ENTREPRENEURIAL PROFILE: Lisa Howlett: Auburn Leather Company
Auburn Leather Company, located in Auburn, Kentucky, manufacturers leather laces for footwear and sporting equipment.
Auburn Leather expanded its international sales with the help of a small business insurance policy received from Ex-Im Bank assigns and insures Auburn Leather’s export accounts receivable. This insurance gives lenders the confidence to provide working capital financing.
Growth in international sales created more than 30 new jobs at Auburn Leather and increased its annual revenues from $7.4 million to more than $11 million. Export sales have grown from 33% of total sales to 45%. Auburn Leather’s President, Lisa Howlett, says that this growth has created 20 new jobs at her company.[i]
[i] “Kentucky Lace Company Boosts Sales and Increases Workforce with Ex-Im Bank Financing,” Export-Import Bank of the United States, n.d., www.exim.gov/about/whatwedo/successstories/Auburn-Leather-Company.cfm.