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Congressman Howard Coble Talks Trade,
Honors Burlington Company for Export Achievement

Burlington, NC—Exports are big business for small and midsized North Carolina companies. That was the message from Congressman Howard Coble (NC-6) who today presented the U.S. Commerce Department’s Export Achievement Certificate to Carolina Biological Supply Company. The award recognizes companies that are business clients of the Commerce Department’s U.S. Commercial Service, and that have used their services to make their first export sale or open new foreign markets.

“Most jobs in America are created by small companies. Small and midsized companies like Carolina Biological Supply Company comprise almost 97 percent of U.S. exporters,” said Congressman Howard Coble.

Carolina Biological Supply Company of Burlington, North Carolina strives to make teachers’ lives easier. The company was started in 1927 by Thomas E. Powell, Jr. as a collection and distribution center of educational materials, which would free teachers to make better use of their time in the classroom. Carolina Biological Supply Company now provides teaching materials to science and math educators worldwide. Many of its employees are former educators who understand the unique needs and difficulties of teachers, and they work with teachers to develop and distribute new products. With support from the Greensboro U.S. Export Assistance Center, Carolina Biological Supply Company’s products are exported to 125 countries.

Last year, the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Greensboro, NC, helped local companies make $7.3 million in export sales. The Greensboro U.S. Export Assistance Center is part of the global network of the U.S. Commercial Service, a Commerce Department agency that helps small- and medium-sized U.S. businesses sell their products and services globally. The agency's worldwide network includes 105 U.S. Export Assistance Centers throughout the United States and more than 150 international offices. In 2002, the U.S. Commercial Service helped U.S. businesses generate export sales worth more than $23 billion.

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