June 3, 2016, FREDERICTON (GNB) – Five of New Brunswick’s export-driven companies were honoured at the 2016 Export Awards Gala on Thursday, June 2, in Fredericton.
“New Brunswick is an export-driven province, and our exporting companies are key to growing the economy and creating jobs here at home,” said Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet, who is also minister responsible for Opportunities NB. “These awards are an opportunity to celebrate the success of these companies, whose leadership teams and employees make all of us proud.”
The winners were selected by a judging panel made up of business experts from academia and the private sector.
“All of the finalists deserve recognition for demonstrating leadership by focusing on export growth and competing successfully in international markets,” said Fredericton MP Matt DeCourcey. “Their contributions extend far beyond the businesses they serve, the communities they live in, and the lives of the people they employ.”
DeCourcey attended the event for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains, who is also minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).
Opportunities NB, ACOA and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, New Brunswick division, host the awards celebration, which recognizes winners in five categories. The 2016 recipients are:
- Emerging Exporter of the Year – Leading Edge Geomatics;
- Global Diversification – Approach Navigation Systems;
- Innovative Exporter of the Year – Corey Nutrition Co.;
- Foreign-Owned Exporter – Systemair; and
- Exporter of the Year – Cooke Aquaculture
New Brunswick has a diversified, export-driven economy, with exports sales reaching $12 billion in 2015.
Opportunities NB is a Crown corporation that seeks to attract and support opportunities to grow the economy and create jobs. It provides support services for businesses across the province.
Following are descriptions of the award-winning companies:
Emerging Exporter of the Year – Leading Edge Geomatics
Leading Edge Geomatics uses air-borne imagery and LiDAR acquisition and processing to produce information that helps organizations map, monitor and manage their assets. Its leaders have a combined 40 years of practice in the geomatics industry and have worked on projects throughout North America and in Afghanistan, conducting national level survey projects. Based in Lincoln, the company has grown from a staff of three founders to more than 50 professionals in 2016. Improving forestry management and launching new technologies, solutions and partnerships have led Leading Edge Geomatics to being selected as Emerging Exporter of the Year.
Global Diversification – Approach Navigation Systems
Approach Navigation Systems of Moncton supplies, installs and maintains navigation, weather and communication systems for the aviation, marine and highway sectors. The company offers technical consulting services for the safe and efficient movement of aircrafts, marine vessels and highway traffic on a global scale. With the success of many Canadian and international projects, the company was entrusted to design and build a modular control tower for Chevron Nigeria and then for Suncor Energy. For the successful opening of non-traditional markets and continuous growth in employment and export sales, Approach Navigation Systems has been selected for the Global Diversification award.
Innovative Exporter of the Year – Corey Nutrition Co.
Family-owned Corey Nutrition Co. of Fredericton has been combining science, innovation and integrity to create better pet food for more than 30 years. Its passion for the relentless pursuit of innovation is driven by its love of pets. The company is proud to be the first pet food company in the world with food safety protocols rigorous enough for human-grade food. Corey Nutrition has raised the bar beyond typical pet food formulation techniques, developing a series of production innovations that guarantee a finer, fresher, nutritionally dense food. The company has experienced tremendous growth in employment and is a leader in its field in new product development. Corey Nutrition’s innovative packaging design and food formulation techniques have led the company to be selected as Innovative Exporter of the Year.
Foreign-Owned Exporter – Systemair
Systemair, headquartered in Sweden, is a global leader in ventilation with operations in 44 countries worldwide. For more than three decades, Systemair has been researching, designing and bringing to market ventilation solutions that ensure better indoor air quality. Its largest Canadian facility is in Bouctouche – an ISO 9001-certified 11,700-square-metre (130,000-sq.-ft.) manufacturing centre that produces energy and heat recovery ventilators. The Bouctouche facility is also home to Systemair’s Canadian centre of development. The company has managed to grow in a declining market. The company’s innovative product development in the New Brunswick plant continues to have a positive impact on the local community, both in employment and export sales. Systemair’s commitment to creating a thriving New Brunswick is why the company was chosen as Foreign-Owned Exporter of the Year.
Exporter of the Year – Cooke Aquaculture
Cooke Aquaculture has been a driving force in the Atlantic Canadian aquaculture industry for more than 20 years and has grown to become the largest vertically integrated independent salmon farming company in North America. Recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, and a partner with world-renowned scientists, the company is a leader in its field of research and development. Using unique innovations such as the DNA traceability program, it is known worldwide for breaking ground in salmon and organic kelp farming. Cooke Aquaculture has successfully broken into non-traditional markets and leads the way in export success for New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada. It employs more than 1,500 Atlantic Canadians and is a major employer in Charlotte County. Cooke Aquaculture’s overall success in export, innovation and global diversity has led the company to be selected as Exporter of the Year.
From left: Stephen Lund, CEO of Opportunities NB; Roland Mazerolle, managing director of Systemair; Brian Ahern, president of Approach Navigation Systems; Andrew Young, senior vice-president of sales and marketing at Cooke Aquaculture; Mike Oliver, vice-president of corporate development at Leading Edge Geomatics; Wayne Arsenault, CEO of Corey Nutrition Co.; and Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet, who is also minister responsible for Opportunities NB.
MEDIA CONTACT(S):
Valerie Kilfoil, communications, Opportunities NB, 506-453-8168.
