UPS Honors SteelMaster Buildings with Global Trade Award

Atlanta, --

Company Recognized for Growing Globally Through Exporting

In collaboration with World Trade 100 magazine, UPS (NYSE: UPS) today announced SteelMaster Buildings as the winner of its first-ever Growth through Global Trade Award. This national recognition is awarded to a U.S. small- or medium-sized business that is effectively exporting to better thrive and compete in today’s ever-changing global business environment.

Based in Virginia Beach, Va., SteelMaster manufacturers, designs and supplies pre-fabricated arched steel structures. The company began exporting in 2006, and international orders are now 15 percent of the company’s revenue.

“SteelMaster’s motivation to pursue sales abroad came as a result of heavy domestic competition” said Emma Granada, International Business Development Manager for SteelMaster Buildings. “We recognized that high quality products from U.S. companies like ours were in great demand in markets where they could be sold at competitive prices. By optimizing our logistics chain, we have been successful at lowering our landed costs and driving up demand for our structures.”

Currently, SteelMaster exports to 40 countries spanning the Caribbean, Central and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia and also has distributor relationships in 50 international markets. The company plans to increase exporting in coming years by expanding efforts in Latin

American and African countries, as well as other emerging markets that need steel structures in the wake of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, flooding or hurricanes.

“SteelMaster Buildings was a clear stand-out for the Growth through Global Trade Award,” said Dale Hayes, vice president, UPS small business and retail marketing. “SteelMaster understands the true economic impact of exporting, and has smartly grown its business overseas through selling directly to customers and by developing a robust network of distributors.”

To honor SteelMaster’s accomplishments, World Trade 100 published a feature on the company in its January 2011 issue.

“One of the most impactful ways to educate small- and medium-sized businesses on the power of exporting is to showcase a best practice from a peer company,” said Lara Sowinski, editor, World Trade 100 magazine. “We’re pleased to feature SteelMaster Buildings in World Trade 100. The company has effectively built a multinational web of distributors and transportation resources, which extends to every region in the world.”

UPS launched the Growth through Global Trade Award in August 2010 and eligible businesses included those with fewer than 500 employees that are already exporting to at least one international area. Applicants were required to submit an online nomination form and a 200-word essay explaining how exporting has been their competitive advantage in a world of change.

The entries were judged by a multi-member panel of small- and medium-sized business and global trade experts. The judges included:

* Jim Beach, founder, TheEntrepreneurSchool.com
* Laurel Delaney, owner, small-business consulting firm GlobeTrade.com
* Chris Hanks, founder, TheEntrepreneurSchool.com
* Dale Hayes, vice president, marketing, UPS
* Lara Sowinski, editor, World Trade 100 magazine

UPS is a longtime advocate of the benefits of international commerce. UPS’s CEO, Scott Davis, currently serves on the President’s Export Council. The top advisory committee on global trade, the President’s Export Council advises President Obama on government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance, while also providing a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among businesses, industrial, agricultural, labor and government sectors.

UPS has also developed a series of guides targeted toward small- and medium-sized businesses that offer compelling insights into business trends in specific international markets. ’Snapshots for Small Business’ guides on Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Poland and Vietnam can be downloaded for free at pressroom.ups.com/snapshotsforsmallbiz.



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About UPS UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at UPS.com