Ontario honors exporters

The government recognized top exporters in southwestern Ontario at the 7th annual southwestern Ontario Global Traders Awards (OGTA) held in April in Windsor. Companies and individuals in the area were recognized across seven categories: innovation, market expansion–product, market expansion–service, partnership, leadership and student achievement. Cyndi Butcher, a long-time member of the Canadian Association of Moldmakers, won the Leadership award, and Pinnacle Mold Inc. received an honorable mention in the Innovation category.

Butcher, who works for Russel A. Farrow Custom Brokers Ltd. (Windsor, ON), has more than 30 years experience in the customs broker industry. She has been a member of CAMM for 18 years and was elected president in October of 2004. Butcher was honored for expanding export culture awareness in Ontario.

Pinnacle Mold Inc. (Oldcastle, ON) specializes in the design and manufacturing of tools for the plastics industry. Almost all of the company’s product line is exported to customers in the U.S. Under the direction of president Ken Hedgewick, the company invested more than $1 million in R&D initiatives in 2004.

The OGTA is coordinated by Ontario Exports Inc., the government’s export development agency. The awards recognize small to medium-sized enterprises with up to $100 million in sales and a maximum of 200 employees that have export sales amounting to at least 15% of total sales. Winners from four different regions of the province were honored (post press time) at a provincial awards ceremony in Toronto in late May.