World Trade Center honors top exporters, innovators

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Wes Garnett and Steve Roettger (not pictured), were winners of the 2014 "Hank Award for Innovation in Economic Development, presented at the World Trade Center Delaware's 4th Annual World Trade in Motion event. Garnett, center, is pictured here with Betty Silfa, left of award sponsor Citibank and Rebecca Faber, CEO World Trade Center Delaware.
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Wes Garnett and Steve Roettger (not pictured), were winners of the 2014 "Hank Award for Innovation in Economic Development, presented at the World Trade Center Delaware's 4th Annual World Trade in Motion event.  Garnett, center,  is pictured here with Betty Silfa, left of award sponsor Citibank and Rebecca Faber,  CEO World Trade Center Delaware.
Wes Garnett and Steve Roettger (not pictured), were winners of the 2014 “Hank Award for Innovation in Economic Development, presented at the World Trade Center Delaware’s 4th Annual World Trade in Motion event. Garnett, center, is pictured here with Betty Silfa, left, of award sponsor Citibank,  and Rebecca Faber, CEO World Trade Center Delaware.

World Trade Center Delaware  announced annual award winners at the World Trade in Motion event last week.

The President’s “E” Awards for Exports honors companies demonstrating a sustained increase in export sales over several years. Two Delaware companies – ILC Dover, LP of Frederica, Delaware, and General Separation Technologies Inc. (GS-Tek) of Newark, Delaware, were among 65 award recipients in the nation in 2014. The two companies were the first from Delaware to be honored with this award since 1992.

– ILC Dover LP manufactures products used for protecting personnel in hostile environments containing potent pharmaceuticals. It is also known for inflatable devices and for its space suits.

GS-Tek provides analytical lab equipment and services to end-users, solution and service providers, distributors and OEM partners.

The Award for Excellence in International Trade gives special recognition to a Delaware company that has taken significant strides in growing their business by leveraging the global marketplace, and has demonstrated a passion and indomitable spirit for what they do.

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The finalists for this award  are Accudyne Systems Inc., ANP Technologies Inc., and Sun-in-One Inc.

Accudyne Systems Inc. is based in Newark and creates custom automation equipment that solves manufacturing challenges across various industries. The company has exported their products to many international markets including the United Kingdom, Spain, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia. The expansion of export markets has increased their sales by more than 30 percent, and currently nearly 50 percent of their annual revenue is derived from international sales.

ANP Technologies Inc. also based in Newark is a leader in developing and commercializing nano-biotechnology-based products for applications related to nanotherapeutics, immunogenicity testing, chemical and biological defense, as well as food safety testing. Most recently ANP Technologies and its Israeli-based partner Mekorot have been awarded a prestigious BIRD grant to develop an automated monitoring system for the detection of pesticides in water.

Sun-in-One Inc. Wilmington, is a manufacturer of solar products. The company manufactures portable solar panels, off-grid shed, out-building and sign lighting kits, and off grid kits and micro-grids for homes and villages, and a solar powered cell phone charger and power pack. Sun-in-One has participated recently in trade missions with the State of Delaware to both Brazil and South Africa. It is one of a few Delaware companies to engage in African market. It is now active in Kenya, South Africa, Equitorial Guinea, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo.

The “Hank” Award for Innovation in Economic Development is World Trade Center Delaware’s award given to people who have exhibited and acted on a vision for prosperity in economic development which contributes to Delaware’s role in the global economy. The “Hank” was established in 2011 when it was presented to and named for World Trade Center Delaware Chairman Emeritus Henry Beckler in honor of his work to bring the credit card industry to Delaware through the Financial Center Development Act.

Past recipients are Henry Beckler (2011), NC Vasuki, Delaware Solid Waste Authority (2012), and J. Michael Bowman, Delaware Technology Park (2013).

Receiving the “Hank” this year are Wes Garnett and Steve Roettger, co-founders of Delaware’s first co-working space, coIN Loft, which led to the birth of the Start It Up Delaware initiative, support of the Delaware Tech Meetups.

Two Start it Up Delaware member companies, one of them being Wes Garnett’s own Kirby, were recently given coveted spots in the DreamIt Ventures Accelerator in Philadelphia. John Kirk of Muni-Tech LLC (the other DreamIt Ventures participant), stated: “Thank you for starting this movement. We’re here because of the coIN Loft and the efforts of a community with leaders like Wes and Steve.”

World Trade Center Delaware is a non-profit organization that helps small and medium-sized companies navigate the intricacies of international trade.

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