Thale, Germany, December 14, 2007 - Thale, Germany-based Mertik Maxitrol GmbH & Co. KG was honored with second place in the 2007 “Entrepreneur of the Year” competition held by the East-German “Sparkassenverband” (Association of Banks). Kreissparkasse Quedlinburg’s Chairman of the Board, Dr. Klaus Kohler, presented the certificate to Mertik Maxitrol’s Managing Director, Larry C. Koskela, and Vice President of Finance and Operations, Bonnie Kern Koskela.
“Mertik Maxitrol’s product development and unmatched level of product quality has led to the company becoming a worldwide leader in the gas control market,” says Dr. Kohler. “It is quite an achievement for Mertik Maxitrol to place second out of the 53 companies considered in Saxony-Anhalt. Obviously, the jury gave a lot of consideration to the design and engineering of innovative products,” added Kohler. “It is sensational that two companies from the former Quedlinburg district received first and second place.” The “Keunecke Feinkost” company was honored as national winner.
Mertik Maxitrol has been located in the Thale/Quedlinburg region for more than 130 years. In 1993, Mertik was sold to American private investors. Approximately 17 million Euros has been invested into the company since the privatization. “We’ve moved into a new facility and modernized the production, entirely,” reports Mr. Koskela. The results show that the investment has paid off. In 2006, the annual sales were more than 20 million Euros. The company has 240 trademark registrations in 20 countries and supplies customers in more than 45 countries. Today Mertik Maxitrol attributes more than 95% of its sales to products developed since 1993.
Mertik Maxitrol and its United States affiliate Maxitrol Company are international leaders in the manufacturing of gas combination controls, pressure governors, gas filters, and gas safety devices. Mertik Maxitrol is located in Thale, Germany and has branches in Senden, Germany and Abercynon, South Wales, UK. Affiliate Maxitrol Company has production divisions in Colon, Farmington, and Blissfield, Michigan, respectively, and a customer support and sales branch in Fort Worth, Texas. Additional information about Mertik Maxitrol is available at www.mertikmaxitrol.com.
