The largest wet blue leather factory in the USA, Prime Tanning Corporation of St. Joseph, has been chosen as Missouri’s top agricultural exporter for 2005. The company was picked from more than 600 Missouri businesses involved in exporting agricultural products.

Governor Matt Blunt presented the Agricultural Exporter of the Year award to Gary Gagnon, vice president/general manager, and Craig Scotland, sales manager, at a recent ceremony in Jefferson City. The award, administered by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, is given each year to a Missouri firm that has demonstrated successful overseas marketing strategies and a commitment to international trade.

Prime Tanning Corporation was established in 1910. It now employs 220 staff and produces over three million pounds of wet blue hides per week for customers in the handbag, footwear, upholstery and military industries.