TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced today the finalists for the 2020 Governor’s Exporter of the Year award.
A winner will be selected after the five finalist companies make a formal presentation to a panel of judges on September 1. The judges’ panel from the Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council consists of representatives from businesses, academics, services providers, and government agencies engaged in exporting or export promotion.
“These exceptional businesses are perfect examples of exporting excellence in Kansas,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Our state is proud to share our products with the world, and I’m proud to know that companies like these are ambassadors of our state to customers everywhere.”
“Exporting is a major component of the Kansas economy,” Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “These incredible Kansas companies set the standard for excellence in exporting. Though only one will ultimately be named the Governor’s Exporter of the Year, each company deserves very high praise.”
Plans for the awards ceremony will be announced at a later date.
The following five Kansas companies are the finalists for the 2020 Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award:
Compass Minerals
Compass Minerals produces salt, plant nutrients, and magnesium chloride for distribution in 20-plus countries globally. Its products serve a variety of applications in industrial, agricultural, commercial, and consumer markets. The company takes great pride in helping to keep people safe, feed the world, and enrich lives every day. Compass Minerals’ headquarters is in Overland Park, Kan.
Creekstone Farms Premium Beef
The Creekstone Farms program is unique to the industry because it combines superior Black Angus cattle, exceptional cattle management practices, carefully controlled feeding practices, and a company-owned, state-of-the-art processing facility. This combination helps the company to produce some of the best beef in the world. The company’s name appears on menus for some of the top restaurants in the largest cities across the globe. Creekstone Farms Premium Beef operates in Arkansas City.
Dragon-Line
Dragon-Line has designed, developed, patented, and proven the concept of mobile drip irrigation. The company offers a solution for center pivots and linear irrigation systems to improve the use of irrigation water by 20 to 50%. Dragon-Line’s game-changing, revolutionary irrigation system has been recognized around the world. Dragon-Line is located in Ulysses.
Kice Industries
Whether it’s filtering, pneumatic conveyance, blending, dust control, or a complete processing facility, the company works closely with its customers in 70-plus countries globally to deliver the best air-quality solutions needed for their processes. Industries served include food, milling, oil seed processing, plastic, and wood. Kice Industries is in Wichita.
Petron Plus Global, Inc.
Petron Plus Formula 7 products are an innovation in specialty chemicals and lubricants. Petron Plus’ extreme pressure properties, anti-rust, and anti-oxidation benefits in an environmentally safe configuration fill an industrial market need. The Petron Plus Global product line has now evolved to include more than 450 different products. Petron Plus Global, Inc. is headquartered in Hutchinson.
About the Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award
The Governor’s Exporter of the Year award recognizes Kansas companies committed to expanding sales in international markets and showcases those exporters as role models to other Kansas companies seeking similar success. In 1989, the first Governor’s Exporter of the Year was awarded to Wenger Manufacturing. Operated by the fourth generation of the Wenger family, Wenger Manufacturing continues to succeed in both domestic and international markets. The company is headquartered in Sabetha.
Questions about the Governor’s Exporter of the Year should be directed to April Chiang, at April.Chiang@ks.gov.
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