The Metro Atlanta Chamber recently announced its winners for the 2026 Metro Export Challenge (MEC), as part of its 10th Annual Pitch Day event. Four finalists in the 2026 Pitch Day competition presented their export growth strategies before a panel of judges, with a bit of grant funding on the line to help them get there. Adravision (Automation Software), Bowstone Metal Fabrication (Manufacturing), Integrated Environmental Services (Hazardous Waste Management), and Kahua (Project Management Software) worked with mentors and industry experts for months to hone their strategies, as they competed for a share of $30,000 – $15,000 for first place, $10,000 for second, and $5,000 for third. One of the program sponsors and Metro Atlanta Chamber giants Delta Air Lines also kicked in flight vouchers for the winning companies. Integrated Environmental Services came out on top, Adravision second, and Kahua earning third place.
“Congratulations to this year’s winners and all of the companies that participated in Pitch Day,” said Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “The Metro Export Challenge has helped metro Atlanta companies expand into new markets, grow sales, and strengthen our region’s global competitiveness. As metro Atlanta continues to attract investment and connect to markets around the world, supporting businesses that are ready to export remains critical to long-term economic growth.”
The Metro Export Challenge was launched 10 years and is now the region’s largest export-focused economic development program. During that time, the program has provided $1 million in grant funding, mentorship and travel to more than 150 metro Atlanta companies. The program is focused on small to medium-sized companies, helping them overcome some of the hurdles to international growth.
“The Metro Export Challenge has proven that targeted support can make a meaningful difference for companies looking to enter international markets,” said Stefan Harrigan, senior manager of global business development at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “This year’s finalists demonstrated the creativity, resilience and global mindset that define metro Atlanta’s business community. As we celebrate 10 years of the Metro Export Challenge, we’re proud of the hundreds of companies that have expanded exports and entered new markets through the program, and grateful to the partners whose collaboration has helped strengthen metro Atlanta’s position as a leading global business hub.”
Georgia currently ranks ninth in the country for exports, its highest ranking since 2020, with businesses reaching 213 unique global markets (for reference, the United Nations has 193 members). In the past ten years, exports have grown by nearly 70 percent. These rankings aren’t all population related, the type of product can have a significant impact – Louisiana is 26th in population but routinely is in the top 5 for exports, approximately $30 billion worth of liquified natural gas can be a big boost. Georgia may not have a lot of liquid gold or any “Texas tea,” but we do make a lot of airplanes, our top export worth approximately $16.5 billion. Computers and other hardware are perhaps surprisingly our second largest export, worth nearly $4.5 billion. Our largest trading partners are Canada with $6.9 billion, and Mexico, worth about $6.3 billion – then a significant drop to third place Singapore at $3.5 billion.
For more information about the Metro Export Challenge or to submit your own company for 2027, visit metroatlantachamber.com/metro-export-challenge.
