Governor Asa Hutchinson will be presenting the 12th annual Governor’s Award for Excellence in Global Trade on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
The gala awards dinner, hosted by the Arkansas District Export Council (ARDEC), will start at 5:30 p.m. with a networking reception for the Arkansas business community at the Governor’s Mansion. The Award recognizes the export successes and excellent quality among Arkansas’ manufacturing and agricultural companies actively trading in international markets.
Governor Hutchinson and Jonathan Bricker, Chair of ARDEC, will present each company with a trophy and certificate during the awards ceremony. The companies will be profiled throughout the year as the Winners of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Global Trade on the ARDEC website and social media.
This year, the keynote speakers are Governor Asa Hutchinson and Secretary of Commerce Michael Preston. Roby Brock of Talk Business & Politics will serve as Moderator of a roundtable discussion not only of Arkansas exports but of all the economic successes of Governor Hutchinson’s past eight years in office. Arkansas PBS will be live streaming the event and several media outlets will be in attendance.
The award ceremony will immediately follow the roundtable discussion. These companies have developed innovative approaches to international business, consistently growing market share and expanding their global presence.
The Winners of the 2022 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Global Trade are:
- Riceland Foods, Inc, Stuttgart–Agricultural Exporter Award
- Slim Chickens, Inc, Fayetteville–Franchise Development Exporter Award
- Power Technology, Inc, Alexander-Innovation & Impact in Manufacturing Exporter
Award - Virco Manufacturing Corporation of Conway–Resilience in Manufacturing Exporter
Award - White River Hardwoods-Woodworks of Fayetteville–Rising Star Exporter Award
- Smart Repro of Jonesboro–Woman-Owned Exporter Award
Sherwood-based ECOJOHN, last year’s Small Company winner, reported: “We received a lot of recognition in our community, as well as from our customers all over the world. Internally, it has motivated our employees, and it is something new hires find very positive.”
SMART Repro in Jonesboro, one of this year’s winners, has already given Bricker another example.
“The day of the ceremony,” said Bricker, “Winrock International reached out to me wanting [SMART Repro’s] contact information. That’s the kind of national publicity that helps them increase their exporting services.”
