MITC exporter awards include specialty rope maker, UMaine composites group

Courtesy / Maine International Trade Center Yale Cordage sales manager Rickard "Skip" Yale, left, and CEO Tom Yale won the "Exporter of the Year Award" from Maine International Trade Center.

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By Staff

Yale Cordage, a Saco-based manufacturer of high-performance synthetic ropes, was among the winners of the 2017 International Trade and Investment Awards.

The awards were announced today by the Maine International Trade Center and will be presented during its annual Maine International Trade Day on May 25 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

MITC said the winners all made a commitment to growing their business in Europe. Maine saw a 20% increase in exports to the EU in 2016. Now, Brexit is changing the landscape in the EU, providing both challenges and new opportunities for Maine companies, MITC said.

Yale Cordage won in the “Exporter of the Year” category. It exports its ropes, which are used from deep undersea to outer space, to 30 countries, with a significant portion to EU countries, according to MITC.

“The change in the Euro value to the U.S. dollar is an area to watch, and the effects of Brexit are of particular interest. Our historical export business to the UK has been very strong, and we are very concerned about currency changes between the USD, Euro and GB pound,” Yale Cordage President William Putnam said in a statement.

The “Service Provider of the Year” award went to law firm Verrill Dana of Portland, for establishing an international presence for the export of their service.

“With economic activity in the North Atlantic accelerating, new opportunities are coming to Maine in areas such as marine technology, life sciences and aquaculture,” K.C. Jones, managing partner of Verrill Dana said.

The “Innovator of the Year” award went to the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center in Orono for accessing international markets through new and innovative processes or products, including 3-D printers, robots and thermoplastics.

“It's a great honor for the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center to be recognized for working with more than 500 international and national companies, including more than 150 Maine companies, to develop new products, reach new markets, and expand their international reach,” said Habib Dagher, executive director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center.

The “Foreign Direct Investor of the Year” award went to C&L Aviation Group of Bangor to recognize a foreign-owned company that has made a strategic decision to invest in Maine by either opening a plant or enhancing its existing operations.

During the May awards ceremony, MITC also will give out the President’s Award to MITC Board Treasurer Joe Mooney, who also is vice president of global trade finance at TD Bank, and MITC Board Chair John Wolanski, who also is vice president of sales and marketing at GAC Chemical Corp., for their exceptional support to MITC. Former MITC intern Luke Middleton will receive the Future Global Leader Award for his outstanding efforts as a research assistant.