RICHMOND, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- An Albemarle County company is one of the newest graduates of the Virginia Leaders in Export Trade program.

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced on Wednesday that 16 companies across the Commonwealth graduated from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s program.

Additionally, another 13 companies, including one from Albemarle County, have joined the two-year program.

According to a release, 391 companies have graduated from VALET, helping Virginia exporters that have established domestic operations and are committed to international exporting as a growth strategy.

“International trade is a pillar of the Commonwealth’s economy, and the VALET program provides invaluable resources to guide Virginia businesses seeking growth into the global marketplace,” said Youngkin. “We congratulate these companies that have grown their domestic sales and are taking the next steps toward international expansion, advancing Virginia’s economic growth in diverse regions of the Commonwealth.” 

Atlantic Research Group in Albemarle County has now graduated from the program.

The other graduated companies are:

  • Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (Fairfax County) 
  • Alacran Consulting (Montgomery County) 
  • ANRA Technologies (Fairfax County) 
  • Axxor N.A. LLC (Pittsylvania County) 
  • Babylon Micro-Farms (City of Richmond) 
  • Black Dog Salvage (City of Roanoke) 
  • Bloomaker USA Inc. (Augusta County) 
  • Elgin Separation Solutions (Tazewell County) 
  • NAG Marine (City of Norfolk) 
  • QualiChem (City of Salem) 
  • RangeForce (Prince William County) 
  • River Front Services (Fairfax County) 
  • SimIS, Inc. (City of Portsmouth) 
  • SteelMaster Buildings (City of Virginia Beach) 
  • The Virginia Beer Company (York County) 

“The VALET program has facilitated access to global markets for businesses of any size or sector over the past two decades, helping nearly 400 Virginia companies successfully expand their international sales,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “This award-winning program can be transformational as a growth strategy and provides long-term economic benefits for these businesses and the Commonwealth as a whole.” 

The two-year international business acceleration program helps companies with their international sales plan development through assistance with experienced international service providers, meetings with potential partners, customized market research and more.

At this time, 49 companies are participating. A total of 441 companies have been accepted into the program since 2002.

The companies that are the newest to join VALET are:

  • Afton Scientific Corporation (Albemarle County) 
  • AQ Transformer Solutions (Wythe County) 
  • BluePrint Automation (Chesterfield County) 
  • Damon Company (City of Salem) 
  • DataXstream, LLC (James City County) 
  • DZYNE Technologies (Fairfax County) 
  • Fabritek Company, Inc. (City of Winchester) 
  • Learning Tree International (Fairfax County) 
  • Parsons Government Services (Fairfax County) 
  • Regulus Global (City of Virginia Beach) 
  • Universal Fibers (Washington County) 
  • Vibrent Health (Fairfax County) 
  • Yupo Corporation (City of Chesapeake) 

Each year, Virginia exports more than $51 billion in goods and services, which is critical to the Commonwealth’s economic growth.

These exports also support more than 257,000 jobs and generate $2 billion in annual tax revenue.

For more information about VALET, click here.