(Loves Park, IL) – A local manufacturer of orthopedic medical devices, Serola Biomechanics, Inc. (Serola) received an award for Exporting Excellence during the 2019 Mid-America Trade Summit held at the University of Missouri on November 6th & 7th. Serola’s Director of Operations, Dayna Gouwens & Director of Strategic Planning and Management, Steve Kadamian, were present to accept the award from Jacqueline Rasmussen, the Senior Program Manager for the University of Missouri International Trade Center. The representatives from Serola also presented at the summit on Small Business Export Success Strategies.
A total of 10 companies around the Midwest region were recognized and the judging criteria was based upon the following: export sales as a ratio of total sales, export sales growth, number of jobs created and retained by exports, factors indicating progressive international marketing strategies, multi-lingual and cultural efforts, progression in ratio of exports sales to total sales.
Serola began exporting in the mid-90’s to its first international distributor who is based in the United Kingdom and remains an instrumental partner. To date, Serola has partnered with 59 international distributors, exports into over 40 countries and holds over 50 domestic and international patents. This year, with the support of Illinois’ State Trade and Export Promotion (ISTEP) program, Serola has focused on expanding into the Eastern Asian Market and has established relationships with two distributors in South Korea, another in Japan and is currently in negotiations with additional prospective partners in Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.
“Exporting has been invaluable to the growth of the Serola,” said President of Serola Biomechanics, Inc., Thomas Person. “It has been a great year for us, first winning the Governor’s Export Award and now this. Our next goal is to be recognized on the national level and to carry this momentum forward, towards more growth. We are more determined than ever to continue our global reach.”
About Serola Biomechanics, Inc.
Serola Biomechanics, Inc., is the result of research done by Dr. Rick Serola, a chiropractor. In 1988, after noticing that muscle strength increased throughout the body after sacroiliac stabilization, he began research into the underlying biomechanics. As a result, he found the need for products that were not in the marketplace, so he developed them himself. Now, the Serola Sacroiliac Belt and Serola Gel Arc Elbow Brace are being used to provide pain relief and help prevent injury to thousands of new people every day throughout the world. For more information, please visit www.Serola.net.
About the Mid-America Trade Summit
The Summit provides a unique opportunity to bring together top exporters, global trade leaders and trade assistance providers from across Mid-America. Outstanding exporters from across Mid-America have been invited to share their export stories — highlighting “best practices” and/or lessons learned that have contributed to their export success.
The Summit’s fast-paced, high-touch format provides exporters, trade assistance providers and educators with direct access to high-level networking and shared-learning opportunities designed to guide export expansion. This is a premier regional event for companies focused on advancing trade and driving business growth.
