Awards put international spotlight on Lexington successes

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Three Lexington companies and a local economic development initiative have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

MosquitoMate, Xometry/MakeTime and Schneider Electric were highlighted as examples of excellence during a recent Commerce Department “Discover Global Markets” business development forum.

The Lexington Economic Partnership was also recognized at the forum, the U.S. Commerce Department’s flagship event for U.S. exporters and economic development organizations.

“Lexington is attracting national attention for innovation and technology because of companies like MosquitoMate, Xometry/MakeTime, and Schneider Electric, and because of the unique Lexington Economic Partnership initiative,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “Four of the 14 companies and initiatives that received national recognition are from Lexington. That’s proof that we are at the forefront of innovative technology.”

Ian Steff, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Assistant Secretary for Global Markets, cited the companies and the development initiative in his remarks before dozens of global business leaders seeking innovative U.S. companies that export their products globally.

The award-winning Lexington Economic Partnership involves the private sector, the City, and the University of Kentucky in economic development.

Steff cited Lexington’s status as one of the largest gigabit cities in the country. That provides a “path to long-term research and development, growth in high tech, ag-tech and related industries,” he said.

MosquitoMate was founded on Intellectual Property developed at the University of Kentucky.

Steff recognized the company for its utilization of intelligent manufacturing and production of sterile male mosquitoes for biological control of invasive mosquitoes, which are responsible for public health risks that include zika, dengue and yellow fever.

Xometry/MakeTime connects buyers and sellers of hourly capacity on advance manufacturing equipment, enabling participants to buy and sell machine time and source high quality parts. “With over 30 million combined available network machine hours, the Xometry Manufacturing Partner Network is the largest network of its kind,” Steff said.

Schneider Electric’s “smart factories” have been recognized by the World Economic Forum for leading the way in smart manufacturing. “Schneider Electric knows the importance of smart solutions for manufacturing because they use them in their facilities and also consult with companies to help them develop smart solutions,” Steff said.