Archive for March 31, 2010
The 2010 Exporter of the Year Winners
ThinkGlobal Inc. has awarded the 2010 Exporter of the Year Award to American companies in 11 business categories.
ThinkGlobal is a print and online publishing company in Northampton, Mass., that publishes Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, along with other publications and websites. Commercial News USA is a catalog-style magazine that reaches more than a quarter million readers in 176 countries worldwide.
The companies, their hometowns, and the category in which they won are as follows:
Agri-Mark Whey Proteins in Onalaska, Wisconsin Agri-Mark is a farmer-owned cooperative that markets fresh milk and whey proteins for its Northeast dairy farm families, including its own Cabot and McCadam branded dairy products. Agri-Mark was the winner in the Agriculture category. Read Press Release
Bradley Corporation in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin is a leading manufacturer of commercial plumbing fixtures and washroom accessories and serves a diverse customer base ranging from small local facilities to international corporations such as: WalMart, General Motors, U.S. Postal Service, W.W. Grainger, and AMC Theaters Corp. Bradley Corp. was the winner in the Building Products category. Read Press Release
Canidae Corp. in Chula Vista, California is a leading producer of nutritionally dense pet foods, including the All CANIDAE® and FELIDAE® dog and cat food brands, which are known for the high quality of their ingredients, including grains, vegetables, and fruits. Canidae was the winner in the Consumer Goods category. Read Press Release
Dartware Inc. in West Lebanon, New Hampshire is a privately held software development firm that creates and markets network management solutions that provide visual feedback on network performance and easy access to underlying reports and statistics necessary for problem diagnosis and correction. Dartware was the winner in the Information Technology/Telecommunications category. Read Press Release
DeRoyal in Powell, Tennessee manufactures healthcare products that support surgical and acute care, orthopedics and patient care, and wound care. DeRoyal was the winner in the Medical Supplies category. Read Press Release
Hipotronics, Inc. in Brewster, New York – part of Hubbell, Inc., an NYSE listed, diversified manufacturer of electrical products – is a leading full-line manufacturer of high-voltage test equipment and measurement instrumentation. Hipotronics was the winner in the Electrical/Electronics category. Read Press Release
Miner Elastomer Products Corp. (MEPC) in Geneva, Illinois – a division of Miner Enterprises – manufactures shock absorbing material under the TecsPak® brand that has broad application in manufacturing processes and consumer products. Miner Elastomer Products Corp. was the winner in the Industrial Equipment category. Read Press Release
Nordic Naturals Inc., Watsonville, California, manufactures more than 150 omega-3 fish oil products. Distributing to over 20 countries on 6 continents, Nordic Naturals offers a variety of flavors, concentrations, and delivery forms, for adults, children, and pets. Nordic Naturals was the winner in the Health and Beauty category. Read Press Release
Purafil, Inc. in Doraville, Georgia is a leading manufacturer of gas-phase air filtration systems designed to eliminate corrosive, hazardous, odorous, and toxic gases. Purafil was the winner in the Environmental category. Read Press Release
Techno-Sciences, Inc. in Beltsville, Maryland is an employee-owned high-technology company with four divisions that focus on search and rescue, defense systems, systems engineering, and aerospace engineering. Techno-Sciences was the winner in the Safety and Security category.
Western Export Services, Inc. in Denver, Colorado is a full-service export management company specializing in food products. Western Export Services was the winner in the Hotel/Restaurant Equipment category. Read Press Release
Winners were chosen based on the total number of documented export deals completed in 2009, the total percentage increase in sales in 2009 compared to 2008, exports as percentage of total sales, the company’s commitment to exporting, the company’s commitment to customer service, and the company’s innovation and originality in marketing products or services. To be eligible for the award, a company must currently be exporting from the United States.
“In today’s expanding global economy, exporting has become more and more important to expand sales opportunities,” said Greg Sandler, president of ThinkGlobal Inc. and publisher of Commercial News USA. “These companies have shown a great commitment to international sales which, in turn, has created a stronger bottom line. Each of these companies, their officers, and personnel are to be congratulated.”
ThinkGlobal Incorporated and the U.S. Government do not endorse any product or service, nor any company receiving an Exporter of the Year award, and assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the data provided by each individual company in applying for the award. All companies must attest to their good standing with the federal government when submitting a nomination form for the award
Ethiopia has launched an electric car
Ethiopia has launched an electric car, despite suffering from power shortages. It is only the second African country to do so, after South Africa.
Two versions of the Solaris Elettra will be manufactured in Addis Ababa, costing around $12,000 and $15,000.
The cars will be sold in Ethiopia and exported to Africa and Europe.
But some doubt if Africa, where electric power supplies, low levels of personal wealth and poor infrastructure are common, is ready for electric cars.
Carlo Pironti, general manager of Freestyle PLC, the company producing the Solaris, told the BBC’s Uduak Amimo in Addis Ababa that Ethiopia’s electricity shortages were not a major obstacle to operating an electric car.
“Ethiopia in future will have lots of power supply,” he said.
“In any case, the car can be recharged by generator and by solar power.”
Taxes on cars in Ethiopia can be more than 100% and many Ethiopians with low incomes will struggle to afford an electric car. To overcome this problem, Mr. Pironti says his company will develop a credit system for less affluent customers.
Six Solaris Elettras will be produced every week for the next three months, rising to 30 per week when Freestyle’s factory in Addis Ababa is fully operational, he says.
Mr. Pironti says he wants to take the Solaris “from a green country to a green world,” referring to the company’s plans to export the car from Ethiopia to Africa and beyond.
But Wayne Batty, senior writer at South Africa’s Topcar magazine, believes only a small percentage of Africa has the necessary infrastructure to support an electric car.
Mr. Batty told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programmed that electric cars are fine for short trips of 40 to 50 km (25 to 31 miles), but African countries lack the recharging points for longer journeys.
Ethiopia’s electric car comes after Rwanda launched its first bio-diesel bus last week.
It is currently building a huge hydro-electric dam on the Omo River and hopes to become a major exporter of energy when that is completed.
Source BBC
What is the Truth about EAL?
LONDON – British intelligence agents have reopened their investigation into the mysterious crash of an Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet last February after a terror suspect taken into custody in Saudi Arabia confessed it was bombed, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
The information came after the mass arrest of more than 100 al-Qaida terror suspects in the Middle East.
The Boeing 737-8 plunged into the Mediterranean shortly after takeoff from Lebanon, killing all 92 passengers on board. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri blamed pilot error.
But one of the al-Qaida operatives held in a high-security prison in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, has told his British-trained interrogators that the aircraft was destroyed by an al-Qaida suicide bomber trained in a Yemeni training camp.
Yemen is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden’s family. The operative said the Beirut bomber trained in the same Yemeni camp as Christmas Day underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
Source ENA
