Six North Carolina manufacturers received 2019 Governor’s Export Awards in a ceremony highlighting their growing sales success in international markets. These manufacturers make everything from cosmetics to heavy-duty plastic waste containers.
North Carolina’s export of goods and services supports more than 400,000 jobs in the state, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution.
“Manufacturing is the second-largest contributor to our state economy, with more than $30 billion in goods being exported annually,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “North Carolina’s global reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse would not be possible without all the companies that export, including the leaders we are honoring with Export Awards.”
Now in its third year, the Governor’s Office developed the export awards program in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), which works on the state’s behalf to help businesses achieve their export objectives.
The 2019 Governor’s Export Award winners are:
- Aegis Power Systems in Cherokee County
- World Cat in Edgecombe County
- BETA Fueling Systems in Rockingham County
- AB Carter in Gaston County
- Revlon Consumer Products Corporation in Granville County
- Otto Environmental Systems North America in Mecklenburg County
“The EDPNC is proud to celebrate these award-winners from all over the state,” said John Loyack, EDPNC Vice President of Global Business Services. “They are leaders among the businesses we work with because they have reached new levels of success in exporting or made the strongest of beginnings in international sales.”
The EDPNC international trade team includes five North Carolina-based trade managers who each specialize in specific industry sectors and trade representatives in North Carolina’s six trade offices around the world: Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan, China and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. In 2019, the EDPNC assisted 614 businesses from 89 North Carolina counties, and those businesses reported just over $1 billion in international sales.
The EDPNC selects the award winners from among the hundreds of businesses it has assisted with services ranging from export education seminars and foreign market intelligence to trade show support and introductions to international distributors. The EDPNC helps primarily small and medium-sized businesses develop new exporting opportunities and increase sales free of charge.
“Due to the professionalism and the caliber of the representatives at EDPNC, Otto had the confidence to enter markets such as Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Travis Dowell, senior director of sales for award-winner Otto Environmental Systems North America. “Their continuing assistance allows us to provide the same exemplary customer experience to our export market as we do in the United States. EDPNC’s help is second to none.”
More information on the 2019 Governor’s Export Award recipients:
- Otto Environmental Systems North America, Governor’s Award of Excellence. This leading manufacturer of residential and commercial plastic waste containers opened its U.S. headquarters in Charlotte in 1988, where it now employs more than 300 people.
- Aegis Power Systems, Top Rural Exporter. Founded in 1995, Aegis Power Systems manufactures specialized power supplies for industrial, military and heavy-duty industrial customers in Murphy.
- World Cat, Top Global Reach Exporter. World Cat builds a wide range of customized power catamarans in Tarboro.
- BETA Fueling Systems, Top New Exporter. Operating in Reidsville for more than 40 years, BETA Fueling Systems has been designing and building aircraft-refueling equipment for commercial and military customers, including specialized refueling trucks, filters and parts.
- AB Carter, Top Small Business Exporter. This century-old manufacturer from Gastonia provides machines, products, parts and accessories for the yarn and fiber spinning industry. Its global presence includes offices in five countries and agents in 44 countries.
- Revlon Consumer Products Corporation, Top Large Business Exporter. Revlon, a well-known manufacturer of cosmetics, hair color and other beauty products, has its largest manufacturing plant in Oxford.