Winton Machine Wins U.S. Commercial Service Export Achievement Award

by | Aug 20, 2017 | News

U.S. Dept of Commerce Commercial Service

Congressman Rob Woodall To Honor Suwanee Firm With Coveted Award For Excellence In Exporting

CONTACT: Lisa Winton | Winton Machine Company | 770-831-1917 | sales@wintonmachine.com

Suwanee, Georgia – U.S. Representative Rob Woodall will present Winton Machine Company, manufacturer of  over 100 different tube and coax fabrication machines, with a U.S. Commercial Service Export Achievement Award at a planned ceremony at the company’s headquarters on August 22. The Export Achievement Award was created by the U.S. Commercial Service (CS) to recognize small and medium-sized enterprises that have successfully entered the international marketplace for the first time or that have successfully entered a new foreign market with CS assistance.

Winton Machine was founded in 1997 by company owners, George and Lisa Winton, in the basement of their home in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The company started by designing and building dedicated hand benders and in less than a year, found their basement full of machinery equipment and supplies. “We had a vision of becoming a local manufacturer that could bring jobs to Georgia.  Manufacturing has such a wide supply chain that we knew we could make a difference to our local economy,” said Lisa Winton. “Working with the U.S. Commercial Service helps a small manufacturer like Winton Machine manage the myriad of regulations necessary to export and identify possible pitfalls that can be encountered when entering new international markets.”

In 2013, the Winton team participated in the Small Business Development Center’s ExportGA program where they learned about the basics of exporting and available services from the U.S. Commercial Service including global market research, risk mitigation, and export compliance. “Export compliance was identified as a critical component to achieving Winton’s global objectives,” explained George Tracy, Director with the U.S. Commercial Service. “Leveraging our best practice export methodology, we enable companies to become proactive, global exporters while ensuring they understand the various requirements for exporting.  We’re measured on the results of our client’s export activity, so their success is our success.”

The firm designs and manufacturers all of its machinery onsite at its 13,000 square foot facility in Suwanee  and has also developed proprietary software that is used exclusively on Winton Machine products. Winton has grown from its first part time employee in 1998 to a staff of  30 employees today, while boasting foreign markets that include China, South Korea, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Russia, Israel, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Ecuador, Turkey, UAE, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, India, Denmark, Belarus, Guatemala, Norway and Sweden.

Winton Machine and Ms. Lisa Winton have previously been recognized for their global efforts and economic impact in Georgia with the following accolades: Winner of 2017 Metro Export Plan (MEP) $5,000 Grant to Grow Exports presented by the Brooking Institute; 2017 Atlanta Metro Export Challenge Semi-Finalist; 2017 National Small Business Week award Winner of the Women Business Champion; and selected participant in SBA’s 2017 Emerging Leadership Program.

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