The 2024 Export Awards Recap
Opportunities NB, with support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), once again celebrated the province’s top-performing exporters at the 56th annual Export Awards in Moncton on May 30. As always, the winners were selected by a volunteer panel of volunteers comprised of New Brunswick-based business experts from the private sector and academia using a points-based scoring system.
ONB thanks this year’s judges along with our many great partners and nine event sponsors, for helping to make this year’s event a success.
1. Exporter of the Year Award (over $5 million in export sales)
Recognizes companies with export sales over $5 million and have demonstrated a significant increase in export sales over previous years, along with market diversification, new product development, and innovation.
Winner: JessEm Tool Company
This family-owned company has been in business for 25 years and is known in its industry for having the most innovative, high-quality products on the market. JessEm manufactures woodworking machinery for hobbyists, furniture and cabinet makers, prototyping, and the car audio industry. They export to the U.S., the U.K., Mexico, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Japan, France, and South Africa.
2. Exporter of the Year Award (under $5 million in export sales)
Recognizes companies with export sales under $5 million and have demonstrated a significant increase in export sales over previous years, along with market diversification, new product development, and innovation.
Winner: GAP Auto
GAP Auto’s extensive line of products is trusted by more than 1,000 dealerships, tire chains, and independent service centres throughout Canada. GAP has undergone a remarkable transformation from a regional parts wholesaler to one of Canada’s top producers of professional automotive products. They aggressively expanded their presence in Ontario and Western Canada, resulting in workforce growth and a new distribution warehouse in Ottawa.
3. Global Diversification Award
Recognizes companies that have penetrated and/or grown new markets outside of Canada and the U.S.
Winner: SmartSkin Technologies
SmartSkin develops sensor-enabled containers that measure damaging forces on containers across pharma and beverage manufacturing lines. Their easy-to-implement technology allows its clients to pinpoint where pressure, shock, and other damaging forces impact containers through filling and packaging lines. SmartSkin has increased their markets by over 50% over the past two years, exporting to thirty countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
4. Innovative Exporter of the Year Award
Recognizes companies successfully employing innovative marketing/sales techniques to expand their export market, launching new products developed specifically for the export market, and/or companies whose product/service is cutting edge in terms of innovation.
Winner: Anessa
Anessa is tackling sustainability issues in the waste management space with a highly innovative suite of products that optimize the use of organic and agricultural waste, converting methane that would contribute to greenhouse gas emissions into renewable natural gas (RNG) and renewable electricity. By targeting energy companies directly, Anessa hopes to have a large impact on both local and global sustainability and decarbonization efforts.
5. Yves Maillet Emerging Exporter of the Year Award
Recognizes companies who are new to export within the past five years. Criteria include the volume of export sales, level of difficulty associated with entering markets, and unique approaches taken to enter new markets.
Winner: Let’s Nurture
Let’s Nurture exports services like artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality platforms globally. While reaching export markets, Let’s Nurture also supports local NB organizations, helping groups like Hospice SENB build a new website and digitize their services. They have also helped several small businesses in the Greater Moncton region through their digital transformation journey. New to exporting in 2019, Let’s Nurture now exports solutions to both the U.S. and Europe.
6. Impact Award
Recognizes a company, either new to the province or that continues to grow its presence here through reinvestment, which has demonstrated a strong commitment to New Brunswick.
Winner: Bulletproof
For nearly 25 years, Bulletproof has provided world-class IT/cybersecurity solutions and expert guidance to businesses of all sizes from diverse industries across multiple continents. Their work in the cybersecurity space has been recognized nationally and globally with Microsoft’s Global Security Partner of the Year, and four Microsoft Canada Impact Award wins. The company recently committed to tripling its provincial workforce by 2027 which is expected to contribute up to $39.4 million in direct provincial GDP.
7. Sustainable Exporter of the Year Award
Recognizes companies that have leveraged sustainable practices to enable growth from an export perspective.
Winner: Corruven
Corruven has taken the packaging industry by storm by replacing polyethylene foam products with its innovative sustainable packaging solutions.
All of Corruven’s waste product is returned to the supplier for recycling instead of going to a landfill. Their productivity has increased by 10% by lowering their waste of raw materials with better practices, thus reducing their electricity consumption and carbon footprint. Their sustainability focus has helped win big projects with companies like Nokia, Cisco, and Ericsson.