Mr. Suresh Kumar, Assistant Commerce Secretary & Director General of the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service and Michael Iekeler, VP of International Sales and Mktg.

DeRoyal has received a 2010 Exporter of the Year award from ThinkGlobal Inc., publisher of Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Located in Powell, Tennessee, DeRoyal manufactures healthcare products that support surgical and acute care, orthopedics and patient care, and wound care.

“For DeRoyal, the value of exporting exists not only revenue generation, but also from the knowledge gleaned from our customers throughout the world,” said Bill Pittman, President and COO of DeRoyal. “Improving care and improving business worldwide diversifies our business and creates new solutions throughout our firm and our marketplace.”
 
To service an expanding customer base, DeRoyal has built one of the most vertically integrated companies in the medical business. Every business unit of DeRoyal shares the same dedication to customer service and a belief that service levels must exceed expectations so that customers can concentrate on the very important business of caring for patients.
 
DeRoyal serves international customers through DeRoyal International whose staff are experts in global cultures, currencies, export regulations, and quality standards. The international group has built strong partnerships throughout the world and expedites orthopedic, surgical, and wound care products, whether they are DeRoyal branded or private label, throughout most major markets worldwide.
 
Commercial News USA is a catalog-style magazine that reaches more than a quarter million readers in 176 countries worldwide. Awards were given to one U.S. company in each of 11 industry categories. Privately held DeRoyal was the winner in the Medical Supplies category. All Exporter of the Year award winners will be profiled in the May-June 2010 issue of the magazine.
 
Criteria on which winners were selected included the total number of documented export transactions completed in 2008, the total percentage increase in sales in 2008 compared to 2007, exports as percentage of total sales, the company’s commitment to exporting, the company’s commitment to customer service, and the company’s innovation and originality in marketing products or services. To be eligible for the award, a company must currently be exporting from the United States.
 
Gregory Sandler, publisher of Commercial News USA, said that the success of DeRoyal indicates clearly how American companies can benefit from exporting. “American companies that want to grow and to expand beyond their current trading areas need to consider opportunities outside of the U.S.,” said Sandler. “World markets offer real potential for U.S. exporters.”
 
Information about the Exporter of the Year awards, including profiles of all the winning companies, is available online at www.exporteroftheyear.com. The current issue of Commercial News USA is available online at www.thinkglobal.us.