CONTACT:
Brad Collins
Stateline World Trade Association
920.222.1041
Beloit, WI – The DeLong Co., Inc., of Clinton, WI and Furst-McNess Company, of Eleroy, IL will receive awards for their exporting expertise at the Stateline World Trade Association (SLWTA) dinner meeting on Thursday evening, April 28, 2010 at the Beloit Inn.
The DeLong Co., Inc. is a fifth generation family-owned agricultural business. It was started over 100 years ago, and serves the farming industry. The firm operates 15 locations in three states, supplying fertilizers and feeds and also storing and exporting feed and grains. In the mid-1980’s, the DeLong Co. was an innovator in identity preserved crops by loading ocean-going containers with Wisconsin-grown soybeans here in the state, rather than shipping in bulk down the Mississippi River. In 2004, the company began loading commercial corn, soybeans, and feed products for export in containers, competing directly against bulk vessels. Over the past three years, the DeLong Co. has exported over $2 billion of agricultural products.
Furst-McNess Company has recently expanded into the export industry. McNess focuses on the containerized exports of DDGS (Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles) and other feedstuffs to SE Asia. With no prior experience, McNess created their export and container filling programs from nothing. Everything from the accounting methods down to the design of the very equipment utilized to load the containers was created in one year. While this was being done McNess also broke into existing commodity markets as well as new markets (China) while competing with larger companies. McNess was able to profitably merchandise over 110,000 metric tons of product from the Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin regions.
Join the SLWTA to hear these success stories, and congratulate the World Trade Award Winners. A Special Guest, William MacFarlane of MacFarlane’s Pheasants, winner of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Exporter of the Year Award will be attending. The Awards Dinner will be held on Thursday April 28th at The Beloit Inn, 500 Pleasant Street, Beloit, WI. It will start with networking and cash bar at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:15 p.m. and program immediately following dinner. Cost is $25 for members, $35 for non-members and $15 for students with I.D. Registrations must be received by April 26, 2011. Register via e-mail at info@slwta.org, or on line at http://www.slwta.org.
