligibility extending to civil servants, elected representatives, figures in the economic, social, cultural, and sporting sectors, volunteers, and foreign nationals. The Grand Master is the reigning Grand Duke, currently Guillaume V.

Among its most distinguished recipients, the Order of Merit has been awarded to Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Didier Reynders, EU Commissioner for Justice, General Wesley Clark and Admiral James G. Stavridis, both Supreme Allied Commanders Europe, Mikis Theodorakis, composer of Zorba the Greek, Simon Wiesenthal, the renowned Nazi-hunter, world renowned singers Nana Mouskouri and Vicky Leandros, and Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization. The breadth of honorees - spanning diplomacy, the military, music, and human rights - reflects the order's aim to recognize outstanding contributions across many walks of life.

For further information, please see:

https://monarchie.lu/en/luxembourg-monarchy/les-ordres

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Merit_of_the_Grand_Duchy_of_Luxembourg

Luxembourg House

Seventeen Beekman Place is one of the most prestigious addresses in New York and one of the last stately residences built in Manhattan. Designed by architect Harold Sterner and completed in 1932, it was commissioned by Wall Street investment banker James V. Forrestal of Dillon, Read & Company. Forestal was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as US Secretary of the Navy and by President Harry S.Truman as U.S. Secretary of Defense. The five-story mansion features a white marble base, three stories of red brick, a copper-sheathed mansard roof, and an entrance flanked by Corinthian columns displaying Luxembourg's Coat of Arms.

In 1946, Irving Berlin, the most celebrated, prolific, and beloved American song writer, purchased the house and lived there until his death in 1989. At that address, he composed the musical scores for a succession of iconic Broadway shows and Hollywood movies, including Annie Get Your Gun and Call Me Madam, with hit songs such as There's No Business Like Show Business, Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better, They Say It's Wonderful, You Can't Get a Man With a Gun, The Girl That I Marry, It's a Lovely Day Today, and Heat Wave.

Notably, Call Me Madam was based on President Truman's appointment of Perle Mesta, the Oklahoma City oil heiress and socialite, as the first U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg. Following Berlin's death, Luxembourg purchased the townhouse in 1990 and renovated it to house its government offices in New York City, including the Permanent Mission to the United Nations, the Consulate General, and the Trade and Investment Office. The house also hosts art exhibitions, concerts, and conferences through its "Arts at the Luxembourg House"

For further information, please see:

https://sip.gouvernement.lu/dam-assets/publications/brochure-livre/minist-

etat/sip/brochure/Distinctions_honorifique/

https://newyork-un.mae.lu/en/ambassades/maison-luxembourg.html

About The Explorers Club

Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club is a prestigious international multidisciplinary professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore. Based at its historic headquarters in New York City, the Club has served as a meeting point and unifying force for explorers and scientists worldwide for over a century.

The Club's membership includes many of history's most renowned explorers and scientists, from polar explorers Robert Peary and Roald Amundsen to oceanic pioneers Jacques Cousteau and Robert Ballard, from aviation legends Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart to space pioneers like Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Jim Lovell. The Club continues to support cutting-edge exploration in every realm-from the deepest ocean trenches to the highest peaks, from archaeological discoveries to space missions.

The Explorers Club is renowned for its rigorous standards of membership, requiring nominees to have made significant contributions to exploration or the sciences that advance our understanding of the world. The Club's Board of Trustees, Legacy Society, and various committees work to preserve the Club's mission while fostering new generations of explorers through grants, expeditions, and educational programs.

The Club's famous annual dinner, featuring exotic cuisine and presentations by leading explorers, has become legendary in New York society. More importantly, The Explorers Club continues to fund and support expeditions that push the boundaries of human knowledge, from climate research in Antarctica to biodiversity studies in remote rainforests to preparations for future Mars missions.

AIAC Chairman L. M. Levie serves as Member of its Board of Trustees and as Poet Laureate and Member of its Legacy Society. As Poet Laureate, Mr. Levie contributes to the Club's cultural mission by capturing the spirit of exploration through verse, honoring both historical achievements and contemporary discoveries that continue to expand the frontiers of human knowledge and experience.

For further information, please see:

https://www.explorers.org

About American Industrial Acquisition Corporation

American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia-New Zealand. AIAC has acquired and grown non-core subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.

AIAC companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petrochemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, AIAC companies are exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded industrial and consumer products and serve as critical suppliers for the construction of major airports, schools, hospitals, performing arts and sports centers, offices and hotels throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. AIAC is a leading manufacturer of building, street, and highway signage in Europe, and a distributor of electrical products throughout France.

Of note, AIAC purchased Boeing Canada in 2005 and has produced over 10,000 unique components for every Boeing jet plane ever since, reliably serving Boeing from manufacturing facilities in North America. A leader in ultra-high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies produce 2,200 fan blades for each jet engine produced by GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Honeywell.

AIAC companies actively support exploration into outer space, manufacturing critical components for launching and propelling spacecraft and satellites. AIAC customers in this sector include NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Boeing. AIAC affiliate, Champlain Cable Corporation, supported the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space missions with high performance wire and cable. AIAC companies also lead in the design and manufacture of undersea umbilical cables for worldwide oceanographic research.

AIAC companies produce the critical automotive wire and cable for Tesla, GM, Ford, Chrysler-Fiat, Toyota, and Nissan. In connection with its kraft paper manufacturing interests in Canada and the US, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary.

AIAC affiliate, Metallwarenfabrik Gemmingen GmbH, located in Germany, designs, manufactures and distributes high performance, emergency portable power generators utilized in global conflict zones and during natural disasters.

For further information, please see: https://www.aiac.com

About AIAC Philanthropy

AIAC and the AIAC Foundation support a wide range of nonprofit, nonsectarian, bipartisan organizations which promote international conflict resolution, disaster relief, economic development, environmental sustainability, exploration, and the performing arts.

The exploration-focused nonprofit organizations which they actively support include The Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Space Society, and the United States Space Foundation.

AIAC's other beneficiaries include the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation Inc., the Asia Society, the Atlantic Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Gates Philanthropy Partners, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carter Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institut Française des Relations Internationales, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Crisis Group, the International Rescue Committee, the Japan Society, the JFK School of Government of Harvard University, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the Sierra Club, the Trilateral Commission, and the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute.

For further information, please see: https://www.aiac.com/our-values

Media Contact

Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+1 787 244 3175 (USA)
[email protected]