The finalists for the World Trade Center Atlanta’s 2008 Governor’s International Awards have been chosen and the winners are to be announced at the annual awards gala on Saturday, Aug. 23.

There are three finalists in each of four categories: international investment, international trade, international educational program and individual contributions to the international community.

They were selected through a nomination and evaluation process conducted by members of the World Trade Center’s board of directors.

The finalists in the international investment category are Arcapita Inc., an Atlanta-based holding and real estate company that is wholly owned by the Arcapita Bank located in Bahrain;

IKEA, a privately-held, international home products retailer that sells furniture, accessories, bathrooms and kitchens which opened a store in Atlanta in 2005;

Oracal USA Inc., a manufacturer of vinyl films and related adhesive products and a corporate partner of Orafol Europe based in Oranienburg, Germany.

The finalists for the international trade category are Big Time Products LLC, a Rome-based manufacturer of hand protection products; Atlanta-based Crawford & Co., a provider of claims management and related solutions to the risk management and insurance industry with a global network of more than 700 locations in 63 countries;

Nioxin Research Laboratories Inc. in Lithia Springs manufactures cosmetics, toiletries and other beauty and health care products.

Finalists for the international educational program are the Savannah Music Festival to be held next year from March 19-April 15; the Southern Center for International Studies and the University of West Georgia’s banking and finance program.

Finalists for individual community contribution award are Thomas J. Harrold Jr., a member with law firm of Miller & Martin PLLC who serves as secretary and a member of the board of directors of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern United States as well as being on the boards of the Japan America Society and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce;

Nancy Musselwhite, senior consultant at Atlanta-based Geo Strategy Partners LLC and former senior business development manager for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce;

Jagdish Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt professor of marketing in the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, founder of the India, China and America Institute and a prolific author and a member of the board of Wipro Limited, an Indian firm that has opened an Atlanta software development center.