Meet One of Georgia’s Exporters of the Year: Athens Research and Technology

Editor’s note: This article first appeared on the website of the Georgia Department of Economic Development on Oct. 21, 2022, and is reprinted with permission. The interview was conducted by the GDEcD trade team. 

In 2022, the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s International Trade Division recognized Athens Research and Technology as an Exporter of the Year in the small company category.

This Athens-based company was one of three chosen from the 2022 GLOBE Award winners for their success in global exporting. The company supplies leading research universities, institutions, and large pharmaceutical companies with research and diagnostic test materials.

Why They Won

Athens Research and Technology provided a compelling story of adapting to pandemic challenges. Not only did the company implement new safety protocols to keep staff safe and production moving, they also upgraded their product packaging to maintain appropriate product conditions in case of shipping delays. In light of the pandemic, Athens Research and Technology also modified their worldwide shipping schedule to adhere to constantly changing protocols in a wide number of countries and reworked their supplier network to account for shortages caused by the pandemic.

Q&A interview with CEO John Mitchell and Director of Sales Operations Holly Thaxton

How long has your company been exporting, and what motivated you to start selling internationally?

Thaxton: Athens Research and Technology (ART) was launched from UGA in 1986 and within the first two years we were exporting products internationally. Since the company’s inception, the products offered here at ART are world class when it comes to protein purity and potency. The need for ART’s quality proteins is not limited to the United States. Our impetus for exporting was in our desire to help life sciences labs anywhere in the world to enhance their ability to find remedies for medical ailments.

What is the biggest lesson your company has learned about exporting?

Thaxton: Since our earliest shipments using hand-prepared carbonless shipping forms, ART has been fortunate to have realized a multitude of lessons regarding transport of our unique products internationally. While there is still much for us to learn, we have come to understand a variety of helpful tricks, such as the necessity of excellent communication with the customer, which countries have unusual document requirements, the best days of the week to ship, standard transit times to different parts of the world, how to safely pack fragile and temperature-sensitive products on dry ice or rock-hard cold packs, and identifying specialized services or couriers who can offer cold storage or replenishment of coolant in the event of a delay.

In addition to lessons on the logistics of shipments themselves, our company has learned the importance of building relationships with our international customers and distributors to grow our business and recognition in areas where we are unable to position salespeople.

How has the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) International Trade team helped your company? Have any other outside resources helped the business achieve success internationally?

Mitchell: The State of Georgia provides a series of resources to aid small businesses and improve the products and services they offer, none more important than GDEcD’s resources that help companies grow international presence and sales. The U.S. represents only 30% of the total worldwide protein market. GDEcD provides critical resources and international trade knowledge that allows small companies, like ART, to expand our international market presence and sales.

What export challenges have you faced during Covid-19, and how have you responded?

Mitchell: Like many other businesses, we too struggled during this time with supply chain issues, keeping our staff safe, and shipping was often cumbersome. Despite the challenges, we soldiered on. Our products were integral to the study of Covid-19, and the development of solutions for this pandemic. In all of the important and groundbreaking research and development projects that ART has contributed products to over the years, we have seldom felt our impact at this magnitude.

What advice would you give to companies that are just starting to export?

Mitchell: Know your product. Learn your international markets and research the shipping requirements for those countries.

Are you a Georgia business looking for help growing your international sales? Find out how Georgia’s International Trade Team can help at www.Georgia.org/Trade.

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