Three Hampton Roads Companies Selected to Participate in Virginia’s VALET Program

RICHMOND - The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) today announced the acceptance of three Hampton Roads companies, Catalina Cylinders Cliff Impact of Hampton, Dynamic Towing Equipment & Manufacturing, Inc. of Norfolk, and LifeNet of Virginia Beach, into its two-year Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program. Launched in January 2002, the program assists exporters in the Commonwealth that have firmly established domestic operations and are committed to international exporting as an expansion strategy.

Catalina Cylinders, Dynamic Towing Equipment & Manufacturing and LifeNet join the program as part of the 11th class of VALET companies. To participate, each eligible business must meet several quantitative criteria and complete an application process. Participating firms are chosen based on their dedication to growth through export. Currently, 86 Virginia companies have been accepted to participate in the VALET program.

Catalina Cylinders is a leading producer of high-and-low pressure aluminum compressed gas cylinders. With manufacturing facilities on the East and West coasts, the company supplies global distributors with fast service and quality product. Product lines consist of high-pressure aluminum gas cylinders for the markets of beverage, SCUBA, medical, industrial gas, and life support. Catalina Cylinders Cliff Impact facility in Hampton produces fire extinguishers and low-pressure cylinders for various applications as well as technical impact forgings and high-pressure paintball cylinders.

“On behalf of Catalina Cylinders, it is an honor to have been chosen to participate in the VALET program,” said Joseph Wolff, Sales Manager, Catalina Cylinders Cliff Impact. “I was impressed by how well organized and professional the introduction to the program was, including its mutually defined goals and measured expectations. We look forward to maximizing our export opportunities by taking advantage of as many of the program benefits as possible.”

Dynamic Towing Equipment & Manufacturing, Inc. was established in 1983 with new ownership in 2004, and operates two facilities with a combined space of approximately 40,000 square feet. Primary products currently manufactured include light-and-medium duty tow trucks, rollback car carriers, patented stealth under reach wheel lift units and a new concept car carrier known as a T-180.

“Dynamic was given a great opportunity to be a part of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s international trade program,” said Robert DelSole, CEO, Dynamic Towing Equipment & Manufacturing. “We receive more than 400 inquiries from abroad each year via fax or the internet, as well as international inquiries from letters, phone calls and trade shows. In realty, the world market has found Dynamic. Instead of waiting for orders to come in, Dynamic would like to be pro-active in developing export trade. We will now be able to meet our goals for international trade with the added resources now available to Dynamic through Virginia’s VALET Program.”

LifeNet, founded in 1982, is a full service biomedical tissue banking system and a leading non-profit organ and tissue donation agency. Each year, LifeNet saves more than 300 lives through the recovery and placement of organs in Virginia. LifeNet provides recovery and processing services for musculoskeletal and cardiovascular tissues, distributing more than 200,000 biomedical implants every year to restore health to patients around the world.

“LifeNet is very pleased to have been selected as a participant in the Commonwealth of Virginia’s VALET Program,” said John St. John, Vice President International, LifeNet. “As a non-profit organization that desires to assist other persons and organizations outside the U.S., we are impressed by the extensive resources that the state is making available to us and are grateful for the opportunity to network with other Virginia corporations in the expansion of our mission.”

The VALET program incorporates services from a team of experienced international service providers who assist the VALET companies with their international goals. Service providers such as attorneys, Web designers, bankers, translators and freight-forwarders contribute essential skills for expansion into international markets.

“VALET welcomes these new companies into the program,” said Leslie Parpart, VALET Program Manager. “We look forward to working with their international teams over the course of the next two years to assist them in exceeding export goals.”

The VALET program was recognized as a national model in November 2004 by the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) for VALET’s innovation in bringing the public and private sectors together to achieve a benefit for the public. The VALET program was the only winner of the 2004 NCPPP Public-Private Partnership Award in the Innovation category.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, a marketing organization, was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1995 to encourage, stimulate, and support the development and expansion of the economy of the Commonwealth. The Partnership is a state authority, which is governed by a 21-member Board of Directors appointed by the Governor and the Virginia General Assembly. To accomplish its objectives of promoting economic expansion within the Commonwealth, the Partnership focuses its efforts on business recruitment, expansion and international trade. VEDP has offices in Virginia, Belgium, Hong Kong, Mexico, Brazil, Korea and Japan.

To learn more about the VALET program, contact Leslie Parpart, VALET Program Manager, at LParpart [at] YesVirginia.org, or visit the programs tab at www.ExportVirginia.org.