Labcon North America Receives Presidential "E" Award for Exports

    PETALUMA, CA, May 18, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Labcon North America, (www.labcon.com) the world's leading manufacturer of Earth Friendly laboratory disposables, announced today that it was awarded the President's "E" Award for U.S. Exporters. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke presented Labcon with the "E" Award during a ceremony held at the Commerce Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Monday May 16th. The "E" Awards are the highest recognition any U.S. entity may receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.

"Exports are a key driver of America's economic recovery," said Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. "President Obama's National Export Initiative (NEI), which aims to double U.S. exports by 2015 in support of several million American jobs, is a robust, forward-looking trade agenda with an emphasis on domestic job growth. Labcon North America is being honored today for making significant contributions toward fulfilling that agenda."

"I congratulate you on your significant export achievement. It is businesses like yours that will help us meet or exceed the President's NEI goals. Your firm provides an example we hope more American companies will follow," Locke added.

"With our emphasis on sustainability in packaging and reduced carbon content we have created an attractive alternative to competitive products based solely on price," said Jim Happ, President of Labcon North America.

"Labcon North America is honored to be awarded the President's "E" Award for U.S. Exporters in recognition of our strong sales overseas," added Tom Moulton, Labcon's Director of Marketing.

A business client of the Department's U.S. Commercial Service, Labcon North America has benefited from export counseling, trade shows, and distributor partnering to greatly expand its export sales. While Europe and Asia represent a significant portion of the company's foreign sales, the firm does business in several other regions of the world as well. Labcon North America demonstrated a substantial increase in the volume of exports over a four-year period, a major criteria for the award.

U.S. companies are nominated for the "E" Awards through the U.S. Commercial Service office network in 108 U.S. cities and more than 75 countries which helps U.S. companies export. Criteria for the award is based on four years of successive export growth, usually accompanied by a rising percentage of export sales within total sales. An applicant's demonstration of an innovative international marketing plan that led to the increase in exports is a significant factor in making the award.

All nominations are reviewed by the "E" Award Committee, which is chaired by the Department of Commerce, and includes representatives from ExIm Bank, and the Departments of Labor, State, and Transportation.

President Kennedy revived the World War II "E" symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America's exporters. Thus, the "E" Award Program was established by Executive Order 10978 on December 5, 1961.

Winners of the "E" Award are authorized to fly the blue and white banner, to display the accompanying certificate of commendation which is signed by the Secretary of Commerce in the name and by the authority of the President, to wear and issue to employees an "E" lapel pin, and to refer to the award in their advertising.

About Labcon North America (www.labcon.com)

Labcon North America is the world's leading producer of low carbon laboratory disposables and was the first to market compostable plastics for laboratories. Labcon's focus on sustainable solutions for laboratories dates to 1994 with the first low carbon products. A UL-Certified ISO 9001:2008 company; Labcon North America is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area.

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