Governor Walker Announces 2017 Governor’s Export Achievement Award Winners

Milwaukee – Governor Scott Walker presented CMD Corporation of Appleton, CONNOILS LLC of Waukesha, and Lucigen Corporation of Middleton with 2017 Governor’s Export Achievement Awards in recognition of their success in global business development.

“All three companies are outstanding examples of how developing and executing a proactive exporting strategy can be a real factor in a company’s overall growth,” Governor Walker said. “More Wisconsin businesses are recognizing the importance of being part of the global economy, and I commend this year’s award winners for their role in the state’s overall exporting success.”

The awards, which were presented at the 53^rd Annual Wisconsin International Trade Conference in Milwaukee, honor businesses that have achieved significant growth or implemented innovative strategies in exporting. Nominees were evaluated on measurable export growth, innovation and contributions to the state’s overall economy, and trade development.

“This year’s winners – like many Wisconsin companies – realize they need to look beyond the U.S. borders to capitalize on the demographic shifts that are creating new demands internationally for products and services,” said Mark R. Hogan, Secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), which oversees the awards program. “Exporting is no longer a luxury of large global corporations. Small- and medium-size companies must be active as well if they want to continue growing, as this year’s winners have demonstrated.”

2017 Governor’s Export Achievement Award Winners:

CMD Corporation – Founded in 1980, CMD Corporation designs, manufactures, and services high-performance converting machinery to produce plastic bags, pouches, and flexible packaging. Since 2013, CMD has seen a 66 percent increase in its exports, which have played an instrumental role in the company’s overall growth.

“CMD has installations in over 40 countries, and our work on developing a market-focused culture has helped us grow our international footprint and jobs here in Wisconsin,” says Steve Sakai, CMD President. “We would like to thank WEDC for its support of our international sales and marketing efforts, including participation in important global trade shows, and our employees and our international agents, for their dedication and hard work.”

CONNOILS LLC – CONNOILS is a leading global manufacturer and distributor of raw material ingredients including oils, oil powders, and protein powders used in a variety of products. The company was founded in 2007, and over the last four years has gone from selling its products primarily in Canada to exporting to 13 countries in five continents.

“It’s an honor and delight to be a recipient of this year’s Export Achievement Awards. I’m sure there are many deserving companies in the state of Wisconsin, and we congratulate our fellow award winners,” said Stacy Peterson, CEO of CONNOILS. “Growing our export business has allowed us to expand our customer base beyond our borders and provide high-quality nutritional products to support health and wellness globally.”

Lucigen Corporation – Founded in 1998, Lucigen Corp provides more than 300 biomedical research products and services that enable life science professionals to perform their research and testing more efficiently and effectively. Lucigen has been distributing its products overseas for more than 15 years but has experienced rapid growth in the last few years. In 2016, the company’s exports hit an all-time high and were up 34 percent over the previous year.

“We are extremely honored to receive this distinct recognition. Lucigen is proud to be a Wisconsin-based company committed to export expansion, and we want to thank WEDC, MITA, and ExporTech for their support of our efforts,” said Lucigen President Jeff Williams. “Our dedicated employees and strong distributor partnerships have been integral to achievements like this. We’re excited to continue providing accessible, affordable products worldwide – while growing jobs right here in Wisconsin.”

In addition to the winners, there were nine semi-finalists for the award: Automated Pet Care Products, Carnivore Meat Company, Death’s Door Spirits, Eagle Technology, Fyxation Bicycle Company, Gehl Foods, Nelse and Pade, Red Flag Cargo Security Systems, and Spaulding Clinical.

Many of the winners and semi-finalists have utilized programs from WEDC to develop an export strategy and increase their overseas sales. Several are graduates of ExporTech, an export acceleration program developed in partnership by WEDC, the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP), and the UW-Stout Manufacturing Outreach Center (MOC). Several have taken part in WEDC trade ventures and missions, and have received grants for their exporting initiatives. For more information on WEDC’s exporting programs, visit inwisconsin.com/export.

For more information on Governor’s Export Achievement Awards and featured videos of the award winners, click here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.