WASHINGTON (May 21, 2013) – U.S. Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank today presented The Gorman-Rupp Company with the President’s “E” Award for Exports at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. 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.
“We are extremely honored to receive the Presidential “E” Award,” stated Mark Kreinbihl, Gorman-Rupp Pumps Group President. “Our company has been manufacturing pumps and related products in Mansfield, Ohio for 80 years. Over the last 10 plus years export sales have seen a steady increase. Gorman-Rupp is focused on expanding its international reach as the key to continued growth. This growth in exports brings additional jobs to the Mansfield Division.”
“I am delighted to be recognizing this year’s Presidential ‘E’ Award winners for their outstanding contributions to U.S. exports and congratulate The Gorman-Rupp Company on its outstanding export achievement,” said Acting Secretary Blank. “It is businesses like Gorman-Rupp that are strengthening the economies of local communities, creating jobs, and contributing to the worldwide demand for ‘Made in the USA’ goods and services.”
U.S. exports hit an all-time record of $2.2 trillion in 2012, and supported nearly 10 million American jobs. President Obama’s National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014 and support an additional 2 million jobs in the United States, is opening new avenues for U.S. exporters through enhanced export assistance and a strengthened trade agenda that is targeting emerging markets and industry sectors across the globe.
President Kennedy revived the World War II “E” symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America's exporters. The “E” Award Program was established by Executive Order 10978 on December 5, 1961. A total of 57 U.S. companies were presented with the President’s “E” Award this year. U.S. companies are nominated for the “E” Award for Exports through the Department of Commerce’s U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service office network, located within the Department’s International Trade Administration, which has offices in 108 U.S. cities and more than 70 countries to help U.S. exporters. Four years of successive export growth and an applicant’s demonstration of an innovative international marketing plan that led to the increase in exports are significant factors in making the award.
The Gorman-Rupp Company manufactures and sells pumps and related equipment (pump and motor controls) for use in water, wastewater, construction, industrial, petroleum, original equipment, agriculture, military, and other liquid-handling applications.