FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Therafirm and parent company, Knit-Rite, Inc. celebrate North Carolina 2018 Top Rural Exporter Award

Receiving Award Left to right: Ken Hartley, Therafirm VP Operations; North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper; Leigh Ann Locklear, Therafirm Sales Operations Manager; John Loyack, EDPNC VP Global Business Services

HAMLET, NC - January 2018: North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper recognizes Therafirm/Knit-Rite, Inc. as Top Rural Exporter.

On Wednesday, January 31, Governor Roy Cooper will present the Top Rural Exporter Award to Ken Hartley and Leigh Ann Locklear, Vice President of Operations and Sales Operations Manager, respectively, from the Hamlet, NC-based company, Therafirm and its parent company, Knit-Rite, Inc.

The award is one of five awards sponsored by the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and presented by Governor Cooper at a ceremony in the Governor's Mansion on January 31 at noon. The other categories are Top Small Business Exporter, Top Large Business Exporter, Top Global Reach Exporter and Top New Exporter.

Being honored with this award is the culmination of six years of hard work on the part of Therafirm and Knit-Rite, working with the Economic Development Partnership, to grow the company as a whole and specifically exports. "Starting in 2012 and being completed in 2013, our new state-of-the-art medical textile facility has produced product that we are proud to provide to customers throughout the world including such countries as Mexico, China, Korea, Japan, Colombia, Argentina, Canada and of course, the United States," Hartley said. "We appreciate the support of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, along with Richmond County, the city of Hamlet and Richmond Community College."

The Economic Development Partnership is a public-private organization under contract with the North Carolina Department of Commerce that works with companies to grow business. "Working with the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina has allowed us to visit countries and meet new customers we wouldn't have met otherwise," said Evan McGill, Executive Vice President of Business Development. "Their global knowledge and support for our company and our brands has allowed us to grow our export sales, hire new employees and increase our capital investment in Richmond County, while increasing our reach globally to approximately 50 countries and meeting the medical needs of thousands and thousands of new patients with our products."

Excitement in the award and recognition of their hard work is evident among Therafirm and Knit-Rite employees. "I can't be more proud of our team in Hamlet for their efforts in winning this award. From our exceptional sales staff to our hard working and dedicated production and warehouse teams, this award helps to recognize their efforts and the investment by our parent company, Knit-Rite, in growing our business and providing jobs in Richmond County," Hartley said.

Winning the Top Rural Exporter Award is a testament to the company's future business goals. "This award is a proud statement to our employees and our community that in 2018 and beyond, medical textiles made in rural Richmond County, NC, are proudly exported throughout the world!," said Michelle Byrne, International Accounts Manager, who will miss the governor's presentation due to her attendance at the Arab Health tradeshow in Dubai, UAE furthering the company's efforts on the world stage.

For over 50 years, Therafirm has been a leader in manufacturing healthy, gradient compression products. We continue to innovate compression garments offering a full line of quality compression hosiery and socks that are comfortable, fashionable, affordable and deliver true gradient compression. Therafirm has a certified quality system, receiving ISO 13485 certification. THERAFIRM® branded products are manufactured in the USA by Knit-Rite, Inc., a leading designer, marketer, and manufacturer of innovative textiles for medical and consumer markets. For more information visit therafirm.com.

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