Five Eastern Panhandle companies honored for exporting efforts

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Department of Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette awarded the International Market Entry Award on Wednesday to 37 companies from across the Mountain State, including five from the Eastern Panhandle.

The awards honor West Virginia companies that successfully exported to a new country. In 2015, West Virginia companies exported more than $5.8 billion in products to more than 140 countries.

Tomblin also announced that West Virginia has once again been selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration to receive funding through the State Trade and Export Promotion grant initiative.

Those funds will support the West Virginia Development Office's export-assistance program to help small businesses offset the costs of international business.

"Today, we celebrate West Virginia companies that have proven our state can compete successfully in the global market. Exports are a vital tool for economic growth," Tomblin said in a news release.

"These businesses are an asset to our state as we continue to grow our business landscape and diversify West Virginia's economy. I always look forward to this opportunity to recognize their successes," he said.

The Governor's Commendation for International Market Entry Awards honor companies that have successfully exported to a new country in the previous year.

Each company receives a framed piece of currency from each new country to which the business began exporting. The presentation is based on the tradition of displaying the first dollar that a business earns.

Companies receiving the Governor's Commendation for the first time this year included Mountaineer Brand in Shepherdstown, W.Va.

The development office's international division helps small- to medium-sized West Virginia businesses enter new foreign markets.

Commendations were awarded to the following Eastern Panhandle businesses:

Berkeley County

• Library Corporation, Inwood, W.Va.

Countries: Ethiopia and Madagascar

Product: Automation software for libraries

• Power Sonix Inc, Martinsburg, W.Va.

Country: Cote D'Ivoire

Product: Public-address systems

Jefferson County

• Mountaineer Brand, Shepherdstown

Country: Sweden

Products: Natural beard and body-care products

• Schonstedt Instrument Co., Kearneysville, W.Va.

Countries: Dominica, Macedonia, Mexico, Panama and Paraguay

Product: Underground-utility locators

Morgan County

Caperton Furniture Works LLC, Berkeley Springs, W.Va.

Countries: Uganda and Vietnam

Product: Wooden furniture

For more information on export-development services offered by the state, go to www.worldtradewv.org.