The Stevie Awards Blog

More than 1,000 votes were cast in response to February's poll question: Who was the top business leader of the past 10 years? As part of our 10th anniversary celebration, the Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards, has introduced a monthly poll series to help celebrate the people, organizations, events, and products that have shaped our lives throughout the past decade.

You voted Apple's Steve Jobs as the top business leader of the past decade, with 31% of all votes cast.

Other top business leaders included:

a) Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com - 5%

b) Richard Branson, Virgin Group - 5%

c) Sergey Brin/Larry Page, Google - 7%

d) Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway - 3%

e) Bill Gates, Microsoft - 23%

f) Naveen Jindal, Jindal Steel and Power - 2%

g) Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company - 2%

h) Oprah Winfrey, Harpo Productions - 4%

i) Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook - 20%

We will introduce March's poll question, What's the top product of the past ten years? on the Stevie Awards' Facebook page early next week.

Do you agree with the results? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Boeing, FedEx, Groupon, OnStar and Twitter Are Among Gold Stevie Winners

LAS VEGAS, NV – February 28, 2012 – Winners in the Sixth Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, an international competition recognizing excellence in disciplines that are vital to business success, were unveiled last night at a gala ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service is the world’s leading sales awards, customer service awards, and contact center awards program.  For the first time, Stevie Awards were conferred in three levels of distinction: gold, silver and bronze.  Previously, only overall category winners have received Gold Stevie Awards.

Zions First National Bank won three Gold Stevie Awards, more than any other organization in the competition. Winners of two Gold Stevie Awards are Avaya, Cloud9 Analytics, Direct Alliance, ING Direct USA, iolo Technologies, and PetRays Veterinary Telemedicine Consultants. Other notable gold winners included Boeing Commercial Airplanes, FedEx, Groupon, OnStar, Twitter, UPS, and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution. 

Winners of the most Stevie Awards in all levels included John Hancock Signature Services with 14, DeVry University with 11, and Marriott Vacation Club International and Coloredge Los Angeles * New York with 10 each. A complete list of all honorees by category is available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales. 

Winners in the third annual People’s Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service, as determined by more than 250,000 public votes, were also awarded at the event to organizations including Apple Inc./Apple Stores, Amazon.com, eCornell, Finding Freedom Team, InterContinental Hotels Group, Photodex, SquareTrade, Rosetta Stone, India’s TATA Motors Ltd., and Vodafone Turkey.

The presentations were broadcast live by the Business TalkRadio Network (http://www.businesstalkradio.net), and the recording will be available online in the coming weeks.

The awards are presented by the Stevie Awards, which organizes several of the world’s leading business award shows including the prestigious International Business Awards.   More than 350 professionals from around the world attended the event. 

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; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers. 

More than 100 members of seven specialized judging committees determined Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging, January 30 - February 10, 2012. 

About The Stevie Awards
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 www.stevieawards.com.

Sponsors and supporters of the 6^th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include American Support, Coloredge Los Angeles * New York, Competence Call Center, SDL and ValueSelling Associates.

We're expecting a record attendance - a sellout of 360 - for the 6th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service on Monday, February 27 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.   These are the world's top sales awards, contact center awards, and customer service awards.

This will be the historic first-ever ceremony at which Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced.  We've introduced Silver and Bronze Stevies this year as part of our celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Stevie Awards movement.  Henceforth all honorees in Stevie Awards programs will be Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie winners.

So who's coming to Las Vegas next week?  Here's the list of organizations that will be represented at the gala, as of this morning:

The Stevie® Awards is pleased to show you the first photo of the real Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards trophies which have been introduced as part of our 10th anniversary celebration of the start of the Stevie Awards movement. The new awards are manufactured by R.S. Owens in Chicago, the longtime manufacturer of the Stevie and other major awards including the Oscars and the Emmys. 

The Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards will be introduced at the 6th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, which recognize the achievements of call center, customer service, and sales professionals worldwide, on February 27 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.  The business awards banquet, which will confer sales awards and customer service awards, will be the first Stevie Awards program in which Silver and Bronze winners will be named. (Tickets are still available; support your organization's good customer service and sales excellence by reserving a table today.) Henceforth, all honorees in Stevie Awards programs will be Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winners. 

Finalists that receive the top scoring qualifying entry in each category will receive a Gold Stevie Award. Finalists that receive a final average score of at least 8.0 out of a possible 10 will be named Silver Stevie Award winners. All other Finalists will be designated as Bronze Stevie Award winners.

Gold Stevie winners will automatically receive a Gold Stevie trophy.  Silver and Bronze Stevie winners will automatically receive a Silver or Bronze medal and will have the option to purchase their Stevie trophy. With the introduction of our new corporate awards distinctions, there will no longer be Finalist certificates.

Leave us a comment and let us know what you think about the new Silver and Bronze Stevie Award trophies!

For First Time, Nation’s Top Business Awards to  Be Presented at Ceremonies in Both New York and San Francisco

The Stevie® Awards today issued the call for entries for The 10th Annual American Business Awards, the USA’s only all-encompassing business awards program, and invited all organizations nationwide to publicly recognize the achievements of their executives and employees by nominating them for a Stevie.

The entry deadline is March 28. Late entries will be accepted through April 25 with a late fee.  All individuals and organizations in the U.S. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.   The 2012 awards will honor work since the beginning of 2011.   Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA. 

Nominations are now being accepted in various category groups for  management awards, public relations awards, marketing awards, new product awards, human resources awards, information technology awards,  web site awards, and more. There are many new categories for 2012, including 18 new categories for smartphone and tablet apps, as well as the Best of the ABA Awards, five best-of-competition prizes that will awarded to the organizations that submit the best overall body of work to the competition.

For the first time, The American Business Awards will feature two awards banquets.  The first will take place on June 18 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City and will honor Stevie Award winners in traditional categories.  The second, a new event, will be held on September 17 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco, California and will honor Stevie Award winners in all tech-related categories.

Also new in 2012, Stevie Awards will be conferred in three levels of distinction: Gold, Silver and Bronze.  To date, only overall category winners have been recognized as Stevie winners.

“We are excited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The American Business Awards and the Stevie Awards movement at a time when the American economy is rebounding,” said Michael Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards. “Whether they’re multinational corporations and top executives or local businesses and hourly employees, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to be publicly honored for their hard work and achievements.”

The 2012 American Business Awards will include the Fourth Annual People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, in which the general public will vote for their favorite new products and services of the year. Each new product or service nominated in The American Business Awards’ new product awards categories will automatically be included in people’s choice voting.  Voting will open in early July and winners will be announced at the San Francisco ceremony on September 17.

The American Business Awards’ June event will be the culmination of the inaugural America Means Business, a celebration of entrepreneurship that will take place June 13-15 in New York City.  Created by the Stevie Awards to educate people about how to start and grow a business, America Means Business will feature inspirational keynotes, “How I Did It” case studies, one-to-one mentoring, an exhibition, and more.  America Means Business is now accepting proposals from speakers and attendee registrations at www.AmericaMeansBusiness-NYC.com.

2011 Stevie Awards were presented last June in The Ninth Annual American Business Awards to a diverse group of organizations including American Express OPEN,  Blackboard, EmpowHER Media, ESPN, Hewlett-Packard, Kwittken & Company, Millennial Media,  Overstock.com, Red Frog Events, and Tesla Motors, among others. 

To enter The 2012 American Business Awards, visit www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

About the Stevie® Awards

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 www.StevieAwards.com/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. 

Sponsors and partners of The 2012 American Business Awards include American Support, Business TalkRadio Network, Citrix Online, Dynamics Research Corporation, iolo technologies, John Hancock Funds, LifeLock, PetRays, Primus Telecommunications Group, SoftPro, SDL and VerticalResponse.

We've published an 11-minute video about how to enter the 10th edition of the U.S.A.'s top business awards program, The American Business Awards.

Now in their 10th year, The American Business Awards are the premier business awards program in the U.S.A, with award categories including management awards, marketing awards, PR awards, HR awards, IT awards, web site awards, video awards, app awards, new product awards, and more. The entry deadline is March 28.

The short video covers:

• What the ABAs are, and their history
• The schedule for the 2012 ABAs
• How to review and select categories
• How to prepare and submit entries
• What’s new & different in 2012
• How the judging process works
• Best practices

If you plan to enter The 2012 American Business Awards, we highly recommend that you get and review the online entry kit in addition to watching this video which offers many helpful insights about the process of the awards program.

The following professionals are participating on the 7 final judging committees 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. Final judging began on January 30 and will run through mid February. Their average scores will determine the 2012 Stevie Award winners. 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. We thank our judges for their enthusiasm, time, and insights.

2012 Sales Department & Sales Team Final Judging Committee
Chair:
Raj Hajela, Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer, Salesify, Redwood City, California, USA
Committee:
Chris Ancell, President-Business Markets Group, CenturyLink, Denver, Colorado, USA
Damian Artt, SVP WW Sales & Services at WindRiver (Intel), WindRiver, Alameda, California, USA
Bill Cheek, President-Wholesale Ops, CenturyLink, Monroe, Louisiana, USA
Amy Guarino, VP Business Development, Marketo, San Mateo, California, USA
Carlos Hidalgo, CEO, The Annuitas Group and Marketing Automation Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Susan Knox, VP of Sales, SAP, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA
Sudhir Kulkarni, SVP, Head of Sales, Sourcebits, Inc., Pleasanton, California, USA
Shane Lewis, Asst VP Sales, Sundance Vacations, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA
Stephen Lilly, VP, Business Development, Ziff Davis/B2B Focus, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
Jay Mitchell, Managing Director, Motum, LLC, Irving, Texas, USA
Jill Rowley, Director of Strategic Accounts, Eloqua, San Francisco, California, USA
Tracey Solanas, VP Sales, GramercyOne, New York, New York, USA
Lucas Tennant, Senior Vice President, Sales, CompuPay, Inc, Miramar, Florida, USA

2012 Sales Individual & Solution Provider Final Judging Committee
Chair:
William Binch, SVP Sales, Marketo, San Mateo, California, USA
Committee:
Ahmed Al Hai, BRM Specialist, ADCO, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Matthew Androski, SVP Sales, BMC Software, Irvine, California, USA
Jeb Brooks, EVP, The Brooks Group, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Gregory Brush, VP, Sales, InsideView, San Francisco, California, USA
Susan L. Cordts, CEO, Adaptive Technologies, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
Michael Gear, Vice President, WW Sales & Field Operations, GoodData Corporation, San Francisco, California, USA
Derek Grant, SVP Sales, Pardot, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Donna Kent, SVP, Global Sales & Marketing, TeleVerde, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Keith Nealon, Chief Revenue Officer, M5 Networks, New York, New York, USA
Mark Roberge, VP Sales, Hubspot, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Julie Thomas, President & CEO, ValueSelling Associates, Santa Fe, California, USA
Diane Updyke, VP Sales, Crowd Factory, San Francisco, California, USA
Derrick Van Grol, VP Global Sales, IDI Billing Solutions, Victor, New York, USA
Ronald J. Whaley, Chief Revenue Officer, OSG Billing Services, Englewood, New Jersey, USA

2012 Sales Achievement Final Judging Committee
Chair:
Jason Copeland, Senior Manager, National Sales Group, SurePayroll, Inc., Glenview, Illinois, USA
Committee:
Johnny Anderson, VP, Bulldog Solutions, Austin, Texas, USA
Ryan Azus, Vice President, Worldwide Sales, RingCentral, San Mateo, California, USA
Scott deMoulin, President, Business Breakthroughs Elite Consulting, Grovetown, Georgia, USA
Phil Hansen, CEO, CLEARLINK, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Thomas Joyer, Senior Vice President, Sales & Client Services, Health Integrated, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Gene McNaughton, President, Elite Concepts, Inc., Ladera Ranch, California, USA
Carajane Moore, President, Hunt Big Sales, Fishers, Indiana, USA
Matt Morea, Senior Vice President, Business Breakthroughs Int'l, Grovetown, Georgia, USA
Mark Repkin, Vice President, The Certif-A-Gift Company, Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA
Tom Schaff, Managing Partner, Big Swift Kick, St Louis, Missouri, USA
Neal Tricarico, President, Ultimate Growth, Inc., Carlsbad, California, USA

2012 Customer Service/ Call Center Individual & Customer Service/ Call Center Team Final Judging Committee
Chair:
Carita Vallinkoski, Expansion Management, Competence Call Center AG, Vienna, Austria
Committee:
Dmitry Aristarkov, CEO, Call Center Guru, Moscow, Russia
Ela Banu, Customer Care & Services Manager, ING Bank, Bucharest, Romania
Sam Bruni, Senior Director of Customer Experience, BackCountry.com, Utah, USA
Pembe Candaner, Founder & President , Pro-To-Cool, Istanbul, Turkey
Susanne Feldt, Editor, TeleTalk, Hannover, Germany
Simone Fojut, Chief Editor, CallCenterProfi, Wiesbaden, Germany
Claudia Gabler, Chief Editor, Contact Management Magazine, Zollikofen, Switzerland
Barbara A. Glanz, CSP, CPAE, President, Barbara Glanz Communications, Inc., Sarasota, Florida, USA
Gerrit Goedkoop, VP Customer Care, UPC Broadband, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Kubilay Guler, Asst. General Manager, FINANSBANK, Istanbul, Turkey
Dr Nils Hafner, Managing Director, Customer Competencies, Institut Dr. Hafner GmbH, Kreuzlingen am Bodense, Switzerland
Tunde Hubina, Customer Care Director, UPC DTH UPC DTH S.à r.l., Howald, Luxembourg
Manuel Jacquinet, Co-president/Publishing Direct, EnContact, MALPASO, Paris, France
Natalia Kabakova, Head of Customer Service, DHL Express Russia, Moscow, Russia
Meltem Karateke, President, IMI Conferences, Istanbul, Turkey
Demet Kockal, Operasyon Yönetmeni, ÇAGRI MERKEZLERI DERNEGI, Istanbul, Turkey
Elzbieta Krawczynska, Quality Specialist & Trainer, Bank Zachodni WBK, Poznan, Poland
Karin Lüttmerding, Customer Service Manager, FONIC GmbH, Munich, Germany
Marcello Maggioni, EVP-Customer Group, Sky Deutschland AG, Unterfoehring, Germany
Nicola Millard, Customer Experience Futurologist, British Telecommunications PLC, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK
Christoph Pause, Chief Editor, Haufe-Lexware GmbH & Co. KG, Freiburg, Germany
Elizaveta Rybinskaya, Customer Service Director, QUELLE RUSSIA, Moscow, Russia
Ann-Marie Stagg, Head of Direct Sales, The Co-operative Banking Group (UK), Sandbach, UK
Manfred Stockmann, President, Call Center Verband Deutschland e. V., Berlin, Germany
Olav Strawe, Publisher, TeleTalk, Emerald Hills, California, USA
Andrzej Szczepaniak, Asst. Director, Central Settlement Services , Bank Zachodni WBK, Poznan, Poland
Özge Tekalp, Director, Alternative Sales Channels, Türk Ekonomi Bankasi A.S., Istanbul, Turkey
Vincent Vanden Bossche, Managing Director, Call Communications, Ottenburg, Belgium
Madalina Vilau, Managing Partner, Expo Media, Bucharest, Romania
Nicolette Wuring, Managing Director, Customer Management Services, RG Amstelveen, Netherlands
Oleg Zeldin, CEO, Apex Berg Contact Center Consulting, Moscow, Russia

2012 Customer Service/ Call Center Department Final Judging Committee
Chair:
Susan Cloutier, Operations Manager, Mayo Medical Laboratories, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Committee:
Kevin Cappel, Owner & CEO, Ledgersre Solutions, Winona, Minnesota, USA
Jackie Coffey, Director, BlueDirect Sales, Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA
Matthew Conant, Director, Customer Experience, Plato Learning, Inc., Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Dave Dreas, Marketing Director, Managing Member, Jeremy Scott Fitness, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Jeremy Scott, Jeremy Scott Fitness, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Richard Feinberg, Professor, Department of Consumer Sciences and Retailing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Michael Haddow, Vice President of Customer Care Operations, QBF FIRST, Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
Anne Holland, RN, BSN, CCRP, President, Holland Research Consultants, LLC, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Dino Kasdagly, General Manager, Optum Insight-Division of United Health Group, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Keith Laughman, CEO, Med Fusion, Lewisville, Texas, USA
Frank Mettille, Senior Exercise Planner, Joint Task Force Civil Support-L3 Communications, Chesapeake, Virginia, USA
Craig Oslund, Vice President, Merchants Bank, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Sarah Oslund, Director of Communications, University of Minnesota-Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Paulette Pehling, Owner, Quality Overhead Door, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Dayne Petersen, Sr. Consultant, Benchmark Portal, Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Thomas K. Sawyer, Associate Professor, Winona State University, Winona, Minnesota, USA
Greg Sell, CEO, Selloxx, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Wei Shi, Sales Director, Digital China Holdings Limited, Beijing, China
Kirk Waldon, President, The Guardian Group, Overland Park, Kansas, USA
Cindy Wills, Vice President, Sales, Carpet One Hour & Home, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Guo (Peter) Zijiang, COO & GM Assistant, Wuhan Kindstar Diagnostics Co., Ltd, Wuhan, China

2012 Customer Service Achievement Final Judging Committee
Chair:
Cameron E. Hurst, Vice President, Assurant Solutions, Asheville, North Carolina, USA
Committee:
Tom Coury, Chairman, Matrix Pointe Software, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Carmit DiAndrea, VP, Analytics & Client Services, Customer Relationship Metrics, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Kristyn Emenecker, VP Product Marketing, InContact, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Ryan Hollenbeck, SVP Marketing, Verint Systems, Roswell, California, USA
Cliff Hurst, CEO, Career Impact, Gilroy, California, USA
Gina Musick, VP, Distributed Computing Group Manager, TD Bank, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
Marshall Ogen, SVP, J.LODGE, Marlton, New Jersey, USA
Gary Poch, Vice President, Equifax Inc., Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Andy Pritchard, President & CEO, ThoughtBurst, Inc., Carmel, California, USA
Chris Repholz, SVP, IntelliSource, Denver, Colorado, USA
Stuart Saunders, CEO and Co-Founder, Mobile Defense, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Julie Ann Skaggs, Director of Operations, Covance Market Access, San Diego, California, USA
David L. York, VP Sales, Genesys Telecommunications, Larkspur, Colorado, USA

2012 New Product & Service Final Judging Committee
Chair:
Ben Saren, Vice President, Marketing, Litle & Co, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
Committee:
David Beisel, Partner, NextView Ventures, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Matt Douglas, CEO. Punchbowl.com, Framingham, Massachusetts, USA
Melissa Dowler, Co-Founder, Long Haul Films, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Michael Dunn, CTO, Hearst interactive media, Stamford, Connecticut, USA
Andrew J. "Flip" Filipowski, Executive Chairman & CEO, SilkRoad technology, Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA
Jane Henry, Owner, LOOMLAB, South Pasadena, California, USA
Tara Hunt, CEO & Co-founder, Buyosphere, Montreal, Canada
Aaron Irizarry, Experience Designer, Hewlett Packard, Murrieta, California, USA
Michael LeBarron, Senior UX Engineer, Rue La La, Rockland, Massachusetts, USA
Kaitlin Maud, Co-Founder, Rain or Shine Studio, Brighton, Massachusetts, USA
John McCurdy, VP Business Development, Invest Northern Ireland, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Kevin Mitchell, Senior Director of Programming, National Amusements, Norwood, Massachusetts, USA
Beth Monaghan, Principal, InkHouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Randy Parker, President, SMBapps, Brookline, Massachusetts, USA
Jen Reddy, VP, Global Marketing, Communispace, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Evan I. Schwartz, Director of Storytelling, INNOSIGHT, Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
Rusty Williams, Co-Founder, Troopla, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA

As part of our 10th anniversary celebration, the Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards, has published the second poll in our monthly series about the events, people, organizations, and products that shaped our lives over the past decade.

Our poll this month asks, Who was the top business leader of the past 10 years?    After careful consideration, we've narrowed the choices to the following ten. Vote now for your choice on our Facebook page:

A) Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com

B) Richard Branson, Virgin Group

C) Sergey Brin/Larry Page, Google

D) Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway

E) Bill Gates, Microsoft

F) Naveen Jindal, Jindal Steel and Power

G) Steve Jobs, Apple

H) Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company

I) Oprah Winfrey, Harpo Productions

J) Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook

Our poll results will be announced at the end of February.

Who do you think is the top business leader of the past 10 years?

The Stevie Awards to stage inaugural three-day event in New York City on starting, growing and managing a business -- June 13 - 15, 2012.

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards, today announced that it will stage a landmark three-day event about entrepreneurship throughout New York City on June 13, 14, and 15.

America Means Business will feature dozens of inspirational keynotes, informative panel discussions, “How I Did It” case studies, basic startup education by SCORE, networking opportunities, an exposition, and many other events about how to start and grow a business and everything in between.

Registration for America Means Business is free through May 25, and just $10 thereafter. Registration details are available at http://www.AmericaMeansBusiness-NYC.com.

Those interested in staging an event related to entrepreneurship and business management during America Means Business are invited to become Event Partners. There is no cost to participate.

“By creating America Means Business, we hope to help spark an entrepreneurial revolution in the U.S.A.,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards, which are celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2012. “Small businesses are the building blocks and the hiring engines for widespread economic well-being, and we want to enable many more people to realize their dreams of growing their own businesses.”

According to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the total number of self-employed Americans with incorporated and non-incorporated businesses declined 2% in 2011. The 27 million small businesses in America represent 99.7% of all employers and employ 49.2% of the private sector workforce, according to the Small Business Administration’s latest small business profile. Recognizing the importance of small business to the sustainability of the economy, America Means Business will aim to address the needs of entrepreneurs and assist and inspire those who have the dream of opening their own business.

America Means Business will be headquartered at the Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 West 18th Street, with events taking place there and at other locations throughout New York City.

About America Means Business
America Means Business is a landmark event about entrepreneurship - about how to start, grow and manage your own business. To take place in New York City on June 13 - 15, 2012, America Means Business will be packed with educational, networking and social events that will show you how to bring your dream to life. For more information visit http://www.AmericaMeansBusiness-NYC.com.

About the Stevie Awards
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 Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Jason Copeland, Senior Manager, National Sales Group at SurePayroll, Inc., Glenview, Illinois USA, is chairing one of the final judging committees for the sales awards categories in the 2012 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Final judging is now underway, and sales excellence and customer service awards winners will be announced on February 27 at the 6th annual awards banquet in Las Vegas. Get your tickets here.

We asked Jason why small businesses should be optimistic in 2012

What are the top 3 reasons for small businesses to feel optimistic in 2012?

1. They’re in business in 2012! 2012 is shaping up to be the year of small business. If you've survived the recession, the rising tide should lift your boat. And if you're just starting a business...
   
2. Potential new U.S. policies could spark a startup renaissance. U.S. small businesses and their owners will get a lot of attention this Presidential election cycle. The American business owner's voice is stronger than ever and business owners will need to use their voices to help shape tax and regulatory policy for the next few years. Organizations worldwide will benefit from the attention placed on the importance of small businesses.
   
3. In late January, Chase and Citibank announced they significantly increased small business lending in 2011 from, roughly, a combined $17 billion in 2010 to almost $25 billion in 2012.  Additionally, Thomson Reuters data shows venture capital funding increased 22% to over $28 billion in 2011.With more lending opportunities now available, organizations will greatly benefit on a global scale.

What item of news recently caught your eye and why? 
The Costa Concordia disaster. Sadly, the actions of the captain and his lack of leadership made the tragedy that much worse.  Appalling.

What is your favorite sport or hobby?
Spending time with my son, playing poker, and golfing. To be clear, I do not play poker with my son … yet. 

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?
Political or sports commentator/analyst.

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?
I look for committed problem-solvers with integrity, a good attitude, drive, and tenacity. 

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?
I strive every day to make a positive difference in the world for my family, my team, my company, and our customers. 

About Jason Copeland:
An accomplished sales professional, Copeland joined SurePayroll in 2005 as the company's Accounting Channel Manager. In just three short years, Copeland led the channel to record growth of more than 113%. In 2008, Copeland moved into his role as National Sales Manager during which he rebuilt the company's sales training program. Over the next few years, Copeland was responsible for leading unprecedented growth. He was promoted to Senior Manager of the National Sales Group in 2011. Copeland is largely credited with his team's recognition as the Stevie Awards’ 2011 National Sales Team of the Year. Prior to joining SurePayroll, Copeland worked in various sales and sales management positions for RPS, Advantage, Paychex, and Enterprise.

About SurePayroll:
SurePayroll, The Online Alternative, is dedicated to providing a convenient and easy-to-use small business payroll service that keeps business owners in control. Over 30,000 customers rely on SurePayroll to process payroll-on-demand in as little as two minutes. In addition, SurePayroll offers efficient online solutions for managing 401(k) plans, health insurance, workers' compensation, employee screening, and more. SurePayroll provides private-label and co-branded services that enable accountants and banking partners to offer online payroll processing to their small business clients. SurePayroll is a wholly owned subsidiary of Paychex. For more information, please visit www.SurePayroll.com.

About Paychex:
Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) is a leading provider of payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses. The company offers comprehensive payroll services, including payroll processing, payroll tax administration, and employee pay services, including direct deposit, check signing and Readychex®. Human resource services include 401(k) plan recordkeeping, section 125 plans, a professional employer organization, time and attendance solutions, and other administrative services for business. A variety of business insurance products, including group health and workers' compensation, are made available through Paychex Insurance Agency, Inc. Paychex was founded in 1971. With headquarters in Rochester, New York, the company has more than 100 offices serving approximately 536,000 payroll clients nationwide as of May 31, 2010. For more information about Paychex and its products, visit www.paychex.com.