Maine International Trade Center (MITC) announced today the winners of the 2025 Annual International Trade and Investment Awards.
More than 2,000 Maine companies exported over $3 billion in goods and services to 165 markets last year. International trade supports 1 in 5 (170,300) Maine jobs, and 84% of Maine exporters are small and medium-sized businesses. Foreign-owned companies are important customers for local goods and services and employ 37,300 Maine workers.
“We’re pleased to announce our 2025 award winners, Maine organizations who represent keys for international business success: manufacturers and service providers with worldwide partnerships and impressive export market and sector diversity; engineering expertise with groundbreaking and scalable technology; and a vision for rural economic prosperity focused on sustainable product development and manufacturing,” said Wade Merritt, MITC President and State Director of International Trade. “We’re honored to share their stories and celebrate their successes during the awards ceremony at Trade Day 2025.”
Exporter of the Year: Xuron Corporation (Saco, ME)
The Exporter of the Year Award is presented to a manufacturer that has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to international trade through increased exports.
Xuron Corporation is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of ergonomic, electronics grade hand tools. Their products are sold worldwide and serve a variety of sectors including industrial electronics, aerospace, jewelry manufacturing, and the hobbies and crafts markets. Founded in 1970, the company has been exporting its products for decades. Their tools can be purchased on every continent except Antarctica and in more than 30 different countries. Exports make up 20% of Xuron’s business. The company currently employs 22 people, many of whom have been with Xuron for more than 20 years.
Innovator of the Year: Global Secure Shipping (Old Town, ME)
The Innovator of the Year Award is presented to a company or organization in Maine that has accessed international markets through new and innovative processes or products.
Global Secure Shipping (GSS) in Old Town manufactures secure cargo containers using patented technology first developed at the University of Maine. The containers are made from a hybrid composite material embedded with sensors that detect intrusion. GSS operates out of a 32,500 square foot state-of-the-art facility and is the only company in the world making this kind of container. Global Secure Shipping is currently working under a grant from the Department of Homeland Security to test the containers at various ports around the world.
Service Provider of the Year: Kelson Marine Co. (Portland, ME)
The Service Provider of the Year Award is presented to a service provider that has established an international presence for the export of their services.
Kelson Marine has developed cutting edge simulation tools for engineering complex ocean structures for the blue economy. From its base on Portland’s working waterfront, the Kelson Marine team combines these tools with decades of on-the-water experience to design, de-risk, and cost-optimize ocean renewable energy and aquaculture technologies around the world. Kelson’s exports in 2024-25 included designing systems for New Zealand, the UK, Canada, Norway, and the Faroe Islands.
Investor of the Year: Our Katahdin (Millinocket, ME)
The Investor of the Year Award is presented to recognize an entity that has made a significant investment to advance Maine’s globalization, including international assets of capital, ideas, and talent.
Our Katahdin is a non-profit organization that supports economic development projects in the Katahdin region. Launched in December 2014, the organization’s vision focuses on sustainable product development and manufacturing to attract additional investment and increase the global competitiveness of the region. Our Katahdin owns the One North industrial park in Millinocket, which was selected by Castlerock Biofuels as the site for a renewable fuel oil facility at the former Great Northern Paper Mill. The project is expected to bring 150 construction jobs and 80 full-time jobs once the plant is operational.
In addition to the four organizations being honored, three individual awards are also being presented by MITC this year.
Johnna Major and Adrian Kendall will both receive the 2025 President’s Award, given to an individual or organization which has displayed exceptional support to the Maine International Trade Center. Major is a recruiting consultant with KMA Human Resources Consulting and has helped MITC to identify and hire key staff members. Kendall is an attorney with Norman, Hanson & DeTroy, LLC and Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany to Maine and New Hampshire and has been helping MITC for over 20 years by offering his legal expertise in international law.
Kasei Oma will receive the 2025 Future Global Leader Award, which recognizes exceptional work of a MITC intern. During his time at MITC, Oma provided valuable assistance to the MITC team, taking on a number of research projects and always being a positive presence in the office. Born in Japan, Oma is currently a junior at Bowdoin College.
All of the award winners will be honored during Trade Day 2025 on May 7th in Freeport at the L.L.Bean corporate headquarters.
Learn more and register at https://www.mitc.com/education-events/trade-day-2025/