Governor Phil Bryant presented awards to four Mississippi companies at the 2018 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Exporting event. The awards recognize Mississippi companies for their success in beginning, maintaining or increasing export sales to international markets.
“The companies honored at this year’s Export Awards ceremony have successfully demonstrated their commitment to doing business in our state while strengthening the economy and creating jobs through international trade,” said Governor Bryant. “They are a powerful testament to the fact ‘Made in Mississippi’ is a stamp of quality known around the world, and I commend each of them for making a difference in the lives of many through their exporting efforts.”
NaturePlex, an FDA-approved manufacturer of pharmaceutical products located in Olive Branch, received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Exporting. NaturePlex manufactures creams, ointments, feminine hygiene products and more. Over the last seven years, the company’s export sales have increased significantly, contributing to five percent of its revenue in 2018.
The Governor’s Award for Achievement in Exporting was presented to Petal-based gourmet snack manufacturer Flathau’s Fine Foods. Flathau’s manufactures seven flavors of shortbread cookies and three flavors of cheese straws, which are prepared and packaged in Petal and sold worldwide. The company has two new products that will hit the market in 2019 and several more planned for 2020.
The Governor’s Award for Excellence in Trade was presented to the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport. The Port of Gulfport is a key gateway for Central America and is preparing to handle potential future growth with South America, the Caribbean, the Far East, and Europe. The Port’s main exports include linerboard, fabric, general container cargo, project cargo, and rolling stock.
Hyperion Technology Group of Tupelo received the Governor’s Award for Innovation. The company is recognized as an industry leader in custom electronic systems development and provides embedded systems, signal processing, intelligent power, control systems and more for customers around the world.
Four additional companies were recognized as Export Champions for their export success. These include Agape Medical Tourism Center, Flowood; Cox MPH, Inc., Flowood; Fast Flow Pumps, Moss Point; and God’s Way Enterprises – The MAXBIT, Jackson.
Hall of Fame honorees included Excellence Award winner BTS Alliance, LLC doing business as BankTel Systems of Columbus and Achievement Award winner Wood Industries of Belmont.
The 2018 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Exporting were sponsored by the Mississippi Development Authority and the Mississippi District Export Council.
