FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 16, 2016

CONTACT:

Ski Milburn
CEO
VAIREX air systems
3048 Valmont Road
Boulder, Colorado USA
303.994.2047
milburnski@vairex.com

VAIREX air systems RECEIVES PRE

PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR EXPORT SUCCESSES
Boulder, Colorado U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today presented VAIREX air
systems with the Presidents E
E Award for Exports at a ceremony in Washington, DC. The
Presidents E Award is the highest recog
recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a
significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports. This year, 123 awards were made to
companies in two categories.

Kathy Heidebrecht, VAIREX Director

tor of Operations
accepted the award on behalf
alf of the company.
VAIREX has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The E Awards
Committee was very impressed with VAIREXs customization of its product line to fit the needs
of customers in export markets. The companys developmen
developmentt of a business model that
emphasizes exports as a core part of its business was also particularly notable. VAIREXs
VAIR
achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the
U.S. economy
conomy and create American jobs said
d Secretary Pritzker in her congratulatory letter to
the company announcing its selection as an award recipient.
VAIREX,, located in Boulder, Colorado with a sales office in Tokyo, Japan, manufacturers
manufacturer a
critical component for the global
bal fuel cell industry. The Company currently supplies customers
in 17 countries in North America, Europe and Asia. VAIREX customers are developing fuel cell
forklifts and other specialty electric vehicles, distributed generation systems, and backup power
for telecommunications
ons and related applications.
Fuel cells are an important new class of clean and green technologies that generate electricity
from a variety of fuels at very high efficiency and low to zero emissions. There are many
different fuel cell types and associa
associated fuels (including
including hydrogen, methane, and alcohols),
alcohols) but
theyy all require a specialized air supply system. VAIREX is the world technical leader
l
in fuel cell
air systems,, with products based on its patented blower technology.

VAIREX was built to serve a global market from day one so we are particularly honored to
receive the E Award, said Ski Milburn, CEO of VAIREX. Our Director of Engineering, Joel
Oakman, made breakthroughs which more than doubled the pressure and efficiency of a blower
technology first invented in Germany in the 1930s. The result is a simple, robust machine that
competes with compressors that have ten times the parts count, and several times the size, weight
and manufacturing cost.
These attributes support a lean manufacturing system that enables us to manufacture highquality, low-cost products in Colorado and sell them throughout the world. Exports represent a
high portion of the companys revenue, averaging 45% of sales from 2012 to 2015, reaching
56% in 2015.
In 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II E symbol of
excellence to honor and provide recognition to America's exporters. Today, Secretary Pritzker
honored 123 U.S. companies with the Presidents E Award for their outstanding work to
reduce barriers to foreign markets and to open the door to more trade around the world.
In 2015, U.S. exports totaled $2.23 trillion, accounting for nearly 13 percent of U.S. GDP.
Nationally, exports contributed to the U.S. economy, supporting an estimated 11.5 million jobs.
U.S. companies are nominated for the E Awards through the Department of Commerces U.S.
Commercial Service office network, located within the Departments International Trade
Administration, with offices in 108 U.S. cities and more than 70 countries. Record years of
successive export growth and an applicants demonstration of an innovative international
marketing plan that led to the increase in exports are significant factors in selecting the winners.
For more information about VAIREX air systems, visit www.vairex.com.
For more information about the E Awards and the benefits of exporting, visit www.export.gov.
KEYWORDS: vairex, fuel cells, cleantech, clean and green, hydrogen, fuel cell components, air
systems, compressors, blowers, balance of plant, bop, supplier, manufacturer, export, presidents
e-award, department of commerce, secretary pritzker, colorado, global, ski milburn, joel oakman,
kathy Heidebrecht
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