Maine International Trade Center honors export businesses
File Photo / Fred Field
Global Secure Shipping, led by Robert Lindyberg, uses composites construction as a way to embed ultra-thin, high-tech detection technology within the panels that comprise the shipping container itself.
Secure shipping solutions, precision tools, simulation technology and the redevelopment of a former mill site were among the honorees announced by the Maine International Trade Center for its annual international trade and investment awards.
The award will be presented during Trade Day 2025 on May 7 in Freeport at the L.L.Bean corporate headquarters. Click here to learn more.
Exporter of the Year
Xuron Corp. of Saco will receive the Exporter of the Year Award, presented to a manufacturer that has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to international trade through increased exports.
Xuron makes ergonomic, electronics-grade hand tools, according to a news release. Its products are sold worldwide and serve a variety of sectors including industrial electronics, aerospace, jewelry manufacturing and the hobbies and crafts markets.
Founded in 1970, the company has been exporting its products for decades. Its tools can be purchased on every continent except Antarctica and in more than 30 different countries.
Exports make up 20% of Xuron’s business. The company employs 22 people, many of whom have been with Xuron for more than 20 years.
Innovator of the Year
Global Secure Shipping of Old Town was selected for the Innovator of the Year award, presented to a company or organization in Maine that has accessed international markets through new and innovative processes or products.
GSS manufactures secure cargo containers using patented technology first developed at the University of Maine. The containers are made from a hybrid composite material embedded with sensors that detect intrusion.
The company operates out of a 32,500-square-foot state-of-the-art facility and is the only company in the world making this kind of container. Global Secure Shipping is working under a grant from the Department of Homeland Security to test the containers at various ports around the world.
Service Provider of the Year
Kelson Marine Co. of Portland will receive the Service Provider of the Year award, presented to a service provider that has established an international presence for the export of their services.
Kelson has developed cutting-edge simulation tools for engineering complex ocean structures for the blue economy. From its base on Portland’s working waterfront, the Kelson team combines the tools with decades of on-the-water experience to design, de-risk and cost-optimize ocean renewable energy and aquaculture technologies around the world.
Kelson’s exports in 2024-25 included designing systems for New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway and the Faroe Islands.
Investor of the Year
Chosen as Investor of the Year was Our Katahdin in Millinocket. The award goes to an entity that has made a significant investment to advance Maine's globalization, including international assets of capital, ideas and talent.
Our Katahdin is a nonprofit that supports economic development projects in the Katahdin region. Launched in December 2014, the organization’s vision focuses on sustainable product development and manufacturing to attract additional investment and increase the global competitiveness of the region.
Our Katahdin owns the One North industrial park in Millinocket, which was selected by Castlerock Biofuels as the site for a renewable fuel oil facility at the former Great Northern Paper Mill. The project is expected to bring 150 construction jobs and 80 full-time jobs once the plant is operational.
Individual awards
Receiving individual awards will be:
- Johnna Major and Adrian Kendall: President’s Award, given to an individual or organization which has displayed exceptional support to the Maine International Trade Center. Major is a recruiting consultant with KMA Human Resources Consulting and has helped MITC identify and hire key staff members. Kendall is an attorney with Norman, Hanson & DeTroy LLC and Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany to Maine and New Hampshire and has been helping MITC for over 20 years by offering his legal expertise in international law.
- Kasei Oma: Future Global Leader Award, which recognizes exceptional work of a MITC intern. Born in Japan, Oma is currently a junior at Bowdoin College.
$3B in exports
More than 2,000 Maine companies exported over $3 billion in goods and services to 165 markets last year. International trade supports 1 in 5, or 170,300, Maine jobs, and 84% of Maine exporters are small and medium-sized businesses. Foreign-owned companies are important customers for local goods and services and employ 37,300 Maine workers.
Maine International Trade Center offers customized consulting, research and a network of connections across Maine and around the world to help businesses expand global markets for their products and services. A public-private partnership, MITC activities are supported by nearly 300 businesses and organizations, corporate sponsors and the Maine Department of Economic & Community Development. Members include manufacturers, service providers and educational institutions located in all 16 Maine counties.
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