Hayden firm top exporter

Bullet Tools of Hayden, Idaho, has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2009 Exporter of the Year for the Northwest region.

The company, maker of tools for the flooring industry, is owned by Dalen, Mary and Brian Gunn and Ben Toews. It was established in the late-1990s by Dalen Gunn, who had worked in the flooring installation industry for more than 20 years and saw a need for more efficient tools in the flooring industry.

With assistance from the Idaho Small Business Development Center at North Idaho College, Bullet Tools has grown into a full product line manufacturer. Last year, the company’s exports to the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Canada and other countries contributed to almost half its sales.

The Northwest Exporter of the Year is chosen from export businesses in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska that excelled in export sales, gross margin and employment growth.

The NIC business development center helped Bullet create its first business plan and obtain initial financing in 1998, when the company was launched from Dalen and Mary Gunn’s home, where they produced a floor-covering tool.

With friends and family willing to work for free, Bullet Tools expanded to an emerging force in the flooring market.