Ontario Export Awards Winners Announced at Toronto Gala

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 26, 2015) -

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

Winners of the 2015 Ontario Export Awards were announced at a gala luncheon at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont. on November 24^th.

More than 200 manufacturing executives and representatives from trade, government and industry attended the event.

Monte Kwinter, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade (Ontario) delivered opening remarks, applauding the finalists for "seizing the global opportunities that will help bring prosperity to Ontario."

Also in attendance was Al Diggins, president and general manager of the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC). "All of us share a common vision about the key role exporters play in growing our manufacturing sector and the positive impacts manufacturers have on Ontario and Canada's economy," Diggins said.

The awards recognize leadership and exporting growth in many sectors of Ontario's economy. More than 80 high-quality entries were received from businesses across the province, and out of 24 shortlisted finalists, the following winners were announced:

Clean Technology: Prism Care Corp.

Consumer Products & Technology: Mircom

Emerging Exporter: Wegu Manufacturing

Food, Beverage, & Agriculture: Agrocrop Exports Ltd.

Leadership: Cogent Power Inc.

Manufacturing & Resources (Small Manufacturer): Newcon Optik

Manufacturing & Resources (Medium-sized Manufacturer): CAN-ENG Furnaces International Ltd.

Manufacturing & Resources (Large Manufacturer): Mevotech Ltd.

Services: Polycorp Ltd.

Transportation Equipment: Fugro Roadware

Business Studies Student Award: Shivanie Mangal, of Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning's School of Business

Global Reach: Cyclone Manufacturing Inc.

Exporter of the Year: Mircom

Mircom, a Vaughan, Ont.-based manufacturer of fire detection and alarm systems, communication, security and building automation products secured the top honour, winning Exporter of the Year.

"The winner of the Exporter of the Year Award this year has made significant exporting achievements, having entered more than 100 countries in areas such as Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, India, South America and the Far East," said Scott Brown, vice-president and head of business banking, Ontario Region with HSBC Bank Canada, as he presented the award. "This company is a vibrant example of an Ontario manufacturer taking global markets by storm."

Small businesses were well represented in the finalist and winner pool this year. Newcon Optik won the Manufacturing & Resources (Small Manufacturer) award for its investment in research and development to compete in world markets.

"Exporting is the lifeblood of our company," said Peter Biro, president and CEO of Newcon Optik, as he accepted the award. "I think you can tell from all the talk during the election campaign about our balance of trade that it's going to be the lifeblood of the country."

About the awards

The Ontario Export Awards are organized by CanadianManufacturing.com, part of Annex Business Media, in partnership with Plant and through the support of HSBC (Platinum Sponsor), Grant Thornton LLP, Machines Italia/Italian Trade Commission, UPS Canada, Export Development Canada (EDC), Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade (Ontario); Air Canada (Official Airline Partner) and association/promotional partners: Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) and the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT).

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