On Tuesday, May 24, CAT Squared was recognized with the Governor's Award for Excellence in Global Trade by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas District Export Council (ArDEC). The 7th annual awards luncheon recognized exporting excellence among Arkansas's manufacturers and service providers.
CAT Squared develops manufacturing software for the industrial food processing industry. Their products include systems that manage real-time data collection from the plant floor, real-time reporting for production and inventory, and farm-to-fork traceability.
During his acceptance speech, CAT Squared CEO Vernon Smith commented that he and co-founder Stefan Schoeman (both educated in South Africa) arrived to the state with little more than a few suitcases and aspirations. "Twenty years later, our company has grown to the point where we are supporting customers on six continents."
"These Arkansas businesses are great examples of how important international trade is to our economic well-being," said Governor Hutchinson. "The overall volume of exports from Arkansas has increased over the last five years thanks to businesses such as these looking to expand their opportunities around the globe."
The Arkansas Governor's Awards for Excellence in Global Trade is designed to publicly recognize Arkansas companies and their employees who contribute to the economy through international trade.
The complete list of award recipients included:
- Large Manufacturer Exporter- Easterline Defense Technologies
- Medium Manufacturer Exporter - CAT Squared
- Small Manufacturer Exporter - RH Preyda
- Agricultural Export Award- Cobb-Vantress, Inc.
- Arkansas Rising Star - Rock Town Distillery, Inc.
