Vol.
7 #5, May 2008
Export Awards
Each year, the governor recognizes firms and organizations that have
achieved extraordinary results in international sales or have
contributed to Wisconsin’s increased ability to compete in a
global market. Criteria include degree of export-related growth;
innovative techniques and approaches that resulted in the
company’s success; and demonstration of extra effort in capturing
worldwide markets.
This year’s award winners include:
Small Agricultural Exporter - Main Street Ingredients, LLC - La Crosse
Main Street Ingredients produces ingredients for the ice cream,
cheese, bakery, and confectionary industry, as well as private label
retail products for the healthy living and sports nutrition
categories. Main Street Ingredients sells products in over 21
countries in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and
Asia. Export sales have increased from $4 million in 2004 to over $25
million in 2007. Export sales of commodity ingredients have also
increased by 33 million pounds during the same time period. This growth
has resulted in the expansion of the firm’s manufacturing
operation in La Crosse from 40,000 square feet less than 10 years ago
to 230,000 square feet today.
Large Agricultural Exporter - Foremost Farms USA – Baraboo
Foremost Farms USA is a milk marketing and manufacturing cooperative
headquartered in Baraboo, Wisconsin that is owned by 2,700 dairy
farmers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
and Ohio. It operates 10 cheese plants, two milk packaging plants, one
- butter plant, and four ingredients plants in Wisconsin, plus three
operations outside of the state. Last year nearly $17 million worth of
Foremost Farms’ butter was shipped to Europe, the Middle East,
and Central Asia. Nearly $1 million worth of cheese went to Mexico,
Korea, the Netherlands, and the Middle East. Whey ingredients continue
to be - an important export, with nearly $79 million being shipped to
41 countries around the world. Over 1,300 of the cooperative’s
almost 1,400 employees are in Wisconsin.
Agriculture Export Plus - Sanimax - Green Bay
Every year Sanimax collects more than one million tons of animal and
food by-products, vegetable oils, and hides and skins, and converts
them into high quality inputs used by feed companies, chemical
manufacturers, tanneries, soap producers, the energy industry, and pet
food manufacturers. The firm’s activities significantly reduce
the amount of material that would otherwise be buried in
landfills. Sanimax’s export success has helped grow the
company into a $500 million business and spurred a 16 percent increase
in employment since 2006.
Small Manufacturing Exporter - Extrusion Dies Industries, LLC - Chippewa Falls
Extrusion Dies Industries, LLC (EDI) produces flat extrusion and
coextrusion die systems for a full range of film, sheet, extrusion
coating, proximity coating, and strand pelletizing applications. In
2007 that amounted to $18.7 million worth of exports. EDI places a
major emphasis on after sales service, including cleaning,
re-machining, and polishing existing dies to return them to as-new
condition or even improved capabilities. In order to service
international customers, EDI maintains 21 global sales agents and has
established service centers in Germany and China. A full team of
service technicians can be dispatched from Wisconsin and have worked in
Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, Europe, North Africa, and South
America.
Large Manufacturing Exporter - Appleton - Appleton
Appleton is a 100 percent employee-owned company that creates product
solutions through its development and use of coating formulations and -
applications, microencapsulation technology, and secure and specialized
print services. The company produces carbonless, thermal, and security
paper and performance packaging products. The 3,100 employee-owners
work at facilities in Appleton, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and
the United Kingdom. Shortly after joining the firm as CEO, Mark
Richards created an international division in 2005. The 26-person
division combines sales, marketing, finance, administration, logistics,
and customer and technical services. The revenue of the International
Division grew by 71 percent from its establishment in 2005 to 2007.
Today, Appleton products are sold in over 70 countries.
Manufacturing Export Plus - Rite-Hite Corporation – Milwaukee
Rite-Hite Corporation manufactures loading dock safety systems and
industrial door systems. The firm maintains more than 30 different
sales representative organizations in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe,
and North and South America. In addition to production facilities at
headquarters in Milwaukee, the firm has manufacturing operations in
Florida, Iowa, Tennessee, Colorado, China, Denmark, Latvia, Germany,
and Poland. The firm is expanding regional sales offices in Australia,
China, and Brazil. Rite-Hite won the Governor’s Export
Achievement Award in the Large Industrial/Manufacturing category in
2002. For each of the last three years, Rite-Hite’s
international sales have grown by 25 percent or more.
High Tech Exporter - Criticare Systems, Inc. – Waukesha
Criticare Systems, Inc. a subsidiary of Opto Circuits Limited, was
founded in 1984 and designs, manufactures, and markets patient
monitoring devices and non invasive sensors used in anesthesia,
critical care, respiratory care, transport, and outpatient
situations. The firm balances technical innovation and cost
containment. The firm has 90 employees in Wisconsin, plus an additional
12 elsewhere in the world. The firm’s 10-person international
team handles sales, marketing, and service. The firm has 80
distributors outside of the United States handling sales in 65
countries. International sales have been in excess of $11.5 million for
each of the last three years. Criticare and the U.S. Department
of Commerce have co-hosted several conferences for medical
professionals in developing countries. In 2007 Criticare received the
U.S. Department of Commerce’s Export Achievement Award.
Export Assistance Provider - World Dairy Expo, Inc. – Madison
For the last 42 years, the World Dairy Expo has taken place in Madison,
and it continues to be the international meeting place for the dairy
industry. Every year, 65,000 attendees, including 3,000
registered international attendees from 90 different countries, make
the trip to World Dairy Expo to experience the more than 700 exhibiting
companies (from 24 different countries) and 2,500 of the best
dairy cattle in North America. World Dairy Expo is a showcase of
cutting-edge dairy technology and the best dairy genetics available
today. The longstanding tradition and wide popularity of World Dairy
Expo in Madison confirms that Wisconsin is and will always be
America’s Dairyland. Although World Dairy Expo does not engage in
direct export, the event facilitates trade and commerce by gathering
people from the world’s dairy industry. Having the key players in
dairy export in one place allows for countless business deals and
contacts to be made. World Dairy Expo offers commercial
exhibitors and cattle breeders alike access to a diverse audience from
every corner of the world. Coming together for five days in the fall
has proven essential to the global dairy industry and dairy export.
The Stateline World Trade Association (SLWTA) honored two firms with
the organization’s Export Achievement Award on April 24.
Kerry, Inc. of Beloit, WI has 4,000 employees in the United States and
exports over 10,000 ingredients and food products to over 140
countries, including the world’s largest and best known retail
and wholesale food manufacturers. The Wisconsin firm’s
parent company is in Kerry, Ireland. MCJ, Inc. of Rockford, IL,
employs 35 people worldwide. The firm was founded in 1994 and has been
exporting since 2003. MCJ’s primary product is the
EyeCheck Pupillometer, which is used by law enforcement, corrections,
parole/probations agencies to screen for the presumptive presence of
alcohol, drugs, or inhalants. MCJ has received fellowships in
Australia from the World Health Organization for its work in forensic
studies. SLWTA (formerly South Central World Trade Association -
SCWWTA) was formed in 1987 to promote an understanding and appreciation
of the international marketplace. SLWTA serves, but is not
limited to, the Southern Wisconsin/Northern Illinois area.
Regular meetings are held the 4th Thursday of every month, from
September through April. The Governor’s Export Achievement
Awards will be presented on May 13 during the 44th Annual Wisconsin
International Trade Conference.
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