The objectives of the Governor’s Trade Excellence Award Program are to:

• Identify Alabama’s successful and innovative exporters
• Promote exporters as role models to the Alabama business community in order to encourage greater involvement in the global marketplace
• Develop and enhance awareness of the impact of exporting on Alabama’s economy

Award winners are selected on submission of their application, which assesses a company on a variety of criteria including: level of export sales as a proportion of total sales; sustainable growth in export sales; quality of export marketing strategy; senior management commitment to export development; innovations in exporting; and businesses that have benefited from export assistance, to make export sales or open new overseas markets, using services from organizations making up the Export Alabama Alliance.

Companies may nominate themselves or be nominated by a trade association, customer, or anyone familiar with their achievements. A panel from the Export Alabama Alliance selects recipients of the Governor’s Trade Excellence Award.

The Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards represent the commitment and strong cooperation that exists between federal, state, regional and local entities and the business community to support and encourage Alabama companies to grow through exporting.  Organizations under the Export Alabama Alliance include: Alabama Department of Commerce, Alabama Department of Agriculture, Alabama International Trade Center, Alabama State Port Authority, Alabama World Trade Association, Birmingham Business Alliance, Madison County Commission International Trade Development Center, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, North Alabama International Trade Association, Port of Huntsville, U.S. Department of Commerce Birmingham Export Assistance Center and the U.S. Small Business Administration Alabama District Office.