CARIS, the world's leading marine GIS organization, has scooped the flagship award at the 2011 New Brunswick Export Achievements Awards held on May 26, 2011.

The Exporter of the Year award recognizes outstanding performance in the international marketplace. The award was presented by Economic Development Minister Paul Robichaud and was sponsored by Business New Brunswick.

Robichaud, in his speech, emphasized the importance of reaching export markets for the province. "New Brunswick is a trade-intense province, and exports play a vital role in reinforcing the province's economy. Our companies offer world-class products and services, and the provincial government is eager to support them to strengthen existing markets or to seek new ones."

Alejandro Gerones, the CARIS account manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, received the award on behalf of CARIS. "I believe that this has been awarded to CARIS in recognition of the progress we have made in various export markets over the last year," he said. "One of the most high profile of these has been in Panama where CARIS software is now used to assist vessels in safely navigating the Panama Canal."