AUBURN – It’s been a banner year for Safe Handling and its CEO, Ford Reiche.

Last month, the U.S. Small Business Administration recognized Reiche, who runs his bulk transporting company from a plant on Rodman Road, as its business leader of Maine. A couple of weeks later, Mainebiz named Reiche its business leader of the year in its large company category.

Completing the hat trick was an announcement Monday by the Maine International Trade Center that Reiche was selected Maine’s International Innovator of the Year.

The latest award recognizes businesses or individuals who have demonstrated outstanding success in international trade. Gov. John Baldacci will present this year’s awards at Maine International Trade Day 2008 on May 22. The theme is Marketing Green to the World.

Safe Handling provides transportation and manufacturing solutions for prominent raw material suppliers to Maine industries and beyond. It also provides warehousing, tank truck and tote cleaning, and specialized rail car services on its 200 acre site.

Innovations in transportation sustainability improvements recently earned the company the top ranking in the Governor’s Carbon Challenge for emissions reductions. Safe Handling imports virtually all of Maine’s biodiesel and operates the state’s only ethanol terminal.

Maine International Trade day will take place at the Holiday Inn By The Bay in Portland. Also recognized will be Maine’s Foreign Investor of Year for 2008, Fontaine Inc. of Woburn, Quebec, Canada; Maine’s Service Provider of the Year for 2008, Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios LLP, a full-service law firm with 90 attorneys based in Portland; and Maine’s Exporter of the Year for 2008, The Baker Co. of Sanford, which designs and manufactures biological safety cabinets, clean benches and fume hoods.

For more information, visit www.mitc.com, or contact Wade Merritt at [email protected] (207) 541-7400.

– Carol Coultas