For more than 50 years, the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) has celebrated National Small Business Week to recognize the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.
As part of this year’s celebration, Equilibar was honored to receive the 2020 award for North Carolina Small Business Exporter of the Year.
The award was presented on September 24 during the NC Small Business Week Virtual Awards Ceremony, conducted by Thomas A. Stith III, SBA District Director. 
“With a year unlike any that has come before, we are facing unique challenges together,” Stith said in a news release. “Nevertheless, American small businesses continue to play a central role in building a strong country, prepared for any obstacles in the future.”
David Reed, vice president of operations for Equilibar, received the award on behalf of the entire Equilibar team.
He noted in his remarks that exports account for almost half of Equilibar’s sales. One of the company’s earliest transactions was an export to a pharmaceutical researcher in Switzerland who learned about Equilibar products on the internet. “That story shows the power of the internet to leverage resources all over the world,” Reed said. “We’ve seen this most recently with the COVID pandemic, when the predicted global shortage of ventilators prompted researchers all over the world to reach out to Equilibar to collaborate on emergency ventilator projects.”
Equilibar was founded in 2007 by Jeff Jennings, an engineer who patented a fluid control valve that offers unique advantages for challenging research and industrial applications. Working out of his basement, Jennings used the internet and word of mouth to grow and ultimately become a worldwide leader in fluid control. He now serves as president of Equilibar and is still heavily involved in cutting edge research.
For more information about Equilibar’s back pressure regulators, vacuum regulators and flow control valves, please contact one of our application specialists.
David Reed of Equilibar with Sharon Harvey, Senior Area Manager of the NC SBA
