Kenneth Thompson, President and CEO of Valtronic Solutions, was recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s state office during a National Small Business Week awards ceremony on May 6 as West Virginia’s 2022 Small Business Exporter of the Year.
Valtronics Solutions, located in Ravenswood in Jackson County, is a system integrator, fabricator, manufacturer, representative, and stocking distributor providing process and analytical solutions for industries serving measurement and control of liquids and gasses.
Valtronics Is Building a Better America Through Entrepreneurship
During National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration recognizes small businesses from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. This year’s theme was “Building a Better America Through Entrepreneurship.” After 37 years of doing business and 12 years of exporting experience, Valtronics is a great example of how West Virginia businesses are at the forefront of building America’s economy.
“Companies like Valtronics exemplify what it means to be Exporter of the Year through the leadership, innovation and perseverance required to be competitive in international markets,” said West Virginia Department of Economic Development Secretary Mitch Carmichael. “We’re pleased to work with Valtronics to support their exporting endeavors and thrilled they were selected for this prestigious honor.”
Valtronics manufactures skids, including gas measurement and control systems, monitoring equipment, automation, cabinets and complete analyzer buildings and their Mustang Sampling brand has achieved worldwide brand recognition mainly through key export products into high visibility projects.
But success didn’t happen overnight. Thompson said he has grown his business over the last three decades by focusing on developing innovative solutions for the natural gas industry.
Because of that entrepreneurial spirit, Valtronics is the holder of numerous global technology patents. Valtronics also is a successful exporter and has received West Virginia export awards for new market entries into Trinidad and Tobabo, Canada, France, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, United Kingdom, Singapore, Russia and the Netherlands.
The Key to Valtronics’ Export Success
Valtronics international marketing strategy includes exhibiting at international trade shows, industry magazine advertisements, and car racing sponsorships. In recent years, Valtronics has utilized the West Virginia Department of Economic Development’s STEP program to offset some of its international marketing expenses.
“With the support of the STEP grant, we have been able to market ourselves in ways we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do,” Thompson said. “We’ve used STEP funds for advertising and conference trade shows to get our name out there in key areas of the natural gas industry.”
One of the key strategies Valtronic Solutions has used to successfully develop new export sales is to partner with established foreign enterprises to gain local acceptance. Most importantly, their products are continuously improved and subjected to the highest quality standards, which provides their customers with the best sample conditioning solutions.