Posted by Michael Gallagher on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 @ 11:00 AM
Finalists in the 6th Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, an international competition recognizing excellence in disciplines that are crucial to business success, were announced today.
Organizations as diverse as E*Trade, Dubai Bank, Japan’s Lifenet Insurance Company, and ZocDoc are among those recognized in the customer service awards, call center awards, and sales awards categories. Organizations with Finalists in multiple categories include DeVry University, the UK’s Everything Everywhere, GoDaddy.com, Nationwide Bank, PetRays, Rosetta Stone, UPC Austria, and Vodafone Turkey, among others. For a full list of Finalists, visit www.stevieawards.com/sales.
Stevie Award winners will be announced during a gala banquet on Monday, February 27 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are now on sale. The awards are presented by the Stevie® Awards, which organizes several of the world’s leading business awards shows including the prestigious International Business Awards. The Stevies are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards.
For the first time, Stevie Awards will be conferred in three levels of distinction: gold, silver and bronze. To date, only overall category winners have received gold Stevie Awards.
More than 1,000 entries from organizations worldwide were submitted to this year’s competition, an increase of almost 30% over 2011. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 93 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges. Entries were considered in 27 categories for customer service professionals, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service, and Customer Service Department of the Year; 38 categories for sales professionals, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year to Sales Department of the Year of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers.
More than 100 members of seven specialized judging committees will determine Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging, to take place January 30 - February 10.
Beginning today, the general public will be able to cast their votes for their favorite providers of good customer service in the People’s Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service Department. Voting is open at http://www.stevieawards.com/Service.peopleschoice. Winners of the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service in multiple industries will be determined in mid-February and honored at the awards gala in Las Vegas on February 27.
About The Stevie Awards
The Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.stevieawards.com/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards.
Sponsors and supporters of the 6th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include American Support, Coloredge Los Angeles * New York, Competence Call Center, SDL and ValueSelling Associates.
Press Contact: Amy Nizwantowski, amy@mediashoppr.com
Mediashop PR, (212) 867-8778 x232
Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Jan 25, 2012 @ 12:35 PM
The following professionals participated in the preliminary judging of the 2012 (6th annual) Stevie® Awards for Sales and Customer Service, the world's premier customer service awards, contact center awards, and sales awards, in November-January. Their average scores determined the Finalists. We thank them for their dedication, time, and insights. This year's Stevie Awards winners will be announced at our annual awards ceremony at Caesar's Palace resort in Las Vegas, NV, on Monday February 27. Learn more about the event and reserve your table today.
Kenneth Amormino, Director of Call Center Operations, GAW, Enfield, CT, United States
Johnny Anderson, Vice President, Bulldog Solutions, Austin, TX, United States
Jeff Billado, Sales Consultant - Customer Interactive Solutions, Dimension Data, Herndon, VA, United States
Paul Bilodeau, VP Sales & Marketing, The Brooks Group, Greensboro, NC, United States
Jane Blackwell, Community Outreach Manager, High Point Bank & Trust, High Point, NC, United States
Jill Blankenship, CEO, Frontline Call Center, Eastsound, WA, United States
Jeanne Bliss, President, CustomerBLISS, Pacific Palisades, CA, United States
Bob Botelle, Exec VP. Merchant Services, Chief Customer Officer, Litle & Co, Lowell, MA, United States
Norm Bour, Community Development Director, OPIS Network, Newport Beach, CA, United States
Johnny Bravo, Account Executive, PolyPak America Inc., Sales, Loas Angeles, CA, United States
Patrice Bryon, Head of Client Services, ProFund Advisors, LLC, Financial Services, Bethesda, MD, United States
Elaine Buxton, President, Confero Inc, Cary, NC, United States
Jon Byers, Manager of Client Relationships, Covisint, Client Satisfaction, Healthcare, Durham, NC, United States
Andrew Christofferson, Customer Service Manager, Cargill, Inc, Feed Products, Blair, NE, United States
Chadwick Collier, CEO, Consumer Driven Solutions and Group Cars, Memphis, TN, United States
Ryan Consigli, CEO, Zoom Technical Services, Inc., Woburn, MA, United States
Tom Cross, Editor, TECHtionary, Boulder, CO, United States
Kelly Dantas, Media Director, SDI Distributor, Yonkers, NY, United States
Robyn Davis, Owner, When I Need Help, Columbus, OH, United States
Brent Dierking, Director, Business Development/Strategic Planning, NorthStar EMS, Birmingham, AL, United States
Kevin Domingue, VP, Customer Services, TRUMPF, Inc., Customer Service, Farmington, CT, United States
Alan Dowler, Customer Service Officer, Hamilton Jewelers, Princeton, NJ, United States
Carolyn K Edwards, AT&T and WATCh?, San Diego, CA, United States
Annette Eland, Claims Customer Service Manager, Esurance, San Francisco, CA, United States
Evren Erbasol, Phone Banking Manager, AKBANK, Alternative Delivery Channels Management, Istanbul, Turkey
Ron Essig, VP, Products & Services, Marriott Vacation Club, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
Meredith Estep, Vice President Client Services, Unitiv, Inc., Alpharetta, GA, United States
Paul Evans, President and CMO, Evans Media Group, Overland Park, KS, United States
Franck Fielemon, Manager Direct Sales, DHL Express, International, Hoofddorp, Netherlands
Will Garrick, Senior Director, Prescription Solutions/ A United Health Care Company, Customer Service, Costa Mesa, CA, United States
Gina Giordano, VP, Customer Feedback, Macy's, New York, NY, United States
Barb Girson, Principal, My Sales Tactics, New Albany, OH, United States
Jaki Glenn, Regional Sr. Sales Rep., Taleo Learn, Taleo, Belton, SC, United States
Bob Gooderl, Product Manager/AVP, Symetra Financial, Life Division, Bellevue, WA, United States
Justin Grenier, Support Team Manager, Listrak, Lititz, PA, United States
Jimmy Griffith, Director, Solution Center Operations, Assurant Solutions, Extended Protection Solutions, Lawton, OK, United States
Judy Guffee, Senior Manager Customer Service, med fusion/ ClearPoint Diagnostic Laboratory, Lewisville, TX, United States
Josh Hatala, Marketing Specialist, AIReS, Marketing, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Peggy Heafey, Director - Intermediary Partner Care, Marriott Intl., Inc., Marriott Sales and Customer Care, Omaha, NE, United States
Arne Henrickson, SR Director Client Services, Coinsar/Redbox, Corporate, Bellevue, WA, United States
Greg Ives, Director of Global Services, ChannelAdvisor, Morrisville, NC, United States
Jeanne Jalufka, Sales Marketing Consultant, Pearson, Corpus Christi, TX, United States
Robert Jeppsen, Vice President, Commercial Sales, Zions Bank, Commercial Sales, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
David Johnston, President, Sales Resource Group Inc., Oakville, Canada
Rebecca Jones, Senior Marketing Manager, The Retail Outsource, Coral Gables, FL, United States
Christine Kazor, Customer Service Manager, Bright House Networks, Riverview, FL, United States
Rafal Kucharski, Advertising Manager, Wytwornia Mebli, Swarzedz, Poland
Rebecca Lane, Epitome Health and Beauty, Bushey Heath, United Kingdom
Howard Lewis, President, Family Heritage Life Insurance, Cleveland, OH, United States
Shane Lewis, Asst VP of Sales, Sundance Vacations, Sales, Kennett Square, PA, United States
Angie Marchant, CEO / Client Management, Millennium Benefits Consulting, Sandy Springs, GA, United States
Frank Maylett, EVP Sales and Global Alliances, inContact, Midvale, UT, United States
Colin McKillop , Chief Executive Officer, Butcher Enterprises, Windsor, Canada
Curtis McLaughlin, Customer Support Manager, Debix Inc., Customer Support, Austin, TX, United States
Sharon Metzung, Publications & Graphics Manager, Lake Metroparks, Concord Township, OH, United States
Tiffany Mittal, Director of Sales and Marketing, Multifamily Utility Company, San Diego, CA, United States
Simona Mollova, CEO, Investmen JSPK credit consult - jsk, Sofia, Bulgaria
Stacy Muentzer, Project Manager, Bankers Life and Casualtyy Company, Chicago, IL, United States
Mark O'Toole, Managing Director, Public Relations & Content Marketing, H|B, Newton, MA, United States
Steve Pappageorge, Sr. Director, Business Services, DeVry Inc., DeVry University, Downers Grove, IL, United States
Donald Pillai, International Marketing Executive, Bumbo International, Pretoria, South Africa
Melanie Pope, Director, Australian National Paramedic Support Foundation, Aspley Qld, AL, Australia
Janine Popick, CEO, VerticalResponse, San Francisco, CA, United States
Amy Pulaski, Manager, UPS, Global Customer Service Group, Richmond, VA, United States
Jesintha Rajaratnam, Partner, Joje India Consultants - Finance HR FZC, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
Dennis Reno, Vice President, Global Customer Service, Oracle, San Francisco, CA, United States
Nancy Reynolds, Global Customer Service Manager, Braiform, Asheville, NC, United States
RJ Riemer, Director - Training & Process Improvement, VIZIO, Inc., Irvine, CA, United States
Bruce Rosenblatt, VP of Sales, ITG Holdings, LLC, Bonita Springs, FL, United States
Amanda Running, PR Manager, SecurityMetrics, Orem, UT, United States
Brillian S K, Head - Talent Engagement, AIL, Human Resources, Mumbai, India
Anita Samojednik, VP, Customer Operations, TheLadders.com, New York, NY, United States
Russell Sarder, Chairman and CEO, NetCom Learning, New York, NY, United States
Harry Schechter, CEO, Temperature@lert, Boston, MA, United States
Stu Schlackman, Owner, Competitive Excellence, Richardson, TX, United States
Paula Seeger, Supervisor-Customer Service Hotline, University of Minnesota, Office of Classroom Managment, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Randy Selleck, Sr. Director, Call Center Operations, Assurant Solutions, Atlanta, GA, United States
Bill Shelton, Vice President, USHEALTH Advisors, Insurance, Grapevine, TX, United States
Donnovan Simon, Director, Sales Support, SMART Technologies, Calgary, Canada
Peter Smith, CEO, SDL, Superior, CO, United States
Cate Sommervold, Dr., pharmaCline, Development and Patient Outreach, Sioux Falls, SD, United States
Alec Stern, VP, Strategic Market Development, Constant Contact, Waltham, MA, United States
Will Tarrant, Project Director, FreemanGroup, Richardson, TX, United States
Lucas Tennant, Sr. VP of Sales, CompuPay, Miramar, FL, United States
Dwayne Tharp, Director of Sales, Networking Technologies and Support, Inc., Midlothian, VA, United States
Kathy Townend, Marketing Manager, Europ Assistance, CSA Travel Protection, San Diego, CA, United States
Heather Valentine, Vice President Global Sales, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Manakin Sabot, VA, United States
Laura Walter, Corporate Marketing Manager, Enterprise Holdings, Inc., St. Louis, MO, United States
Jerry Weinberger, Director, Customer Service Retention Webs, Inc., Silver Spring, MD, United States
Uriel Weisz, Customer Experience Manager & Researcher, Strativity Group, Rochelle Park, NJ, United States
Patrick Williams, Hit-Maker, YOU ROCK!®, Gig Harbor, WA, United States
Pam Young, President, Unique Innovations Inc., Lancaster, PA, United States
Julia Zamorska, VP of Corporate Communications, iolo technologies, Los Angeles, CA, United States
Posted by Liz Dean on Fri, Jan 20, 2012 @ 10:28 AM
SCRA Technology Ventures’ SC Launch program was the Stevie® Award winner for Non-Profit or Government Organization of the Year in The 2011 American Business Awards. (The 2012 American Business Awards are accepting entries. Download your entry kit now.) Here we look at how the successful SC Launch program created jobs.
About SC Launch
Located in South Carolina, SC Launch began in 2006 as a way to assist entrepreneurial start-up companies with up-front counseling, seed funding and access to a powerful resource network. Created by the collaboration between SCRA and the research foundations of Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and the Medical University of South Carolina, SC Launch is an entrepreneurial inspired program. Created by entrepreneurs and run with best entrepreneur practices, SC Launch provides necessary tools to help build successful technology startups, jobs, and future opportunities for entrepreneurs in South Carolina.
SC Launch's mission is to: 
- help generate knowledge economy jobs in South Carolina,
- enhance the state’s quality of life and;
- provide opportunity for all South Carolinians in the new economy.
Through its entrepreneurial inspired business model, SC Launch has helped South Carolina's job market by:
- supporting and funding nearly 200 start-ups in South Carolina,
- drawing several business relocation landing parties to the state,
- providing business services to some 250 early stage technology companies in South Carolina through a powerful Resource Network and;
- positioning emerging South Carolina Knowledge Economy companies to secure more than $165 million in follow-on funding from angel, venture, and other private capital sources.
In 2011, SC Launch made significant gains:
- Three Award Winning Innovation Centers were opened to house companies working to commercialize their research discoveries. These Centers are state-of-the-art laboratories, manufacturing, and business facilities whose occupants work on new technologies in such fields as bioscience, advanced manufacturing, energy and environmental sustainability, and pharmaceuticals. A number of SC Launch companies are housed in these facilities.
- SC Launch invested in eleven new, promising portfolio companies and supported three companies moving operations to South Carolina.
- The increase in applicants in 2011 demonstrated the success of the SC Launch program. The increased number of companies that actually received support showed that companies are maturing in their life cycles and choosing to run their businesses in the State of South Carolina.
Good Stewardship
SC Launch is particularly proud to be an efficient steward of its funds. The organization documented that in 2010 95% of its funds were directed into investments in entrepreneurial company growth.
National & International Recognition
The business awards winning company was recognized in The 2011 American Business Awards for its role in leading collaborative entrepreneurial and economic development efforts.
"SC Launch is overwhelmed to receive such an honor from the American Business Awards," said SCRA Executive Vice President and SC Launch Executive Director Dave McNamara. "I would like to thank our staff, our investment board, and our outstanding resource partners for their hard work and dedication in building our program."
SCRA CEO Bill Mahoney added: "The SC Launch program continues to identify and support emerging technology businesses in South Carolina, and we are pleased to be recognized on a national scale. We are committed to advancing South Carolina's Knowledge Economy, and I am confident that SC Launch, along with other SCRA operations, will continue to help companies succeed through our partnership efforts."
In addition to winning a Stevie Award, SC Launch was recognized by Forbes as one of the top entrepreneurial support programs in the nation for its dedication to pursing its mission. SCRA also received national and international recognition for such diverse outcomes as advances in defense-related manufacturing technologies, design and construction of LEED-certified research facilities, and quality-of-life improvements for prosthetics users.
About Dave McNamara:
Dave McNamara serves as SCRA Executive Vice President and SC Launch Executive Director. McNamara provides leadership at SC Launch by directing all aspects of operations, research, communications, and recommendations of the program. He is an experienced Fortune 500 and start-up executive, and also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina and Midlands Technical College. McNamara is a strong asset to the SC Launch program and brings the program an entrepreneurial spirit that is seasoned, savvy, and forward-looking.
About Bill Mahoney:
Bill Mahoney serves as President and CEO of SCRA and brings over 35 years of technology management and applied systems innovation and leadership to the company. Mahoney’s leadership has positioned SCRA as an emerging global leader in targeted applied research and commercialization vertical markets for federal and corporate clients. He has brought national attention to the award-winning SC Launch program, which was created under his watch.
About SCRA:
SCRA is an applied research company with over 28 years of experience delivering technology solutions with high returns on investment to federal and corporate clients. SCRA has three sectors which fulfill our missions: our Technology Ventures sector helps early-stage companies to commercialize innovations and create jobs, our Applied R&D sector manages over 100 national and international programs worth over $1.5 billion in contract value and our R&D Facilities sector builds and manages research facilities that include wet labs, secure rooms for sensitive work and advanced high-tech manufacturing shops.