Easy come, easy go

Quick, what L.A.-area company was the biggest importer in 2006? You want a hint? Think banana peel. That's right - it's Dole Food, with 222,200 TEUs (twenty-foot container equivalent units). If that's not a surprise, consider the next highest local company on the Journal of Commerce's list of 100 biggest importers and exporters: 15th-ranked Red Bull North America, at 75,000 TEUs (up from 23rd a year earlier). As for exporters, 17 area companies made the list - nearly all of them in the business of recycled paper products that are shipped to China and eventually come back to the U.S. in the form of boxes that hold your computers, TV sets, iPods or whatevers. Thanks to Eduardo Martinez at the L.A. Economic Development Corp. for pulling up the JOC data.

LOS ANGELES AREA IMPORTERS
5 Dole Food Co. (Los Angeles)
15 Red Bull North America Inc. (Santa Monica)
27 Mattel Inc. (El Segundo)
38 Yamaha Motor Corp. USA (Cypress)
42 Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. (Cypress)
44 Nestle USA Inc./Waters (Los Angeles)
78 American Suzuki Motor (Brea)
96 Skechers USA Inc. (Manhattan Beach)

LOS ANGELES AREA EXPORTERS
1 America Chung Nam (Industry)
10 Allen Co. (Baldwin Park)
12 941 Corp. (Santa Ana)
21 Newport CH International (Brea)
22 JC Horizon Ltd. (Arcadia)
23 Denison Int'l Co. (Diamond Bar)
29 Yao Yang/Sunshine (Los Alamitos)
38 Potential Industries (Wilmington)
45 Mega Fiber Inc. (Brea)
49 Tzen Long USA (Commerce)
54 Rio Tinto Minerals (Valencia)
56 Sino Paper Inc. (Fullerton)
68 Resource Management Cos. (Industry)
72 American Honda Motor Co. (Torrance)
80 Kin Xun Enviro. Recycle (Industry)
98 Jetway International (Pomona)
98 Cementhai SCT USA Inc. (Torrance)