Entry Kit for 2014 Stevie Awards for Women in Business Now Available

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, May 20, 2014 @ 02:10 PM

The entry kit for the 2014 (11th annual) Stevie® Awards for Women in Business is now available and entries are being accepted.
Women logo
REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

The early-bird entry deadline, with discounted entry fees, is July 23.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run. All organizations and individuals worldwide are eligible to submit entries. Startup of The Year is a new category this year, and the entry fees for the New Product and Services categories have been reduced significantly.

The entry kit contains all of the information you'll need to be able to prepare and submit entries to this year's awards. The final entry deadline is August 27, but late entries will be accepted through September 24 with payment of a late fee.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business feature categories to recognize achievement in many facets of worklife, including

* Entrepreneur Awards
* Executive Awards
* Management Team Awards
* Company of the Year Awards
* PR Awards
* Marketing Awards
* New Product Awards
* Website & App Awards
   and More

Wondering how you or your company can benefit from entering the Stevie Awards for Women in Business? Past winners share their experiences:

Winning a Stevie "shone a bright light on Signature HomeStyles’ mission to make a difference … one home at time. The Stevie Awards helped create more awareness about our company with articles appearing in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Daily Herald, and other news outlets."
--- Madolyn Johnson, founder and CEO of Signature HomeStyles

"The town where I lived at the time I received the award -- Davie, Florida --  was so proud of and impressed with my Stevie Award that they named a day after me!  I never could have anticipated that this type of recognition would elicit such a response from my community, and I am grateful that the judges acknowledged the importance of supporting those with autism.  Winning the Lifetime Achievement Stevie Award was one of the high points of my career."
--- Valerie Herskowitz, president of the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists

“I encourage every woman in business to explore the Stevie Awards program and consider nominating yourself or another worthy advocate for the awards. The Stevie Awards staff and community are incredibly supportive and insightful. Going through the nomination process is fun and generates powerful self-discovery. Take that step – find your voice!”
--- Liz Ryan, founder of Human Workplace

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in five programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and a new program, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.  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.

Topics: business awards, stevie awards for women in business, women awards, women in business awards

American Business Awards Name Chairs for 2014 Final Judging

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Mon, May 12, 2014 @ 05:49 PM

The Stevie® Awards have announced the ten executives who will chair the specialized final judging committees for its 12th Annual American Business Awards, the top business awards competition in the USA.

All organizations operating in the U.S.A. - public and private, large and small, for-profit and non-profit - are eligible to submit nominations to The American Business Awards.

The ten committee selections are based on the categories that will be judged. Final judging begins this week.  Here are this year's final judging committee chairs.

CREATIVE AWARDS CHAIR - Apps/Live Events/Publications/Videos
Mark Shewmaker, Chief Experience Officer
SMITH, Seattle, Washington

14 ABA CREATIVE ChairMark is an expert in user experience with an impressive portfolio of award-winning campaigns and digital solutions created for some of the planet’s most recognized brands. At SMITH, Mark leads UX, creative, and content teams on their mission to craft cutting-edge and revenue-driving brand experiences.

Prior to SMITH, Mark was Executive Creative Director at R/GA San Francisco. Throughout his nine-year relationship with R/GA, Mark worked with clients such as Microsoft, Nike, Verizon Wireless, Abercrombie & Fitch, L’Oréal Paris, Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, IBM, and Merck, overseeing the development of category-leading digital commerce, mobile, retail, marketing, and product design initiatives.

When he’s not traversing the planet on business, Mark finds his home in the Bay Area of Northern California, with his wife Wendy and two children.

WEBSITE AWARDS CHAIR
Gene Ehrbar, Managing Partner, Emerging Technology
ISITE Design, Portland, Oregon

14 ABA WEB Chair colorA mobile developer and strategist, Gene has experience translating a wide variety of challenging client technical needs into elegant and durable online systems. As Managing Partner, Emerging Technology, at ISITE Design, Gene is responsible for agency direction and business development in the areas of mobile and emerging technologies, including connected experiences, wearables, and next-generation interfaces.
Gene works with an interdisciplinary team of strategists, experience designers, and engineers to create digital experiences in collaboration with both startups and enterprise innovation teams across a variety of industries.

Prior to ISITE, Gene founded and ran Portland-based Anomaly Incorporated, a firm specializing in web and mobile application development.

Gene is an avid outdoorsman. He enjoys skiing the Oregon backcountry and playing the electric guitar (though rarely simultaneously).

MANAGEMENT AWARDS CHAIR
David DiStefano, President & CEO
Richardson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

14 ABA MGT ChairDavid DiStefano is a seasoned executive with nearly three decades of successful senior management experience with both early-stage and global organizations. Over his career, David has managed finance, operations, sales, and demand generation functions. For the last 17 years, David has been instrumental in leading Richardson to its place as a premier global sales performance organization. He provides executive level support to Richardson’s clients bringing overall vision and guidance, sales performance expertise, and best practice insights to senior client management.

David has been a driving force in expanding Richardson’s products and services. In 1999, he played a significant role in the Company’s successful efforts in raising private equity to build Richardson’s eLearning platform, Richardson QuickSkills™, and in expanding the Company’s global footprint by launching its European operations based in the UK. In 2006, David played a prominent role in the Company’s successful acquisition by ClearLight Partners and became President and CEO immediately thereafter. Today David sits on the Board of Directors and leads an eight-person Executive Management team.

David is a recognized thought leader in the area of sales force development and performance and actively speaks at client and key industry conferences. In 2007, Training Industry named him a “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professional”. David has been an-eight time featured guest on Selling Power TV, speaking on a wide range of topics that include sales performance, sales coaching, sales force engagement, sales enablement, Sales 2.0 technologies, negotiation skills, and innovation. Prior to joining Richardson in 1992, David spent nine years with PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was Senior Manager. At PwC, David was responsible for the overall client relationship and engagement management for his clients. David is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Drexel University.

COMPANY/ORGANIZATION AWARDS CHAIR
Carey Smith, Founder & Chief Big Ass
Big Ass Solutions, Lexington, Kentucky

14 ABA COMPANY ChairCarey Smith’s professional life began in insurance. Dissatisfied with that work, he decided to start his own company. Carey spent more than a dozen years leading a firm that installed sprinklers on the roofs of industrial buildings to cool the interiors. He and his wife, Nancy, sold their house and quit their jobs to focus on the company, but the business never grew beyond $1.4 million in annual sales. In 1999, at the age of 46, Carey used its small profits to fund his venture into fans,

Carey had visited thousands of facilities while running his first start-up. He saw time and again how people turned to a relatively simple device—fans—in their quest for comfort. But traditional box-and-pedestal fans moved little air, took up valuable floor space, and used inefficient motors. The solution: a large ceiling fan that would use its size, not speed, to move high volumes of air across large spaces. With their incredibly efficient motors, Big Ass fans cost mere pennies per hour to operate. In 2013, the company started Big Ass Light, which offers energy-efficient lighting for industrial and commercial facilities.

Because he refused to lay off employees—and even hired—during the Great Recession, Inc. magazine named Carey Smith “Economy Hero” in 2011. That same year, Ernst & Young named him a regional Entrepreneur of the Year. Carey is now focused on how Big Ass Solutions can become a 200-year company: one that will always act in the best long-term interests of its customers, employees, and suppliers.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS/PR/IR AWARDS CHAIR
Nikki Tanis, President
Tanis Communications, Inc., San Jose, California

Nikki TanisNikki TanisNikki Tanis has had over 20 years experience creating and implementing a broad range of strategic communications, marketing, and PR programs. She has spent 12 of those years as the head of Tanis Communications, a respected and fast-growing Silicon Valley agency serving a diverse set of high technology companies with a breadth of marketing, communications, and PR services.

Previously, Nikki was corporate vice president, corporate marketing and communications at Spansion, Inc., a global, NASDAQ-listed semiconductor company with $2.5 billion in revenue and over 9,000 employees at that time. Prior to that, Nikki was director of corporate communications at S3, Inc., a NASDAQ-listed leader in graphics chips for the PC industry. She was also advertising and PR manager for NEC Electronics, the U.S. semiconductor subsidiary of NEC Corporation, and she has held communications positions at Precision Monolithics and Signetics.

Nikki holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in psychology from San Diego State University.

CUSTOMER SERVICE/SUPPORT AWARDS CHAIR
Bridget Moscatello, VP of Customer Operations
Empire Today, Northlake, Illinois

14 ABA CUSTOMER SERVICE ChairBridget Moscatello has over 23 years experience in the customer care industry. She has acted as Executive Consultant for, and partnered with, Fortune 500 CEOs and COOs on redefining organizational customer service models while improving business efficiencies. Since 2005, Bridget has been with Empire Today (Empire), the largest shop-at-home retailer in the U.S. Bridget is focused on driving customer service by leveraging people, processes, and technology, She ensures that customers always receive the right associate at the right time. Her commitment to providing excellent service is evident through her philosophy of treating every customer “like they are our only customer.”

In her company role, Bridget owns the entire customer service experience and ensures that thousands of working processes within Empire are consistent across its 70 U.S. markets and multiple product lines. She developed Net Promotor Score (NPS), a metric for tracking customer loyalty that has revolutionized the company. In addition, she wanted to ensure that the servicing experience was exactly the same across the country and worked with an outside partner to custom design a 24-month computer-based training course dubbed Customer Service University™. This course ensures that, regardless of location, all servicing personnel are working under the same expectations regarding how to deliver the best possible experience for Empire customers.

Bridget has led Empire to winning the prestigious Gold Stevie® Award for Best Customer Service in The 2013 American Business Award, having earned Silver in 2012, and Bronze in 2011 and 2010. Bridget also sits on the Board of Directors for the Better Business Bureau® in Chicago, and participates in the Bureau’s Standards and Ethics Committee. She is a three-time graduate of the Harvard Business School for Executive Education.

HUMAN RESOURCES AWARDS CHAIR
Bob Nicoson, Chief Human Resources Officer
Constant Contact, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts

14 ABA HR ChairBob joined Constant Contact® in June of 2008 and has more than 25 years of experience in human resources leadership and general management. In his current role, he oversees all human resources programs, practices, and policies that govern Constant Contact's business needs and culture. Bob also drives executive, cross-functional team, and management leadership and development; strategic workforce planning and staffing; and compensation, performance management, and recognition and reward systems for the company.

Prior to joining Constant Contact, Bob served as vice president at Gather Inc., a social networking site for adults. Before Gather Inc., he was the director of human resources and change management consultant at Weston Jesuit School of Theology and the director of human resources and administration at CertaLogic Inc. He also held executive leadership positions in global human resources at Scala Business Solutions, The Pioneer Group, Inc., and Lotus Development Corp. (now Lotus Software).

Bob holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana State University.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AWARDS CHAIR
Ted Studwell, Vice President of Engineering and Operations
Virtela, Greenwood Village, Colorado

14 ABA IT ChairTed is one of the founding team members of Virtela and is responsible for designing, delivering, and supporting superior managed information technology services to Virtela’s customers. This includes responsibility for the company's network and security architecture, engineering, service implementation, and Virtela’s relationships with network vendors and carriers around the globe. He is also responsible for Virtela’s 24x7 Global Operations Centers in Denver, Mumbai, and Manila that provide network, security, and telephony support globally.

Ted was previously with Qwest (now CenturyLink) where he led the planning and engineering of the company's data products. He drove the design and construction of Qwest's data services and networks while having Qwest gain significant market share with major corporate customers. Before that, Ted was responsible for designing, planning, and engineering Sprint's data networks while leading the company into new data and Internet service markets. He led the effort to grow Sprint's data networks, managed the rapid growth of the company's Internet network SprintLink, and the first widespread use of packet over SONET. Ted was also responsible for building the first private IP network used for Intranet services. Prior to joining Sprint, Ted worked in communications systems at Aeronautical Radio, COMSAT, and General Electric.

Ted served in the U.S. Navy in active and reserve capacities as a submarine officer for over 25 years. He completed Naval Nuclear Power training, was certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a Chief Engineer on a naval nuclear power plant, and achieved the rank of Captain. Ted has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from The George Washington University, and is a licensed Professional Engineer.


MARKETING AWARDS CHAIR
Scott Cullather, Global Managing Partner
inVNT, New York, New York

14 ABA MARKET ChairScott Cullather has over 20 years of experience in brand communications and is the founder and Global Managing Partner of inVNT, a brand communications agency that collaborates with brands and organizations around the world to create remarkable moments that challenge convention, mindsets, competitors, and the market. Scott is an industry leader who has helped shape and define the way organizations communicate to their employees, partners, customers, members, investors, journalists, and consumers.

Under Scott’s leadership and vision, the inVNT team has executed highly successful and impactful brand experiences that change the way people think, feel, behave, and perform. inVNT’s clients include PepsiCo, Merck, Grant Thornton, General Motors, Subway, ESPN, Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). inVNT has designed and produced award-winning campaigns in more than 60 countries on 6 continents from offices in the US and Europe.

Scott regularly speaks at industry events and expositions, and has been published in Brand Republic, The Guardian, SmartCEO Magazine, Expo, and Successful Meetings. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for his role as creative director and producer of “AMC in Concert at the Rainbow Room.” When he’s not working, Scott enjoys spending time with his children, surfing, playing Scrabble®, and collecting vintage eyewear.

“The Stevie Awards are the World's Premier recognition for business achievement and it is an honor to Chair the final judging of the Marketing categories in The 2014 American Business Awards.” Scott Cullather, Global Managing Partner, inVNT

NEW PRODUCT & PRODUCT MANAGEMENT AWARDS CHAIR
Alex Bäcker, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer
QLess, Inc., Pasadena, CA

14 ABA NEW PRODUCT ChairAlex Bäcker is the chief executive officer, co-founder and inventor of QLess. In this role, he drives the overall vision and strategy for the company, thus leading the charge on eliminating lines worldwide. Bäcker also currently serves on the board of advisors for the California Institute of Technology Information Sciences and Technology.

Prior to QLess, Bäcker worked with a number of companies in the science industry including the Center for Computation, Computers, Information, and Mathematics of Sandia National Labs and Caltech while also conducting business at McKinsey & Co. In addition, Bäcker founded and co-founded several companies including Adept Technologies, CafeThink, Whozat? and abInventio.

Throughout his career, Bäcker has been honored with several awards including the 2010 40 Under 40 for M&A Advisor Recognition Awards as well as The 2013 International Business Awards' Gold Stevie for IT Executive of the Year, and a Silver Stevie for Innovator of the Year.

Missed your chance to enter this year's American Business Awards?  Enter The International Business Awards - the categories are almost identical to those of the ABAs.

Topics: judging, American business awards, stevie awards, judges

Watch the New Stevie Awards Film

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Mon, May 12, 2014 @ 04:40 PM

Video PictureWe've just published a 6-minute film featuring an overview of the Stevie® Awards, the host of the world's premier business awards programs, and interviews with Stevie Award winners.  

Watch the video here. 

The film provides an overview of all six Stevie Awards programs.

The entry deadline for The International Business Awards is May 14. Now in their 11th year, the IBAs typically receive nominations from organizations in more than 50 nations and territories. The IBAs are the world's only completely international business awards competition. All organizations and individuals worldwide are eligible to submit entries.

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace -- from annual report awards, app awards, company/organization awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, marketing awards, and more. See all of the awards categories here.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world’s top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run, will begin accepting entries Monday, May 19. Enter before July 24 for discounted entry fees.

Have questions regarding The Stevie Awards? Don't hesitate to contact us by email or at
+ 1 703-547-8389.

Topics: business awards, video awards, International business awards, American business awards, stevie awards for women in business, stevie awards

Tips a from Stevie Awards Chair on Keeping Employees Engaged

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Mon, May 12, 2014 @ 12:50 PM

Robert Nicoson is Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Constant Contact®, Inc., in Waltham, Massachusetts. Nicoson is the Chair of the Final Judging Committee for the Human Resources awards categories in The 2014 American Business Awards, the top business awards program in the US.

14 ABA HR Chair smallBob Nicoson has played an essential role in Constant Contact’s impressive growth. In the five years that he’s been with the company, the number of employees has tripled to more than 1,200 across six offices in the U.S. and abroad.  “My focus is making absolutely sure we hire well, and that we connect our people to our mission of helping small business succeed,” he says.  Bob and his team also get creative in ensuring that Constant Contact is an innovative and fun place to work, from regular employee Innovation Jams, to employee Wow! Awards, to a weekly “beer cart,” and more.

We asked Bob for his advice on how companies can find and keep the right employees.  “It’s all about engagement,” Bob told us.  “From the candidate experience right up through alumni status.  The best HR leaders are laser-focused on employee lifecycle strategies that set engagement metric records and promote an environment that supports extraordinary business results.” 

“Getting the basics right and sticking to the vital few priorities—a big challenge!—will lead to breakthrough HR outcomes,” concluded Bob

Evolution

Constant Contact has evolved from an email marketing company to an online marketing powerhouse, serving the needs of more than 600,000 small businesses globally. The company’s tremendous growth has paralleled its expanding employee base. Amid such dynamic growth, Constant Contact’s human resources team fine-tuned its comprehensive employee program in order to empower all employees to serve as recruiters, to fuel innovation, and to develop leadership skills.  This approach has ultimately fostered a diverse employee base that drives customer success in a work hard/play hard environment.  It also led Constant Contact to win a Gold Stevie® Award for Human Resources Department of the Year in The 2013 American Business Awards.

“The Stevie is a nice badge of honor for our team,” Bob told us.  “It’s helped to build our brand both inside and outside of Constant Contact and has resulted in a number of unsolicited applications for HR professionals who want to join a winning team.”

On being appointed Chair of The 2014 American Business Awards Human Resources Final Judging Committee, Bob commented:  “It’s an honor to serve the Stevie Awards organization to select the ‘best of the best’ HR departments.  I guess that it takes one to know one!” 

Spanning The Globe

While he’s now happily settled in the Boston area and enjoying all things New England, especially Cape Cod, Bob’s career has spanned the globe.  For more than 20 years Bob worked internationally, opening offices in Ireland, the U.K., and Puerto Rico while in executive leadership positions at Scala Business Solutions, The Pioneer Group, and Lotus Development (now Lotus Software).  During that time he also had the opportunity to live for four years in The Netherlands.  His work took him back to the Boston area when he served as Vice President at social networking site Gather, Inc., and as Human Resources Director of the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. 

What keeps him happy at Constant Contact?  “I love being surrounded by really smart people who genuinely enjoy supporting small business success.  And our leadership completely backs our efforts to make sure that Constant Contact continues to be a great place to work.”

On The Fast Track

Bob is excited about the future. “I get stoked by building meaningful engagement programs and services to support an employee population,” he told us, especially when those employees are “on the fast track, are crazy about innovation, and have an affinity and alignment for a common purpose and goals.”

In his free time, Bob is an adventure junkie.  A recent vacation found him hiking Machu Picchu and he’s also backpacked every National Park in the U.S.  For his next trip, he’s off to Bhutan.  So don’t expect to find Bob just sitting around—except when he’s working on the American Business Awards final judging!

About Robert Nicoson:

Bob joined Constant Contact® in June of 2008 and has more than 25 years of experience in human resources leadership and general management. In his role, he oversees all human resources programs, practices, and policies that govern Constant Contact's business needs and culture. Bob also drives executive, cross-functional team, and management leadership and development; strategic workforce planning and staffing; and compensation, performance management, and recognition and reward systems for the company.

Prior to joining Constant Contact, Bob served as vice president at Gather Inc., a social networking site for adults. Before Gather Inc., he was the director of human resources and change management consultant at Weston Jesuit School of Theology and the director of human resources and administration at CertaLogic Inc. He also held executive leadership positions in global human resources at Scala Business Solutions, The Pioneer Group, Inc., and Lotus Development Corp. (now Lotus Software).

Bob holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana State University.

About Constant Contact, Inc.:
Constant Contact helps small businesses do more business. It has been revolutionizing the success formula for small businesses, nonprofits, and associations since 1998, and today works with more than 600,000 customers worldwide. The company offers the only all-in-one online marketing platform that helps small businesses drive repeat business and find new customers. It features multi-channel marketing campaigns (newsletters/announcements, offers/promotions, online listings, events/registration, and feedback) combined with shared content, contacts, and reporting; free award-winning coaching and product support; and integrations with critical business tools—all from a single login. The company’s extensive network of educators, consultants/resellers, technology providers, franchises, and national associations offer further support to help small organizations succeed and grow. Through its Innovation Loft, Constant Contact is fueling the next generation of small business technology.

Topics: hr awards, business awards, American business awards, Constant Contact, Robert Nicoson

American Business Awards Preliminary Round Judges

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, May 08, 2014 @ 12:47 PM

Stevie logoThe following professionals participated in preliminary judging of The 2014 American Business Awards in April-May.  Their average scores determined the Finalists.  We thank them for their time, insights and support.

Ray Aldrich, Director, Development, Marketing & Communications, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI
Amal Al-Najjar, HR Manager, Fluor, Kuwait
Zainab Ansari, Director/CEO, Xenith PR (Pvt.) Ltd, Pakistan
Daniel Arenas, Creative Director, Sunday Morning NY, Astoria, NY
Cathy Baker, Competition Consultant, USEF, Lexington, KY
Jeff Bell, Partner, NCT Ventures, Kirkland, WA
Israel Bonequi Creative Director, Birds Nest Foundation, Canada
Deirdre Breakenridge, CEO, Pure Performance Communications, Marlboro, NJ
Daniel Burkholder, IT Solutions Advisor, Susan G. Komen, Frisco, TX
Tanya Candia, CEO, Candia Communications, Saratoga, CA
Susan Chait, VP, Creative Director, Lebowitz | Gould | Design, Inc., New York, NY
Dr. Kevin S. Chen, President/CEO, Business Methods Corporation, Mt Freedom, NJ
Irene Corpuz, Head of Planning & IT Security, Western Region Municipality, United Arab Emirates
Dave Craig, Vice President, HR Fazoli's Restaurants, Lexington, KY
David Crawford, Senior VP, Managing Group, Creative Director, GSD&M, Austin, TX
John Cushman, former VP - eSales & Service, AT&T, Dallas, TX
Karen Danielson, Marketing Communications & Brand Manager, US Water Services, Inc, St Michael, MN
Natalia Diaz Marketing Specialist, Forte Payment Systems, Dallas, TX
Brenda Dukart, Executive Account Manager, Managed Business Solutions, Colorado Springs, CO
Elizabeth Enselein, Director of Operations, Murthy Law Firm, Owings Mills, MD
Matt Finizio, VP, Creative Director, Slack and Company, Chicago, IL
Hüsniye Firat, Dr. Çanakkale Onsekiz, March University, Turkey
Kyle Forster, Co-Founder/President, Big Switch Networks, San Francisco, CA
Anthony Franco, President, EffectiveUI, Denver, CO
Jean Gea, Product Marketing Manager, Acumatica Kirkland, WA
Dawn Giesman, Marketing Manager PublicSchoolWORKS, Cincinnati, OH
Stephen Gill, President, Stephen Gill Associates, Thailand
Katharine Goldman, SVP, Executive Creative Director, Jack Morton Worldwide, New York, NY
Eddie Grant, Product Manager, Brodie Meter Co., LLC, Statesboro, GA
Donna Grare, VP Engineering, PHD Virtual, Morris Plains, NJ
Kristi Grigsby, VP Marketing, CSI Enterprises, Bonita Springs, FL
Bonnie Hackbarth, Senior Counselor, Guthrie/Mayes Public Relations, Louisville, KY
Eric Halvorson, Senior Vice President,Wells Fargo, Minneapolis, MN
Alexander Hannett, Manager, Corporate Strategy and Marketing, All Florida Paper, Inc., Medley, FL
Leslie Harstad, Director, Thought Leadership Strategy, Optum, Minneapolis, MN
Batul Hasan, CEO, BSH Consultants, Pakistan
Kevin Hegebarth, VP, Marketing & Product Management, HireIQ Solutions, Inc., Alpharetta, GA
Mary Ann Henker, President, The Henker Group, Easton, MD
Ann Hill, Chairwoman of the Board, Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, Lancaster, CA
Faith Jackson, PR Specialist, Lawler Computer Consultants, LLC, Birmingham, AL
Parag Jaripatke, Senior Systems Administrator, AOL Inc., Ashburn, VA
Stuart John, Senior Product Manager, Source Interlink Media, Santa Monica, CA
James Johnson, Chairman, The Standish Group International, Inc., Boston, MA
JP Jones, Owner, Collipsis Web Solutions, Lawrenceburg, TN
Craig Kavicky, Vice President, Lextant, Columbus, OH
Douglas Kelly, EVP Design, Imagination Publishing, Chicago, IL
Laura Kerr, Principal Business Analyst, Sabre Airline Solutions, Dallas, TX
Mike Kindle, VP, Information, HealthSouth, Birmingham, AL
Marylee Klinkhammer, Technology Director, DRG, Bernie, IN
Slade Kobran, CMO, Chief Outsiders, New York, NY
Claudia Koehler, Corporate Vice President, VOK DAMS Events, Germany
Roja Kolachina, CEO/President, Synerteq, Inc., Rockville, MD
James Koons, Chief Privacy Officer, Listrak, Lititz, PA
Nitin Kumar, Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Jersey City, NJ
Rick Kuwayti, Managing Director, Head of Marketing, BMO Capital Markets, Canada
John Lamb, VP, Group Head, Ebix, Atlanta, GA
Frank Laudo, Senior VP Creative Director, GES, Grapevine, TX
Erran Lawler, Owner, Lawler Computer Consultants, LLC, Birmingham, AL
Jason Lawson, Partner, Moss Adams LLP, Los Angeles, CA
Rob Leggat, Senior Vice President, Goddard Gunster, Washington, DC
Peter Levy, President, Corniche Productions, Brooklyn, NY
Nanxi Liu, CEO, Enplug, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
Lily Liu, CEO & Founder, PublicStuff, New York, NY
Juliana Lopez, Controller, Northern Technologies Group, Inc, Tampa, FL
Avinash Mainkar, Adjunct Professor of Management, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Jennifer Maldonado, Sr. Program Manager, Global Client Experience, Cornerstone OnDemand, Santa Monica, CA
Anne McCarthy, President and Founder, Westmeath Communications, Castle Rock, CO
Jeannine McHenry, Art Director, One17 Creative, Marina Del Rey, CA
Catherine McQuaid, Principal, Big Game Hunting, Canada
Kathy Menzie, Associate Professor & Chair, Washburn University, Topeka, KS
Feroz Merchhiya, CTO, California Insurance Guarantee Association, Diamond Bar, CA
Caroline Meyers, Director of Corporate Communications, MC2, Chestnut Ridge, NY
Andrea Michaels, President, EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS, Sherman Oaks,CA
Tamika Mikucki, Director of Human Resources, Westhab, Inc., Elmsford, NY
Carlos Minetti, President, Consumer Banking, Discover Financial Services, Riverwoods, IL
Jay Mitchell, President, Mereo LLC, Colorado Springs, CO
Judy Mod, Principal, Social Gastronomy, LLC., Atlanta, GA
Rajesh Kumar Mudiakal, SAP Project Manager, CMC Limited, India
Brian Mulvey, Vice President, Investor Growth Capital, New York, NY
Kirk Musselman, Director, Human Resources, Classified Ventures LLC, Chicago, IL
Eric Nash, Senior Director, Online Marketing, Stamps.com, El Segundo, CA
Madhusmita Nayak, Manager-Enterprise Performance, UAE Exchange, United Arab Emirates
Steve Nelson, Partner & CTO, AP42, San Ramon, CA
Michael Newman, Vice President International Sales & Global Marketing, Optical Cable Corporation, Roanoke, VA
Bruce Nicoll, ACD Copy, The Navicor Group, Westerville, OH
Ayelet Noff, Co-CEO and Founder, Blonde 2.0, Israel
Bob Older, President, Creative Travel Inc. dba Rainbow Charter Service, Wilmington, DE
Linda Olsan, Director, Customer Care, ACE, Rancho Mission Viejo, CA
Kirsten Osolind, CEO, re:invention marketing, San Diego, CA
Lori Owens, VP, Client Relations, PhoneWare, Inc., San Diego, CA
Ravi Padaki, Product Manager, Snapfish, San Francisco, CA
Parveen Panwar, CEO, PMI 5 Media LLC, San Francisco, CA
Paul Patton, Senior R&D/Regulatory Manager, Delta Faucet Co., Indianapolis, IN
Rob Peglar, CTO Americas, EMC Isilon, Wildwood, MO
Ken Phelan, CTO, Gotham Technology Group, Montvale, NJ
Churchill Dass Prince, Founder CEO, Sales Intellect Company, India
Dr. Steve Rajan, Vice Chancellor of Malaysia, IAEWP (NGO United Nations), Malaysia
Gillian Rawcliffe, Business Development Manager, Vérité, Sandy, UT
Kathleen Reddy, Copresident, McKinnon-Mulherin, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT
Dennis Reno, Vice President, Customer Portal Experience, New Relic, San Francisco, CA
Selena Rezvani, President, NextGenWomen, LLC, Elkins Park, PA
Tom Richard, Director of Organizational Development, Westpark Communications, L.P., Houston, TX
Avis Richards, President/CEO, Birds Nest Productions, Purchase, NY
Chris Risheill, Director of Sales, Marketing and Exhibits, Association for Middle Level Education, Westerville, OH
Colleen Rosso, Director of Communications, Hartland Township, Milford, MI
David Saef, EVP, MarketWorks & Strategy, GES, Hodgkins, IL
Viurniel Sanchez, Information Management, Infrastructure Technology Services, Miami, FL
Scott Sauder, Area Operations Consultant, The UPS Store,, Noblesville, IN
Harry Schechter, CEO & President, Temperature@lert, Boston, MA
Richard Schechter, VP Marketing, Medtech College, Atlanta, GA
Lisa Schweickert, VP of Training, Golden Corral Corporation, Raleigh, NC
Bill Shelton, Vice President, USHEALTH Advisors, Grapevine, TX
Tina Stafford, Senior Account Executive, Stafford Creative Inc, Edmonds, WA
Mahiette Tarrago, Creative Director, Tycoon Advertising Group LLC, The Woodlands, TX
Harmony Tenney, Senior Marketing Consultant, CRG, Charlottesville, VA
Lori Teranishi, Partner, IQ PR, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Michelle Thorsell, Principal, SMT Architects, P.C., Glen Ellyn, IL
Roger Thorstenson, Lead: Strategic Planning & Performance Measurement, Office of the DoD CIO, Arlington, VA
Han Tjan, Corporate Communications, Daimler, New York, NY
Richard Trombly, Editor / Senior Account Exec, Hill & Knowlton, China
Chikako Uchinami, CEO, Japan Translation USA, Sunnyvale, CA
Noel Unciano, Science Research Specialist, Industrial Technology Development Institute - DOST, Philippines
Vinny Verdi, Producer, CUNY-TV, New York, NY
Charles Kirby Wadsworth, Vice President of Global Marketing, F5 Networks, Wayland, MA
Maggie Wang, Service & Support Manager, Nolo, Pleasanton, CA
Edward Weisberg , Senior VP of Marketing and Business Development, GXT Green, Billerica, MA
Karen Weldon, Manager, Executive Communication & Strategic Collaboration (Office of the CIO), Consumers Energy, Jackson, MI
Hope White, CEO, Rise and Fly, Fort Worth , TX
Becky Wilson, President, WDS Marketing and PR, Overland Park, KS
Robert Wnuk, Regional Sales Director, Tax Care S.A., Poland
Gregory Wright, Communications Manager, AICPA, New York, NY
Ziad Ziadeh, National Customer Service Manager, DHL Express, Saudi Arabia
Matthew Zintel, President, Zintel Public Relations, Cypress, TX
Joseph Zitzelberger, Director of Manufacturing Development, PACCAR Inc, Chillicothe, OH
Chris Zoloth, Director, Global Customer Care, IHG, Salt Lake City, UT

Topics: judging, American business awards, stevie awards, judges, Finalists

12th American Business Awards Announce Finalists

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, May 08, 2014 @ 12:13 PM
Coveted Stevie® Awards to Be Presented at Ceremonies in Chicago and San Francisco

Stevie LogoFinalists were announced today in The 12th Annual American Business Awards. Organizations as diverse as 7-Eleven, American Solar Direct, Bloomin' Brands, Cisco Systems, Google, McGladrey LLP, NASCAR, and the State of Michigan are among those recognized. Lists of Finalists by category have been published at http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations and individuals in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations.

This year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie® Award winners will be announced at two banquets. The first will take place on June 13 at the Fairmont Millennium Park Hotel in Chicago, Illinois; and the second, with awards in the new product and technology-related categories, will be held on September 12 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California. More than 800 executives are expected to attend the events. The ceremonies will be broadcast nationwide by the BizTalk Radio Network.    

Among the organizations with the most Finalists this year are Accenture, AMD, AT&T, CallidusCloud, Engility, Isagenix International, Jeunesse Global, John Hancock Signature Services, Makovsky, MWW, Quality Systems, and USANA Health Sciences.

A record number of nominations were submitted this year with more than 3,300 from organizations of all sizes and from virtually every industry. The ABAs include a wide variety of categories including management awards, new product awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, website awards, and more.

Finalists were chosen by more than 130 business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April and May. Members of nine specialized final judging committees will determine Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among Finalists in judging that will begin next week. More than 280 executives will participate in the judging process this year.

Voting will open in early July for the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, a component of The American Business Awards that invites the general public to vote for their favorite new products of the year in a number of categories.

For press credentials for the June 13 and September 12 awards banquets or for more information, contact Maggie(at)thestevies(dot)com.

About the Stevie® Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in five programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. A sixth program, the German Stevie Awards, will launch in August.  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.

Sponsors and partners of The 2014 American Business Awards include Biz Talk Radio, CallidusCloud, Citrix Online, Cvent, Engility, John Hancock, LycaMobile, PetRays, and Softpro.

Topics: hr awards, PR awards, American business awards, it awards, Finalists