Stevie Awards for Women in Business Announce Winners in 13th Annual Competition

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Mon, Nov 21, 2016 @ 09:47 AM

World's Top Honors for Women Entrepreneurs, Executives, Employees and the Organizations They Run Were Presented in New York Before More than 500 Accomplished Women From Around the World

Shining a spotlight on women executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations run by women, the Stevie® Awards for Women in Business announced the results of its 2016 competition on Friday, November 18.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business is an international competition produced by the creators of the prestigious International Business Awards and American Business Awards. The Stevie is widely considered to be the world’s premier business award.

Tapfit winners.jpgWith more than 500 businesswomen and their guests in attendance, the awards were announced at a gala dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Nations represented at the event include Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, South Africa, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.A.

The presentations were broadcast live via Livestream.

More than 1,400 nominations from organizations and individuals in 22 nations were submitted to the awards this year for consideration in categories including Entrepreneur of the Year, Executive of the Year, Most Innovative Company of the Year, and Startup of the Year, among others. More than 160 professionals around the world participated in the judging process to determine the Finalists and then the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements.

Grand Stevie Award trophies were presented to the five organizations that submitted the best body of entries to the competition, in their own names or in the names of one or more clients. Winners were determined by the number of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards won in the competition.

The Grand Stevie Award winners are:

  •         PAIRELATIONS LLC, Centennial, CO USA (#1)
  •         Accenture, Chicago, IL USA (#2)
  •         WDS Marketing & Public Relations, Overland Park, KS USA (#3)
  •         Jeunesse Global, Lake Mary, FL USA (#4)
  •         Linqia, San Francisco, CA USA (#5)

Notable Gold Stevie Award winners from this year’s competition include:

  • Shauna MacDonald, Principal and founder of Brookline Public Relations, Calgary, AB, Canada - Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Canada
  • Viviana Zocco of Grupo Vi-Da, Buenos Aires, Argentina - Female Entrepreneur or Executive of the Year in Mexico, Central & South America
  • Susan L. Abrams, CEO, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, Skokie, IL - Female Innovator of the Year – Government or Non-Profit
  • LivingTree dba: Snowflake Technologies Inc., Austin, TX - Community Involvement Program of the Year
  • Shyamala Soundari Kuppusamy, Senior Product Manager, Macy's Inc., San Francisco, CA - Employee of the Year - Business
  • Bobbi Leach, CEO of RevenueWire Inc, Victoria, BC, Canada - Female Executive of the Year in Canada
  • SUNNY SIDE UP, Inc. Tokyo, Japan - Women-Run Workplace of the Year - More Than 10 Employees
  • TAPfit, Queensland, Australia - Startup of the Year - Consumer Products Industries
  • TEARS Foundation, Sandton, South Africa - Organization of the Year – Government or Non-Profit– 10 or Less Employees
  • Susan Ma, founder of Tropic Skin Care, Croydon, Surrey, United Kingdom - Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year
  • Yvonne Mei, Executive Vice Chairman of World System Builder, World Financial Group, San Jose, CA, USA - Woman of the Year - Industry

The 2016 Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners reflect a diverse group of large and small organizations from around the globe. Organizations that won more than one Gold Stevie Award include Accenture, Cisco Systems, Inc., Enabled Employment, Final Salute Inc., Goldie Blox, Happy Family, Jeunesse Global, Linqia, Madison Services Group, Inc., Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and RippleNami, Inc.

For a complete list of Stevie Award winners and more information, visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

Entries for the 2017 edition of the awards will open next May.

Topics: stevie awards for women in business, women awards, Awards for Women, Awards for Women in Business, the stevie awards for women in business

Watch the Stevie Awards for Women in Business Awards Presentations this Friday

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, Nov 15, 2016 @ 03:50 PM

The 13th annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run, will be presented this Friday, November 18 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York.  More than 400 women and their guests from around the world will attend.

Women in Biz 2015 4.jpgThe presentations will be broadcast via LiveStream at 7:30 pm eastern time on Friday. Watch it live or later on, here.  Follow along with a copy of the awards dinner's official program book. The red caprt pre-show will air on the Stevie Awards Facebook page at 6:00 pm ET.

Finalists in the 2016 awards were announced last month.  This Friday the Finalists will find out whether they've won Grand, Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award status.

So who's coming to New York City for Friday's gala event?  Here are the organizations who have already booked their place for the awards dinner.  Tickets are still available.

360 Total Concept Oakland CA
ABS Associates Inc. Schaumburg IL
Accenture Chicago IL
Access One Inc. Chicago IL
ActionCOACH-The London Coaching Group London United Kingdom
Actuated Medical Inc. Bellefonte PA
Aflac Columbus OH
Alliance Data Columbus OH
Amobee San Diego CA USA
Aspire Phoenix AZ
AT&T Dallas TX
ATREVIA Madrid Spain
Australian Charity for the Children of Vietnam Brisbane
Axis Capital Inc. Grand Island NE
Bank Leumi Tel-Aviv Israel
BBR Creative Lafayette LA
Biocrystal Technologies Rijeka Croatia
Blanks Boutique Birmingham AL
Blueliner Marketing New York NY
Bounce Australia Maryborough VIC Australia
Braeburn Pharmaceuticals Princeton NJ
BRG Communications Alexandria VA
Bronto Software Durham NC
Brookfield Sydney NSW Australia
Burson-Marsteller Hong Kong
Candor Oklahoma City OK
CBIZ Women's Advantage Cleveland OH
Century 21 Real Estate Madison NJ
Chargebacks911 Clearwater FL
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation Dover DE
Citrus Studios Santa Monica CA USA
Clearfield Inc. Plymouth MN
Clearslide San Francisco CA
Coast Professional Inc. West Monroe LA
Concentrix Corporation Tempe AZ
ConnectIreland Dublin Ireland
Corporette New York NY
Curriculum Associates North Billerica MA
Darktrace San Francisco CA
Dell EMC Hopkinton MA
Democracy Prep Public Schools New York NY
Dignity Health San Francisco CA USA
Dr. Marlene Mahipat Randallstown MD
Dynamic Solutions International Denver CO
EHR Concepts Villa Rica GA
Enabled Employment Canberra ACT Australia
Encore Associates San Ramon CA
Engage2Learn Corpus Christi TX
Epsilon Irving TX
ERA Franchise Systems LLC Madison NJ
EssayJack Inc. Toronto ON Canada
Event Head Melbourne VIC Australia
EvolveMKD New York NY
Family Legacy Missions International Irving TX
Final Salute Inc. Alexandria VA USA
FIS Jacksonville FL
FIS St. Petersburg FL
Fiserv Warren NJ
Foxtail Marketing American Fork UT
FuturePay Salt Lake City UT
Gail Lowney Alofsin Newport RI
General Electric Fairfield CT
Generation Hope Washington DC
George P. Johnson Auburn Hills MI
Gina Din Group Nairobi Kenya
Globalization Partners Cambridge MA
Goodwin Group PR Walpole MA USA
Grass Roots Meetings & Events New York NY
Grupo Vi-Da Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires Argentina
H&S Enterprises Inc. Scottsdale AZ
Happy Family New York NY
Hawkins International Public Relations New York NY
Headmark Sydney Australia
Heaven Skincare Shifnal Shropshire United Kingdom
Hilton Software Coral Springs FL
Hinduja Global Solutions HGS USA Peoria IL
Humana Insurance Louisville KY
Humana Louisville KY
hVIVO plc London United Kingdom
IAC Applications Yonkers NY
iCIMS Matawan NJ
Identity Theft Resource Center San Diego CA
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center Skokie IL
Improving Addison TX USA
Indus Health Plus (P) Ltd. Pune Maharashtra India
Innovid New York NY
INVNT New York NY
iTalent Corporation San Jose CA
Ithraa Consulting Group Jeddah Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
iVvy Pty Ltd Gold Coast QLD Australia
Ixia Calabasas CA
JDA Software Scottsdale AZ
Jenny Fenig Worldwide Great Barrington MA
Jewel Toned West Hollywood CA
JMA Solutions LLC. Washington DC
Jones Publishing (Citywealth) London United Kingdom
JSP Properties LLC St. Paul MN
Kristie's Beirut Lebanon
Krupp Kommunications New York NY
Kura-ra.net Osaka Japan
Linqia San Francisco CA USA
LivingTree dba: Snowflake Technologies Inc. Austin TX
LLORENTE & CUENCA Madrid Spain
Macy's Inc. San Francisco CA
Madison Services Group Inc. Washington DC
Manpower Group Milwaukee WI
Marketing CoPilot Toronto ON Canada
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge MA
Matrex Exhibits Addison IL
MATRIXX Software Saratoga CA
Meals on Wheels America Arlington VA
Meelo New York NY
Mid-America Asian Culture Association Leawood KS
Miller Vein Novi MI
MONAT Global Doral FL
n e t a m o r p h o s i s New York NY
Nicole Rodrigues - NRPR Group Beverly Hills CA
OBI Creative Omaha NE
One Mission Framingham MA
PAIRELATIONS LLC Centennial CO
PayneGroup Seattle WA
Payoneer Inc New York NY
Peggy Klaus Berkeley CA
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Harrisburg Pennsylvania
Pivot Point Marketing Larkspur CA
Prime Focus Technologies Private Limited Mumbai India
Primrose School Franchising Company Acworth GA
Proforma Durkee Huntersville NC
Push! Leadership and Business Training Brisbane QLD Australia
ReachLocal Woodland Hills CA
Red Hat Raleigh NC
RevenueWire Inc Victoria BC Canada
RevUnit Bentonville AR
Sealed Air Diversey Care Charlotte NC
SEVEN PRESS s.a.s Live-In Style - Televiva Houston etc... New York NY
Silverlink Burlington MA
Simple Mills Chicago IL
Southwest Michigan First Kalamazoo MI
SPLICE Software Calgary AB Canada
Spong Minneapolis MN
Sports 1 Marketing Irvine CA
Strategy and Management Services Inc. Springfield VA
Stratix Norcross GA
Stratus Interactive West Chester PA USA
STREAM magazine Torino ITALY
SUNNY SIDE UP Inc. Tokyo Japan
Susan Davis International Washington DC
Tagetik Lucca Italy & Stamford CT
TAPfit Queensland Australia
TEADS New York NY
TEARS Foundation Sandton South Africa
The Association for Women in Events Washington DC
The Australian Charity for the Children of Vietnam Brisbane QLD Australia
The Enrichery Houston TX
The Henker Group Easton MD
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Lawrenceville NJ
Thought Bubble Brisbane QLD Australia
TIBCO Software Palo Alto CA
TMG Des Moines IA
Trendy Lime Inc. San Francisco CA
Triple A Financial Services Pty Ltd Australia Adelaide South Australia
Tropic Skin Care Croydon Surrey United Kingdom
Universal Environmental Consulting Westbury NY
Untangle Life Alexandria VA
USAID/OFDA Washington DC
WDS Marketing & Public Relations Overland Park KS
Webzap Technologies Noida Uttar Pradesh India
Wells Fargo Treasury Management San Francisco CA
WeSpire Boston MA
West Pharmaceutical Services Exton PA
Wind Rose Communications Atlanta GA
Women in PR London United Kingdom
World Financial Group San Jose CA
Zafin Palo Alto CA

Topics: stevie awards for women in business, women in business awards, Women in Business, Awards for Women, Woman of the Year

How a Stevie® Award Winner is Meeting Asia Pacific’s Energy Challenge in a Sustainable Way

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Nov 03, 2016 @ 01:28 PM

The 2015 Annual Report of CLP Holdings Limited, in Hong Kong, China, won the Gold Stevie® Award for Innovation in Annual Reports in the Annual Report & Other Publications Awards categories of the 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards.

The 2017 (4th Annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards is now accepting entries.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

We asked Geert Peeters, Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer at CLP Holdings, for some insight into how the Stevie® Award-winning 2015 Annual Report was created, and what winning a Stevie® Award has meant to the people who created it.

Geert Peters, Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer at CLP Holdings, was delighted that his company’s 2015 Annual Report had won a Gold Stevie® Award in the 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards.  He told us: “We are deeply honored to have won the Stevie Award for Innovation in Annual Reports. As an organization that prizes innovation, we are delighted by the recognition of our excellence in this regard.”1610CLPsmall.gif

Encapsulating guidelines by the International Integrated Reporting Council and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, CLP’s 2015 Annual Report is the company’s fifth integrated annual report. Structured around the theme of CLP’s “unwavering commitment to the communities we serve,” the Report presents a connected view of the social, environmental, operational, and financial aspects of CLP’s overall performance in an integrated and innovative manner.

Innovation

Explained Geert: “We entered the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards for continuous learning: every year, our colleagues across different departments and countries work very hard to put together an annual report that makes us proud, so winning the Stevie Award is definitely a strong recognition of these efforts.”

“We have benefited immensely in the process, because innovation is a continuous undertaking and we are still learning how to do better,” continued Geert.  “For example, we are an early adopter of integrated reporting, which means we report our business achievements alongside our environmental, social, and governance performance. Such an approach has provided us a holistic picture of what we do and what values we deliver to our stakeholders.

“The awards we have received motivate us to innovate and try new ideas, like designing a posting bag that can double up as a recyclable shopping bag. We also make use of a feedback form to drive donations for selected NGOs. Through these channels, we are able to better engage with our different stakeholders, and deliver values to them in ways that we never could before.”

Design and Format

Electricity is an indispensable part of modern life,” explained Geert. “It powers the machines that keep our communities safe, and allows us to live and work comfortably and with convenience. To highlight the close relationship between CLP and our stakeholders, this year we decided to create a relaxing home feel, reflected in our Annual Report’s vivid and colorful illustrations, well-designed diagrams, intuitive infographics and selective use of photographs. To provide an at-a-glance look at our business performance, we captured and visualized all key information with figures, graphics. and tables in the opening six-page section of ‘A Snapshot of CLP in 2015’.”

Accessibility and Interactivity

To expand CLP’s reach to broader audiences, the print version of its Annual Report went live with an online multimedia Snapshot and Sustainability Report. As Geert put it: “Our Snapshot presents an overview of our business using multimedia tools such as videos, whilst our Sustainability Report provides a more detailed account of our sustainability principles, strategies, and efforts. Together with our website and other CLP literature, we aim to enable our stakeholders to have a more informed assessment of our company.”

Charitable Donations

In addition, Geert stated: “We have also developed an innovative way to strengthen our interaction with readers by pledging to make charitable donations of HK$60 for each feedback that we receive on our Annual Report, online Snapshot, and Sustainability Report, with a cap of HK$350,000 in total.”

In conclusion, Geert told us that “being recognized by such a well-regarded organization is a strong vote of confidence on the work we do. It gives us the motivation to strive for the best.”

Environmental Concerns

With energy and its impact on the environment a topic of major concern, we asked Geert what plans CLP had for 2017.  He commented: “We are fully aware of the impact of the activities of the energy industry on environment.  That’s why we decided about a decade ago that we would shoulder our responsibility to address the risk and effect of climate change. Adopting the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong’s ESG Reporting Guide is a part of that commitment. In fact, we were one of the few companies that began to report on environmental and social performance way back in the 1990s, and this later evolved and became our Sustainability Report which is available online. So we are no strangers to ESG reporting.”

Reducing the Carbon Footprint

To play its part in reducing the carbon footprint, CLP encouraged e-communication by donating HK$60 for each shareholder’s request to switch to its electronic publications. For the mailing of hard copies, the company specially designed a posting bag which could be converted into a reusable carrier bag in order to promote conservation and reduce waste.

Sustainability Principles

Added Geert: “In our 2015 annual report, we already disclosed ESG information that fell under the ‘comply or explain’ provisions. In our 2016 annual report, which will be published in March 2017, we plan to do more. But for us to be able to report, first we must have the action. Last year, the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at tackling poverty, hunger, climate change, and other global problems by 2030. The SDGs have provided the international community with a clear direction on the transformative steps that are urgently needed for sustainable development. They also inspired us to develop our own Sustainability Principles, which set the foundation for articulating our sustainability priorities in support of our longer-term business strategy. This signifies our willingness to play a role in helping the world achieve the SDGs, especially those on combating climate change and affordable electricity.”

Inspiration for the Future

Geert is optimistic about the future.  “CLP’s goal is to meet Asia Pacific’s energy challenge in a sustainable way–from one generation to the next,” he explained.  “This means we want to be able to supply our customers with electricity that is reliable and safe, and to make sure it is done in an environmentally friendly manner and at a reasonable price.”

Continued Geert: “We recognize the world is changing rapidly, however. We need to have a clear vision of tomorrow and be able to harness the power of innovation so that we are well equipped and ready for change. To become the utility of the future, we need to transform to become a customer-centric energy company that can compete in a low carbon world.

“This opens up a whole new vista of possibilities. Renewable energy is definitely one of them. It has been exciting to see that more and more countries in Asia are generating energy through renewable means, be it solar or wind. This is especially true in Mainland China and India, CLP’s two growth markets, which both have ambitious clean energy targets. Over the years, CLP has developed more than 3,000 megawatts of renewable projects, mostly in these two markets. And we have plans to do more.

“Meanwhile, our presence in these markets is inspiring on another level. We have seen the emergence of private savings in these emerging markets. Through the issuance of local currency bonds, including green bonds, we are thrilled to be able to help people to channel their hard-earned savings into infrastructure projects that will ultimately advance their home lands. And I am excited to be able to contribute to this adventure.”

About Geert Peeters:

Geert Peeters has been the Group Director & Chief Financial Officer since 1 April 2014, responsible for Group financial control & reporting, Group treasury, Group tax, Group corporate finance, risk management, and investor relations for CLP Holdings Limited. He was appointed the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of CLP Holdings with effect from 1 January 2016.

Mr. Peeters has over 25 years of experience in the energy industry. Prior to joining CLP, he was the Deputy Chief Financial Officer of GDF SUEZ (now known as ENGIE) Group based in Paris. Mr. Peeters was with GDF SUEZ from 1997 to 2013, gaining extensive experience in senior financial and operational roles in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America. He also served as the Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of International Power plc, a GDF SUEZ subsidiary listed on the London Stock Exchange and part of the FTSE 100 index until July 2012. Before joining GDF SUEZ, he worked for KBC Bank in Brussels and New York and for Tractebel Energy Engineering at the Doel Nuclear Power Plant in Antwerp (Belgium). He also served as a Reserve Officer in the Belgian Air Force.

In the past three years, Mr. Peeters has served on the boards of several listed energy companies, including International Power plc, E-CL, listed in Chile, and Glow Energy in Thailand. He is a member of the CNBC Global CFO Council.  Mr. Peeters is a Knight in the Order of King Leopold. He has a Master of Science in electro-mechanical engineering from Ghent University, Belgium, a postgraduate degree in business and IT administration from ICHEC Brussels, Belgium, and he attended executive business training at INSEAD Paris, France

About CLP Group

CLP Holdings Limited, a company listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, is the holding company for the CLP Group, one of the largest investor-owned power businesses in Asia Pacific. Through CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, it operates a vertically integrated electricity supply business providing a highly reliable supply of electricity to 80% of Hong Kong’s population.

Outside Hong Kong, CLP holds investment in the energy sector in Mainland China, India, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Australia. Its diversified portfolio of generating assets uses a wide range of fuels including coal, gas, nuclear, and renewable sources. CLP is one of the largest external investors in the Mainland’s renewable energy sector. In India, it is one of the biggest renewable energy producers and among the largest foreign investors in the electricity sector. In Australia, its wholly owned subsidiary, EnergyAustralia, is one of the largest integrated energy companies, providing gas and electricity to over 2.6 million households and businesses.

CLP is listed on the Global Dow–a 150-stock index of the world’s leading blue-chips, the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index (DJSI Asia Pacific), the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific 40 Index (DJSI Asia Pacific 40), Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index Series, and MSCI Global Sustainability Index Series.

Topics: business awards, annual report awards, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, best annual reports

Company / Organization Awards in The 2017 American Business Awards

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Nov 02, 2016 @ 03:00 PM

The 15th annual American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A. which attracts more than 3,000 nominations from organizations nationwide each year, is now accepting nominations for the 2017 program. 

The American Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Entry details are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/aba

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT.

All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. There are two early-bird entry deadlines this year – November 17 and December 14 – with discounted entry fees. 

A category group that has been greatly expanded for 2017 is the Company / Organization Awards.

Recognizing the achievements of entire organizations (for-profit or non-profit, large medium or small, public or private). 

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories for the 2017 ABAs will include

a. An essay of up to 650 words describing the nominated organization's achievements since January 1 2016

b. In bullet-list form (up to 150 words), a brief summary of up to ten (10) of the nominated organization's chief achievements since January 1 2016

c. Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges

Company of the Year (may be for-profit or non-profit, public or private, large or small).  New for 2017, each of these 35 industry categories now has three sub-categories:

  • Small (≤ 50 employees and revenue ≤ $10 million)
  • Medium-size (≤ 250 employees and revenue ≤ $50 million)
  • Large (> 250 employees and revenue > $50 million)

B01.    Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations
B02.    Aerospace & Defense
B03.    Apparel, Beauty & Fashion (a new category for 2017)
B04.    Automotive & Transport Equipment
B05.    Banking
B06.    Business & Professional Services
B07.    Chemicals
B08.    Computer Hardware
B09.    Computer Software
B10.    Computer Services
B11.    Conglomerates
B12.    Consumer Products - Durables
B13.    Consumer Products - Non-Durables
B14.    Consumer Services (a new category for 2017)
B15.    Diversified Services
B16.    Electronics
B17.    Energy
B18.    Financial Services
B19.    Food & Beverage
B20.    Health Products & Services
B21.    Hospitality & Leisure
B22.    Insurance
B23.    Internet/New Media
B24.    Legal
B25.    Manufacturing
B26.    Materials & Construction
B27.    Media & Entertainment
B28.    Metals & Mining
B29.    Non-Profit or Government Organizations
B30.    Pharmaceuticals
B31.    Real Estate
B32.    Retail
B33.    Telecommunications
B34.    Transportation
B35.    Utilities

B36. Startup of the Year (for companies that began operations since January 1 2015).  There are no entry fees for the Startup of the Year categories
a. Business Product Industries
b. Business Service Industries
c. Consumer Product Industries
d. Consumer Service Industries

B37. Tech Startup of the Year (for companies that began operations since January 1 2015).  There is no entry fee for this category
a. Hardware/Peripherals
b. Services
c. Software

B38. Most Innovative Company of the Year (recognizing overall achievement in product and/or marketing, sales, manufacturing, management, etc. innovation)
   a. Up to 100 Employees
   b. Up to 2,500 Employees
   c. More Than 2,500 Employees

B39. Most Innovative Tech Company of the Year (recognizing overall achievement in product and/or marketing, sales, manufacturing, management, etc. innovation)
   a. Up to 100 Employees
   b. Up to 2,500 Employees
   c. More Than 2,500 Employees

B40. Innovation of the Year (recognizing singular innovations in product and/or marketing, sales, manufacturing, management, etc., by an organization or an individual)
   a. Business Product Industries
   b. Business Service Industries
   c. Consumer Product Industries
   d. Consumer Service Industries

B41. Technical Innovation of the Year (recognizing singular innovations in technology, new products, etc., by an organization or an individual)
   a. At Organizations With Up to 100 Employees
   b. At Organizations With Up to 1,000 Employees
   c. At Organizations With 1,000 or More Employees

B42. Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year (recognizing organizations' contributions to society)
   a. At Organizations With Up to 100 Employees
   b. At Organizations With Up to 2,500 Employees
   c. At Organizations With 2,500 or More Employees

B43. Fastest-Growing Company of the Year (recognizing outstanding revenue growth since the beginning of 2016 over 2015)
   a. Up to 100 Employees
   b. Up to 2,500 Employees
   c. 2,500 or More Employees

B44. Fastest-Growing Tech Company of the Year (recognizing outstanding revenue growth since the beginning of 2016 over 2015)
   a. Up to 100 Employees
   b. Up to 2,500 Employees
   c. 2,500 or More Employees

B45.  Minority-Owned Business of the Year: This category will recognize the achievements since January 1 2016 of businesses in the U.S.A. that are majority owned by members of an ethnic minority

B46. Veteran-Owned Business of the Year: This category will recognize the achievements since January 1 2016 of businesses in the U.S.A. that are owned by veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces

B47. Energy Industry Innovation of the Year: This category recognizes singular innovations in energy-related technology, production, conservation, storage or delivery, by an organization or an individual in the U.S.A., since January 1 2016.  There is no entry fee for this category

Gold Stevie winners in the 2016 American Business Awards Company / Oraganization of the Year categories include:

Company of the Year - Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Makovsky & Co, New York, NY

Company of the Year - Banking & Financial Services
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
First GREEN Bank, Mount Dora, FL

Company of the Year - Business Services - Less than 100 Employees
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Kount, Boise, ID

Company of the Year - Business Services - 100 to 2,500 Employees
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Fleetmatics, Waltham, MA

Company of the Year - Business Services - More than 2,500 Employees
GOLD STEVIE WINNERS (TIE):
Infinite Computer Solutions, Rockville, MD
TransPerfect, New York, NY

Company of the Year - Computer Hardware & Services
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
QLess Inc., Pasadena, CA

Company of the Year - Computer Software - Up to 500 Employees
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Tintri, Mountain View, CA

Company of the Year - Computer Software - 500 or More Employees
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
HubSpot, Cambridge, MA

Company of the Year - Consumer Products
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Jeunesse Global, Orlando, FL

Company of the Year - Food & Beverage
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Fazoli's Italian Restaurants, Lexington, KY

Topics: American business awards, company awards, new company awards, Startup of the Year

Fourth Annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards Issues Call for Entries

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Nov 02, 2016 @ 10:23 AM

The Stevie® Awards has issued a call for entries for the 2017 (fourth annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the only business awards program to recognize innovation in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region. 

The early-bird entry deadline is November 30.  The final entry deadline is February 8, 2017, but late entries will be accepted through April 5 with the payment of a late fee. Complete entry details are available at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

Asia-Pacific Stevies 2016.jpgThe Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are open to all organizations in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region. The awards focus on recognizing innovation in all its forms, wherever it is achieved in the workplace. Entries will be accepted in seven languages – Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay and Thai - in the following awards category groups:

Asia-Pacific Stevie Award winners will be announced on April 19. Winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during a gala banquet on June 2 in Tokyo, Japan.

Scores of professionals from throughout the region will participate in the judging process to determine the Stevie winners.

Some of the Asia-Pacific region’s most innovative organizations have won Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards in the past three years including Cisco Systems, Crocs Singapore, DHL Express, Ford China, Freelancer.com, Globe Telecom, Harvey Norman, MetLife Asia Ltd., Samsung, Singapore Airlines, Sony, Telkom Indonesia, Volkswagen Group China, and more.

Judging committees for the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are now being formed. Those interested in participating in the judging process may also apply at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

Topics: business awards, innovation awards, company awards, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards Makes Significant Contribution to University Entrepreneurship Program

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, Nov 01, 2016 @ 02:44 PM

The Stevie Awards have a made a significant multi-year financial contribution to the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the School of Business at George Mason University, the largest public university in the State of Virginia in the USA. 

Michael Gallagher, Stevie Awards president and a 1994 MBA graduate of the university, has been actively involved with Mason for more than 20 years. So much so that he was honored with the university’s 2015 Alumni Service Award.

In 2005, he worked closely with the School of Business Alumni Relations staff to create the first Annual Business Alumni Celebration, the School of Business' premiere alumni event. In 2009, he became active with the School of Business Alumni Chapter, serving as vice president of events and then led the group as president for the next two years. After completing his tenure as president, he served as an at-large member for another year and most recently led the chapter's fundraising committee.

innovation-lab-header.jpgGallagher regularly contributes time and money to the School of Business’ annual Deans’ Business Plan Competition and often serves as a mentor to student entrepreneurs.

Still, he wanted to do more.

“I feel strongly about encouraging people to become entrepreneurs,” said Gallagher.

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

“It’s important to ask people face-to-face to do something because it’s hard for them to say no,” explained Gallagher. That’s what happened to him when asked to be involved with Mason, and he’s had “a lot of fun doing it.”

Having already volunteered much of his time and financially supported several of the entrepreneurial activities the School of Business offered, Gallagher saw a natural alignment with his interests and the school’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

He learned through a conversation with David Miller, director of Mason’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, that the center didn’t lack for ideas and projects, it lacked time to properly run and grow the initiatives already created. Gallagher immediately pledged that the Stevie Awards would contribute $195,000 to give the center the gift of time, which comes in the form of a program manager that will help run the center’s programs.

“Entrepreneurs are the babies of the business world. If people don’t have babies there won’t be much of a human race,” he continued. “The same is true for the economy. If you don’t have entrepreneurs, you won’t have economic and job growth.”

With current opportunities for students ranging from field trips, mentor programs, a maker space, business plan competition, an innovation lab, student support groups, and more, Miller found it challenging to provide each initiative the attention it needed to fully serve students. The new program manager funded by the Stevie Awards will be fully dedicated to expanding and resourcing existing opportunities.

This will provide Miller more time to nurture student entrepreneurs and hopefully, increase their success.

“If you have 100 entrepreneurs, maybe one will be successful. That’s the reality of entrepreneurship. I’d like that to be five or six at Mason,” said Gallagher

“Everyone has an expertise in something, and I would like to see Mason, and the USA as a whole, to encourage people to start their own businesses. You don’t have to be Mark Zuckerberg or Sergey Brin. You just need to support yourself and be able to look at yourself in the mirror. You can be a company of one.”

Learn more about Mason’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship or contribute to its success by making a gift.

Topics: entrepreneurship, American business awards, entrepreneur awards, best entrepreneur, female entrepreneurs, donations