The ceremony, held at the beautiful WV Culture Center in Charleston, was organized by the WV Export Council in conjunction with the WV Department of Economic Development and Governor Jim Justice.
Secretary of the WV Department of Economic Development, Mitch B. Carmichael, opened the ceremony by announcing that 23 West Virginia businesses with a total of 89 sales to new markets would be receiving awards. Governor Jim Justice and Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin congratulated the award recipients and expressed their gratitude for their hard work and dedication to the state’s economy.
The Department’s Executive Director, Mike Graney, presented the awards to the recipients alongside Manager of International Trade, Caitlin Ashley-Lizarraga. Employees, Megan Prater and Zachary Allen, represented the company by accepting the awards. Displayed in the image above are the three plaques featuring currency from all the countries to which the company has exported its products.
Since the Export Award launched in 2002, more than 170 West Virginia companies have been awarded nearly 2,500 awards. In the year 2022, the state has exported 7.7 billion dollars to over 140 countries combined.
President, CEO - STOCKMEIER Urethanes USA, Christian Martinkat, states, “We feel honored to receive state recognition for our global collaborative initiatives and remain dedicated to our expansion efforts and the pursuit of enhanced innovation to benefit the manufacturers we can cater to on a worldwide scale.