Prodigy Diabetes Care honored with Export Achievement Certificate

U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary Ro Khanna honored Prodigy Diabetes Care, LLC with its Export Achievement Certificate today during a stop in Charlotte aimed at touting President Obama's national export initiative.

"The President's goal is to double U.S. exports and create 2 million jobs by 2015," Khanna said. "Companies like Prodigy® serve as an excellent example of what it takes to succeed abroad and create manufacturing jobs here at home. Prodigy did their homework through U.S. Commercial Service Education programs such as ExporTech and strategically targeted a group of countries using our Gold Key Service to meet pre-qualified foreign buyers. Their success in exporting to Malaysia is just one example of the Prodigy® global potential."

Khanna was appointed by President Obama to serve as deputy assistant secretary for Domestic Operations for the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, an arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Prodigy Diabetes Care, with global headquarters in Charlotte, saw exports jump 16 and 22 percent during the past two years, respectively. The achievement award has only been awarded 15 times in North Carolina during the past seven years.

"We've been in the global market for 20 years now, so we know exporting very well," said Prodigy Chief Operating Officer Rick Admani Abulhaj. "But the U.S. Department of Commerce has been instrumental in helping us with markets that had been difficult to penetrate. So we greatly appreciate all of the department's help, along with this award."

Prodigy® now exports products to countries including Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, Nigeria and China. Prodigy® has sales in nearly 80 countries.

"We used to manufacture products in China," Abulhaj said. "Now, we're making products right here in the United States and exporting them to China."

After receiving the award at Prodigy® headquarters, Abulhaj and his brother, Prodigy President Ramzi Abulhaj, took Khanna on a tour of their nearly completed manufacturing facility. Prodigy is bringing all manufacturing operations to Charlotte from factories in China and Taiwan.

With high-tech robotics and automated assembly and manufacturing processes, Prodigy® is saving 40 percent in production costs while creating jobs in Charlotte.

Khanna said exports represent a return to an economy built around the production of goods and services. Exports accounted for 11 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product in 2009.