Finalists announced for Governor’s Exporter of the Year award

TOPEKA – Kansas International Trade Day will be held June 5, 2018 in Lawrence, Kansas, at the Lawrence DoubleTree Hotel. The conference will feature speakers from business and government with sessions designed to help Kansas businesses start exporting or grow existing international sales. Four Consuls General from Kansas major global trade partners, Canada, Mexico, China and the UK, will be speaking at the conference. The day-long event will be followed by the Team Kansas Award Banquet where the 2018 Governor’s Exporter of the Year will be announced along with Business Appreciation Month winners.

This year’s Kansas International Trade Day conference will not only feature a panel of representatives from companies that are finalists for the 2018 Governor’s Exporter of the Year award, but the “Founding Father” of the award, Harland Priddle, will be on-hand to open the conference. Mr. Priddle served as the first Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce from 1987 to 1991 and helped establish the Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council. The Council seeks to facilitate access to the state’s international resources and established the award to recognize the significance of foreign trade for our state’s economy.

The Governor’s Exporter of the Year award is presented annually to a single Kansas company in recognition of its excellent performance in international trade and its outstanding international marketing. This year marks the 30th anniversary of this prestigious award. The 2018 finalists will each share their exporting success stories. This year’s finalists include:

Extru-Tech (Sebetha)

Knit-Rite (Kansas City)

Mcfarlane (Baldwin City)

NorthWind (Sabetha)

Shor-Line (Kansas City)

Kansas Commerce would like to extend a special thank you and acknowledge the demanding work by the members of the Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council in reviewing candidates for the Governor’s Exporter of the Year award and in selecting the winner. The Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council is comprised of representatives from companies that have previously won the award along with international trade specialists from business, government and academia.

In 2017, Kansas exported $11.25 billion of merchandise, with Canada, Mexico, and Japan topping the list of export destinations. More than 2,600 small and medium-sized firms in Kansas were involved in exporting.

To register or learn more about the agenda, speakers and sponsorship opportunities, please visit KansasCommerce.gov/2018TradeDay.