CRANBERRY TWP — Tucked away in a nondescript business park in Cranberry is a company that is preserving books, manuscripts and films from all over the world.

Preservation Technologies has made a name for itself internationally for its ability to extend the life of books, film and other media. The company was also honored Monday with congressional and Senate citations for receiving the highest recognition the federal government gives to U.S. exporters.

Preservation Technologies was named a 2017 Presidents “E” Award winner for making significant contributions to the expansion of U.S. exports.

“Each of you plays such a significant role in this happening,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-3rd. “It's not luck … This award belongs to all of you.”

Officials from U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey and Sen. Bob Casey's offices also gave the company commendations.

The Cranberry company was one of 16 companies honored with the “E” Award for Exports for demonstrating a sustained increase in export sales over a four-year period. The winning companies were honored May 22 in Washington, D.C.

The company, established in 1992, developed a patented process to extend the life of books and manuscripts by neutralizing the harmful acids found in paper. They also digitize audio and visual recordings in their media laboratory.

Jim Burd, president of Preservation Technologies, said the growth and stability of their international sales and contracts have driven the company's expansion.

“It's important to have the resources that we have,” Burd said. “Here's a big thank you to our employees and to our representatives who support us as well.”

Preservation Technologies is headquartered in Cranberry, but has four international sales offices and will have seven international treatment plants by the end of the year.

Burd said they are preserving 200,000 books for the U.S. Library of Congress and 1 million manuscript pages a year. They actually installed a small treatment system at the library for the manuscript pages.

The chemical treatment used to deacidify paper is nonflammable, nonhazardous and nontoxic, which has allowed them to spread so widely internationally, said Robert Strauss, vice president of marketing for Preservation Technologies. They have worked with the National Library of Poland, National Library of South Africa and the United Nations on paper and digital projects.

The digital media conversion side of the company, founded in 2006, is also growing exponentially. Strauss said they are expanding the media studios in Cranberry by double by the end of the year.