Press Room

“Exporting continues to be an important component of our overall sales growth, and we are honored to receive the ‘E’ Award,” said Amarr Chief Executive Officer Richard Brenner.  “When we first began exporting, we quickly recognized that we had to adapt our products and services. As we gained experience and perspective in different markets, we further refined our processes and took a proactive approach to dealer development to further expand.”

 

“In the past 15 years Amarr has exported to more than 40 countries around the world, enabling us to not only sustain U.S. jobs, but also add several additional employees dedicated to our international customers,” Brenner added.

 

Established in 1951 by the Brenner family in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Amarr is one of the world’s leading designers, manufacturers and distributors of door access systems for residential garages, warehouses, shopping malls and other commercial applications.  

 

“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.  Amarr is being honored for making significant contributions toward fulfilling that agenda.”

 

“I congratulate Amarr on its significant export achievement. It is businesses like Amarr that will help us meet or exceed the President’s NEI goals. Amarr provides an example we hope more American companies will follow,” Locke added.

 

A business client of the Department’s U.S. Commercial Service, Amarr has benefited from export counseling, trade shows, market research, and business matchmaking to greatly expand its export sales. Amarr does business in many regions of the world and has 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 that help U.S. companies export. Criteria for the award are 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. 

 

A total of 27 U.S. companies were presented with the “E” Award at the May 16, 2011 World Trade Week ceremonies in Washington DC.