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Governor Quinn Announces Winners of 2014 Illinois Export Awards


State’s Trade Programs Help Companies Increase Global Sales

CHICAGO –-(ENEWSPF)–October 24, 2014.   Governor Pat Quinn today honored 15 companies and organizations that have earned the 2014 Governor’s Export Awards for outstanding accomplishments in the export of Illinois goods and services around the globe.

In announcing the awards, the Governor noted that state exports have been a driving force in Illinois’ economic recovery.

“Illinois exports have increased by 58 percent since 2009 and have created many jobs across the state,” Governor Quinn said. “We’re honoring these companies because they have helped the state reach more than $60 billion in exports each of the last three years – by far the most we’ve ever exported.”

Illinois is the largest exporting state in the Midwest and the fifth in the U.S., with exports of $66.1 billion in 2013. Direct exports account for nearly 10 percent of the Gross State Product. In 2009, Illinois exports were about $42 billion.

The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has worked hand-in-hand with businesses across Illinois to facilitate connections for them overseas. For example, DCEO’s Office of Trade and Investment oversees the popular Illinois’ State Trade and Export Promotion (ISTEP) program, which provides the state’s small- and medium-sized businesses with financial and technical assistance to increase their exports.

“If you’re a business in Illinois that wants to start exporting or increase your exports, DCEO is ready to help,” said agency Director Adam Pollet. “Our 12 International Trade Centers around the state provide market research, advice on financing and information about export controls, while our Office of Trade and Investment  leads dozens of trade missions to key markets and trade shows around the world.”

“Our state is the crossroads of the global economy for good reasons – our strong infrastructure, highly educated workforce, excellent educational institutions, low energy costs and high-tech startup hubs,” Governor Quinn said. “We’re also No. 1 in the Midwest for foreign investment.”

For more information on Illinois trade opportunities, visit www.exports.illinois.gov.

The Governor’s Export Awards were presented at a reception Oct. 23 at the Union League Club of Chicago. The 2014 Illinois Export Award winners include:

Exporter of the Year

Denbur, Inc. Westmont
Denbur was established in 1979 and has 25 employees. Denbur manufactures dental equipment, including applicators, brushes, diagnostic instruments, light enhancing devices and interdental cleaners. Denbur began exporting in 1999 and its primary international markets include Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Canada and Europe. More than 50 percent of its annual sales are now exports.

E. Formella & Sons, Inc. Countryside
E. Formella & Sons was established in 1909 and has more than 25 employees. E. Formella & Sons manufactures classic Chicago-style Italian condiments, food toppings and ingredients, including giardiniera, hand-stuffed olives, muffuletta salad, and hot pepper relishes. E. Formella & Sons began exporting in 2007 and its primary international markets are Latin America and Canada.

MedGyn Products Inc. Addison
MedGyn manufactures and distributes medical equipment and medical disposable products used by gynecologists and obstetricians. MedGyn began exporting in 1988 and its primary international markets include Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Canada and Europe. MedGyn was established in 1975 and currently has 45 employees. More than 50 percent of its annual sales are attributed to exports.

National Railway Equipment Co. Mt. Vernon
NRE was established in 1984 and has more than 250 employees in Illinois and just under 1,000 employees worldwide. NRE has evolved in the last two decades to be primarily an export business, with 65 percent of its annual sales occurring abroad. National Railway is the world’s largest independently-owned manufacturer of new and rebuilt diesel electric locomotives, components, field services and Marine division, and began exporting in 1999. Its primary international markets include Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Canada, and
Europe.

Power Plant Services Melrose Park
Power Plant Services was established in 1998 and employs more than 150 people. It manufactures CNC turning, milling and machining mechanical components and does reverse engineering of turbine parts. Power Plant Services began exporting in 2004 and serves international clients in Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Canada and Europe. More than 6 percent of its annual sales are attributed to exports.

Simmons Engineering Corp. Wheeling
Simmons Engineering was established in 1946 and has 75 employees. Simmons manufactures unique blades such as industrial band saw blades for foam, food, leather, metal and woodworking industries. Simmons began exporting in 1995, and serves customers in Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Canada and Europe. More than 18 percent of its annual sales are attributed to exports.

New Exporter

Bajaj Medical, LLC Chicago
Bajaj Medical manufactures the FDA-approved antiseptic Chlorhexidine Gluconate hand wash, along with other liquids and contract pharmaceutical manufacturing. Bajaj Medical was established and began exporting in 2013. Thirty-seven percent of its annual sales are attributed to exports. Its nine employees service international markets in Latin America and the Middle East.

BidMed, LLC Chicago
Established in 2012, BidMed sells and distributes U.S. medical equipment, accessories and parts globally. BidMed began exporting in 2012 and attributes 17 percent of its annual sales to exports. In the past two years, both sales and full-time employee numbers have tripled, and BidMed has opened a second location in Illinois. Its 11 full-time employees service international markets including Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Canada and Europe.

Buedel Fine Meats and Provisions Bridgeview
Established in 1907, Buedel Fine Meats is a meat packing company that provides hand-selected and properly aged fine meats to the food service industry. With 85 employees, Buedel Fine Meats just began exporting in 2013. It has found a number of buyers in the Asia Pacific region, including in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Lodaat, LLC Downers Grove
Lodaat was established in 2007 and is a privately-held science-based firm for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry. Approximately 75 percent of its annual sales are attributed to exports. Lodaat researches and works with U.S. and Illinois manufacturers to develop generic pharmaceuticals, botanical ingredient extracts, complementary alternative medical (CAM) products and finished formulations for a wide array of therapeutic categories including cardiac support, immunity support and healthy weight maintenance. Lodaat began
exporting in 2012 and its primary international markets include South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

Service Exporter

Sumac, Inc. Chicago
Sumac was established in 2008 and has six employees. Sumac is an international consulting, construction and professional services firm with a focus in energy, sustainable building and LEED consulting services. Sumac began exporting in 2010 to Peru. Currently 8 percent of its annual sales are attributed to service exports to Latin America.

Agricultural Exporter

Archer Daniels Midland Co. Chicago
One of Illinois’ premier global brands, ADM was established in 1902 and has nearly 33,000 employees. ADM operates 285 ingredient manufacturing facilities, 40 innovation centers and more than 420 crop procurement facilities worldwide, transforming crops into products for food, animal feed, chemical and energy uses for customers in more than 140 countries. Last year, ADM recorded more than $10 billion in export sales from Illinois. ADM also built a private intermodal ramp in its railyard in Decatur to take advantage of the unique rail connectivity in the area. ADM has opened up the ramp for outside parties to help continue to expand the export industry for businesses of all sizes in Central Illinois.

Chromatin, Inc. Chicago
Chromatin was established in 2001 and has more than 100 employees. Chromatin leverages its industry-leading knowledge in plant genetics, breeding, agronomics and screening to develop sorghum hybrids for targeted solutions to global agriculture problems. It develops and customizes new seed products for a variety of commercial purposes and continues to experience rapid growth in emerging sorghum markets. Chromatin began exporting in 2010 and nearly a quarter of its annual sales are attributed to exports. Its primary international markets include Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Export Awareness and Development

Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago, Chicago
Located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago, ICNC was established in 1967. For over 45 years, ICNC has been providing no-cost business development, advocacy, training and export advice to area companies. It owns and manages an incubator facility in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, providing affordable space in an entrepreneurial community of more than 100 businesses that access ICNC’s business development, advising and support programs.

Exporter Continuing Excellence

Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. Loves Park
Aqua-Aerobic was established in 1969 and has 123 employees. Aqua-Aerobic manufactures a complete line of water and wastewater treatment equipment and systems for municipal and industrial applications. It began exporting in 1974 and its primary international markets include Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Canada and Europe.

Source: illinois.gov


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