5 firms in state honored for trade

Governor praises rise in exporting

John Sinclair was hired by Lycus Ltd., an El Dorado maker of ultraviolet light absorbers, in 1996 to handle the company's finances.

By 2012, Sinclair was so impressed with the company that he bought it.

Lycus was one of five Arkansas businesses to win the Governor's Awards for Excellence in Global Trade on Wednesday. The event was held at the Governor's Mansion.

Lycus was presented the Arkansas Rising Star award.

Other winners were Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in East Camden, Garreco Dental of Heber Springs, AK Industrial Contractors of Searcy and Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. of Texarkana.

Lycus, founded in 1989, makes ultraviolet light absorbers for use in plastics, coatings, adhesives, cosmetic product protection and other personal care applications. Lycus' products are used in clothing, sunglasses, window panes and in other applications, Sinclair said.

Bottles of Chanel No. 5 perfume include a drop of a Lycus product to extend the fragrance's shelf life, Sinclair said.

Lycus has 22 employees and exports products to India, Mexico, Germany, Switzerland and Spain.

"India is the big one," Sinclair said. "That's the market that we are pursuing now."

Lycus has had a contract for more than 20 years with BASF, the second-largest producer and marketer of chemical products in North America.

Another winner, Garreco Dental, grinds rock from Oklahoma into powder, said Bob O'Neal, chief executive officer of Garreco.

The powder is used by dental labs around the world to make molds for dentures and other dental products.

Garreco was founded in 1988 and has exported its products for 25 years to more than 28 countries, particularly to Germany, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Garreco gets about 14 percent of its business from exports, O'Neal said.

"We actually started [exporting] the old-fashioned way -- we just started making contacts," O'Neal said. "We've grown piecemeal over the years. But we're really making a concerted effort to focus on exports."

Garreco gets assistance now from state agencies and other organizations, O'Neal said.

Arkansas has exporting representatives in Japan and China, with a presence in Germany, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said.

"We are expanding our global footprint and rightfully so," Hutchinson said. "We're doing that because it produces results for competition in the world."

When Hutchinson visited recently with President Donald Trump along with other governors, Hutchinson told Trump that Arkansas is part of the global marketplace.

"Whether it's rice we export or defense products or electric machinery, exports are so important to us," Hutchinson said. "So the global marketplace is critical to us and I made that point to the president. It was good to have that opportunity and make the case for Arkansas."

Business on 05/25/2017

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