Iowa’s 2013 Exporter of the Year is Taking a Bite Out of the Global Marketplace

As American quick cuisine—okay, fast food—continues to spread around the world, so does the equipment made to produce all those fries and chips. A leader in that field is Vanmark Equipment of Creston, Iowa, last year’s Global Iowa Export Award winner.

Of the 35 countries where Vanmark does business, India has become its largest market. It also sells into Australia, Japan, China, Indonesia, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Norway, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. “I don’t know that there’s many humans left” who haven’t sampled such fare, says Vanmark president Tom Mathues. “Even in China, we’re making potato chips and French fries.”

Mathues points out that his company exports to more countries than it has employees. “Vanmark has been very fortunate with its business in Creston, Iowa,” he said as he accepted the award from the Mid-Iowa Growth Partnership.