nLIGHT Receives 2008 Governor’s Emerging Trader of the Year Award

Vancouver, WA  April, 1 2008

nLIGHT announced it was selected for the 2008 Governor's Emerging Trader of the Year Award. The award honors a Washington State business that has demonstrated innovation and success in international trade.

nLIGHT Corporation, based in Vancouver, WA, is a privately held company established in 2000 that designs and manufactures industry leading high-power semiconductor lasers and fibers for industrial, medical, defense and consumer applications. With state-of-the-art manufacturing and application centers in Vancouver, WA; Hillsboro, OR; Lohja, Finland and Shanghai, China, nLIGHT is a leader in the key growth markets of the photonics industry. International customers represent a significant portion of nLIGHT's sales.

In 2003 nLIGHT established a manufacturing and sales presence in China. "Rather than merely establishing a low-cost manufacturing presence in China and then selling products in other countries, we used our manufacturing base to enter the Chinese market," said Steve Norgaard, Vice President of manufacturing operations. "That strategic and different approach has enabled us to capture significant market share in China."

nLIGHT has reinforced its position as leading supplier of high-power semiconductor solutions by acquiring Flextronics Photonics in 2006 and leading specialty fiber manufacturer LIEKKI Corporation in 2007.

nLIGHT has grown an average of 70% per year for the past five years and was named the fastest growing technology company in the Washington State by Deloitte & Touche's in 2007.