HERMISTON — Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration were on hand Tuesday, May 13, in  Hermiston to present Mitch Myers with the Pacific Northwest Region’s Exporter of the Year award.

Myers’ company, Epha Inc., which received the award in March, manufactures plastic hose protectors and hose routing accessories in its shop in Hermiston and ships them around the world.

According to its website, the hose protectors are “durable wear shields made of an abrasion- and hydrocarbon-resistant material that is impervious to solvents, oils, grease, and gasoline.” They also can withstand temperatures ranging from -40 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The hose protectors were part of the Nautilus unmanned craft that discovered the Titanic. They also were used on SPACE X, the Asian 200 mph bullet train and the equipment that bored the English Channel Tunnel, to name a few.

Myers said about a quarter of his business comes from the U.S. military and other defense companies that build equipment for the military. Orders are shipped as far away as Argentina, Africa, the United Kingdom, France, Boliva, Peru and others.

“You came up with an idea, built on it and just kept going,” said Apollo Fuhriman,

regional administrator for the SBA.

“This award is for all the wonderful work you do here,” said Matthew Schmidt, who works out of the SBA’s Portland district office.

Also on hand for the brief ceremony were Randy Jansons and Paul Long, both with Gesa Credit Union, one of Epha Inc.’s financial partners.

In 2024, Epha Inc. got a loan guarantee from the Small Business Administration which allowed them to expand their international marketing which resulted in a 35% increase in global sales.