Amanda Del Signore

Amanda Del Signore

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Grand Stevie Award-Winner Ingersoll Rand Continues Long History of Progress With Multiple Stevie Awards for Outstanding Growth, Management Personnel

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Tue, Feb 28, 2023 @ 02:27 PM

Ingersoll Rand_aba22Spotlight SquareIngersoll Rand is an American multinational company that provides flow creation systems and industrial products, including air compressors, pumps, blowers, the well-known Club Car brand of electric vehicles and systems for fluid management, loading and material handling.

A global market leader with a broad range of innovative and mission-critical air, fluid, energy and medical technologies, Ingersoll Rand provides services and solutions to increase industrial productivity and efficiency.

Today’s Ingersoll Rand touts a rich history of two leading industrial manufacturers who united in 2020, yet have been making life better for employees, customers, and the planet for more than 160 years. The merger of Gardner Denver, Inc. with the Ingersoll Rand Industrials segment on March 1, 2020, created a global provider of mission-critical flow creation and industrial solutions.

The company has been listed on the NYSE for more than 120 years, making it the 16th oldest company and the 12th oldest continuously listed company. Its journey is carved by innovation, beginning in the 1850s with the debut of a revolutionary effective speed control for steam engines and the invention of its steam-powered rock drill in the 1870s.

The company’s excellence was recognized among 3,700 applicants in The 2022 American Business Awards®, earning honors with a Grand Stevie Award and a Gold Stevie Award for its Achievement in Growth, and a Bronze Stevie Award for its Achievement in Management by an individual leader. One of five Grand Stevie Awards, Ingersoll Rand won the Grand Stevie Award for the Highest-rated nomination of the year among all Stevie winners.IngersollRand_people_aba22

Sustained Achievement in Growth
Ingersoll Rand has grown steadily throughout its history but has experienced some of its largest growth in the past two years, largely due to corporate expansion through mergers, acquisitions, and portfolio transformation. Today, the company has approximately 16,000 employees, more than 100 locations across six continents and more than 40 premium brands that serve a wide variety of industries. It operates in two segments, Industrial Technologies and Services and Precision and Science Technologies.

Achievement in Management
Mary Betsch, Vice President of Sustainability, was recognized as a “Maverick” for her leadership at Ingersoll Rand. Since launching “Operate Sustainably,” a strategic imperative launched in 2020, Mary and her team have yielded impressive results, both internally and across supply networks. In addition to reducing its footprint, new products, innovations, technologies, and investments have created tremendous value for customers addressing their own environmental objectives.

Since Winning in The 2022 American Business Awards
Ingersoll Rand’s growth strategies remain the same. The company leverages its established growth strategies by aligning its portfolio with three global megatrends: digitization, sustainability, and quality of life. The execution of these opportunities is supported by ample liquidity and a strong balance sheet.

The company has seen its largest growth in the past two years. Even during the integration of companies in the middle of a pandemic, Ingersoll Rand not only achieved great financial results, but it also built a strong foundation for long-term success. Driven by the culmination of employee ownership, strategic expansion strategies, innovation, sustainability and purpose-driven execution, its achievements and growth make the company an outlier.

This is the second consecutive year Ingersoll Rand was honored at The American Business Awards. In 2021, the company was honored with three Gold Stevie Awards (Achievement in Management, Campaign of the Year Communications, and Achievement in Human Resources) and two Silver Stevie Awards (Events and Observances Campaign of the Year, and Most Valuable Corporate Response).

Ingersoll Rand won a Gold Stevie Award for Achievement in Growth - Manufacturing, a Bronze Stevie for Maverick of the Year, and the Grand Stevie Award for Highest-rated Nomination of the Year in The 2022 American Business Awards.

Interested in entering The 2023 American Business Awards?

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Topics: American business awards

Gold Stevie-Winning eCommerce Entrepreneur Started Career by Running Errands, Now Leverages Fintech, Blockchain for International Clients

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Thu, Feb 16, 2023 @ 01:34 PM

cf4c778e-ce11-44aa-a81b-c05e7de622f7-photos_upload-Anh-Son-2Stevie-winner Thai Son Nguyen is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of SmartOSC, a premium, full-service eCommerce agency established in 2006. SmartOSC offers solutions in areas from consulting, website development, UX/UI design to managed services.

With a variety of large customers in North America, Singapore, Australia, Japan and Europe, SmartOSC has proved its expertise in guiding companies to take advantage of the online marketplace to drive revenue opportunities. Over the past 16 years, SmartOSC has built its reputation through a focus on eCommerce and cost effectiveness, together with a faster go-to-market service thanks to its scalable resource offering, and a track record of successfully delivering enterprise-level projects. 

Thai Son's customer-centric mindset has led to large, revenue-generating deals and award-winning projects with famous brands like LG, ASUS, and Toshiba, alongside regional giants like Korean ride-hailing firm Baemin and Independent Hardware Group, the largest independent hardware wholesaler in Australia. 

SmartOSC has grown quickly, opening new local entities in competitive markets such as Singapore, Japan, Australia, the US, and the UK, with steady growth even throughout the COVID pandemic.

From Humble Beginnings to Widespread Impact 
Thai Son Nguyen has never been one to stand still. He got his start in commerce running errands at his parents' grocery shop as a young boy before founding and growing one of Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated's (APAC’s) most prestigious eCommerce agencies, SmartOSC Corporation. Under his leadership, the business scaled from zero to more than 800 employees, achieving consistent 50%+ year-over-year growth. His sharp mind and resilience in the last 16 years have proved that he is an entrepreneur of extraordinary talent and a business leader whose impact and influence have extended beyond Vietnam and Asia, especially amid the global pandemic.

Instead of offering basic IT outsourcing services at cut-rate prices like many peers in the Asia Pacific, SmartOSC helps businesses save time and money by enabling them to build excellent experiences for customers on their eCommerce websites. Instead of selling cheap labor resources, Thai Son aims at digging into the nature of the client’s business models, analyzing their operations to offer comprehensive and customized eCommerce solutions for long-term growth.

Thai Son believes his industry has a duty to act in the interest of society in times of crisis. Since 2020, he has been an active force in building a community that knows how to leverage technology for the benefit of society amid the pandemic. SmartOSC collaborated with three other leading companies to introduce the Omnichannel Framework documentation to more than 500 retailers to guide them through the pressure of the strict lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 with digitalization. Thai Son has also invested in cutting-edge eCommerce technology such as ConnectPOS, GritGlobal, Antsomi and other fintech and blockchain applications to ensure global merchants get the best out of digital innovation.

The Vietnamese press has called his company “a pioneer in building the eCommerce community” as they have hosted many events for retailers such as Meet Magento (the largest annual event for the eCommerce community), and the Omnichannel Playbook. 

Years of active and thoughtful leadership have made Thai Son one of Vietnam’s top entrepreneurs. He is now also Vice President of the Vietnam-Australia Business Council (VABC), which strives to create a more favorable business investment environment with technology. Thai Son is also a trusted voice for top media platforms for C-suite members such as Vietnam Innovators, ticker NEWS, and Startup Grind. 

Since Winning His Gold Stevie Award 
Thai Son Nguyen has long been fixed on boosting SmartOSC’s presence across the globe and transcending its sources of advantage. As an eCommerce front-runner, Thai Son is dedicated to growing a network of local entities in new markets for the company, evidenced by SmartOSC’s newly opened office in South Korea. 

By maintaining teams of professionals who are highly knowledgeable of local regulatory structures and consumer markets, SmartOSC has been able to leverage both existing capabilities and new host country-specific capabilities, which help maximize the company’s competitiveness in new markets. The result has been a continuous cycle of exploration, adaptation, enhancement, and the exceptional growth that SmartOSC helps businesses around the globe achieve.

Thai Son’s strengthened ambition is not just reflected in the company’s expansion plan, but also in lower staff turnover and a reinforced digital talent engine. With Thai Son's strong emphasis on building a culture that encourages taking ownership and large ambitions, each organizational unit is characterized by a collective determination to constantly innovate. This helps ensure that SmartOSC's clients worldwide can meet rapidly changing customer needs and deliver exceptional customer experiences.  

SmartOSC Corporation Co-founder & CEO Thai Son Nguyen won a Gold Stevie Award for Best Entrepreneur - Computer Services in The 2022 International Business Awards. Read his Gold-Stevie winning nomination here.

Interested in entering The 2023 International Business Awards? 

 

 

 

 

Topics: International business awards, IBAs, The International Business Awards, IBA23

SAP Solutions in Intelligent Agriculture and Document Reporting Compliance Earn Multiple Stevies in The International Business Awards®

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Wed, Feb 15, 2023 @ 09:22 AM

IBA22 Spotlight, square A market leader in enterprise application software, Stevie-winner SAP is one of the world’s leading producers of software for the management of business processes, developing solutions that facilitate effective data processing and information flow across organizations. They redefine enterprise resource planning (ERP) and created networks of intelligent enterprises that provide transparency, resiliency, and sustainability across supply chains.

Founded in 1972, the company was initially called System Analysis Program Development (Systemanalyse Programmentwicklung), later abbreviated to SAP. Since then, it has grown from a small, five-person endeavor to a multinational enterprise headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, with more than 105,000 employees worldwide.

SAP won two Stevie Awards in The 2022 International Business Awards®: a Silver Stevie for Governance, Risk & Compliance Solution, and a Bronze Stevie for Business or Competitive Intelligence Solution for their "SAP Intelligent Agriculture," both within the Product & Service Categories - Business.

SAP Document and Reporting Compliance
Tax authorities have been continuously increasing the number and complexity of legal mandates, and they are now taking digitalization to the next level, introducing disruptive changes that make the adoption of new technologies essential to remain compliant.

Since the introduction of electronic documents, the world has been evolving toward continuous transaction controls, forcing SAP’s customers to embed tax technologies within the business processes and ensure electronic documents, financial records, and records in the tax authorities’ systems match.

SAP Document and Reporting Compliance provides an overall streamlined process for dealing with local regulations for electronic documents, and statutory reporting greatly reduces the need for manual efforts, leading to higher productivity, more sustainable compliance and to a drastically reduced Total Cost of Ownership for the customer.

SAP® Intelligent Agriculture
Agribusiness companies today are faced with an increasing amount of data captured on the field and farm, but they lack solutions to efficiently use the data to optimize farming processes or provide better farming services. This results in difficulty establishing digital decision-support processes that leverage both farming data and existing farming experience.

The SAP® Intelligent Agriculture helps agribusinesses to increase their profitability per farmed area and support their efforts toward achieving sustainable farming practices. SAP customers can optimize their plan-to-harvest processes while taking advantage of data science and machine learning capabilities.

SAP Intelligent Agriculture helps agribusinesses to increase their profitability per farmed area and support their efforts toward achieving sustainable farming practices.

Since Winning Their Stevie Awards
More recently, SAP released additional legal content increasing ready compliance to 380+ scenarios and reports, responding to newly introduced mandates like SAF-T reporting in Romania.

The offering has been enriched with further automation capabilities to smooth ongoing maintenance, flexible handling of withholding tax certificates via email, and electronic ordering through Peppol Network.

SAP won a Silver Stevie Award for Governance, Risk & Compliance Solution and a Bronze Stevie Award for Business or Competitive Intelligence Solution in the Product & Service Categories - Business in The 2022 International Business Awards.

Interested in entering The 2023 International Business Awards?

Request the Entry Kit

 

Topics: International business awards, IBAs, The International Business Awards, IBA23

Nobul's Open Real Estate Marketplace App Brings Transparency, Accountability to Real Estate Industry

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Tue, Jan 31, 2023 @ 02:22 PM

Nobul_ABA22Spotlight_SquareStevie-winner Nobul real estate marketplace platform was built to disrupt North American real estate by empowering home buyers/sellers and increasing healthy competition and transparency among agents.

Nobul empowers home buyers and sellers with unprecedented information transparency,
choice and control when it comes to their real estate transactions, which, for many people, is the largest transaction of their lives.

Approximately 90% of today’s consumers rely on online reviews (such as Yelp, Google, etc) before choosing/visiting a business. Until now, there hasn’t been the right resource with aggregated ratings for prospective home buyers/sellers to objectively evaluate real estate agents. What’s worse, they usually end up paying a price far removed from the actual estimated property value.

Nobul solves this problem by providing a transparent, centralized platform that supports all aspects of the real estate experience, including traditional multiple listing service (MLS) listings, agent transaction history, services offered, and more. After a user inputs information about a property that they may be looking to buy or sell, the Nobul platform leverages advanced AI technology to assign a “match score” for each agent based on criteria applied by the consumer, for instance, years of experience, local knowledge, language, etc.Nobultech Graphic_ABA22Winner

Consider this example: if a user is looking to purchase a condo or lock in a 4% commission agreement over a 5% one, they will get matched with someone who has a high-rank score based on those factors. Users then receive multiple bids from these agents, who are further evaluated based on commission, real estate transaction track record, and other key data points.

And, realtors win, too. Real estate agents get matched with buyers and sellers who are a good fit for their services and expertise without having to spend money upfront on marketing and advertisement.

Finally, Nobul provides the consumer with an upfront estimate of how much they will spend or save by working with that agent. The goal is to put the transaction power back in the hands of the home buyers/sellers and elevate the overall experience of real estate transactions for a new generation.

Since Winning Their Stevie
Nobul has achieved billions of dollars in sales across more than 100 markets throughout North America. In December 2021, Nobul surpassed over $5 billion dollars in completed sales.

Nobul is continuing its nationwide rollout into key markets across the United States. In May 2022. Nobul made its marketplace available throughout Texas, including but not limited to Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso. With Nobul, buyers and sellers in Texas can now review criteria and data to help them choose the right real estate agent for them while agents compete for their business in real time. 

Nobul won a Gold Stevie Award in the Mobile Web & App Awards category - Real Estate in The 2022 American Business Awards.

Interested in entering The 2023 American Business Awards?

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Topics: The American Business Awards, ABA, American business awards

Gold-winning IMPACT App Helps Users Make Socially Responsible Investment Choices

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Tue, Jan 31, 2023 @ 01:57 PM

Screen Shot 2023-01-03 at 4.33.03 PM copy-1Stevie-winner Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is an American multinational brokerage firm. It operates the largest electronic trading platform in the United States by number of daily average revenue trades. The company brokers stocks, options, futures, EFPs, futures options, forex, bonds, funds, and some cryptocurrencies.

IBKR conducts its broker/dealer business on over 150 market destinations worldwide, providing direct access (“online”) trade execution and clearing services to institutional and professional traders for a wide variety of electronically traded products including stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, gold, crypto, and funds.

IBKR is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA, and has over 2,650 employees in its offices in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Hungary, India, China (Hong Kong and Shanghai), Japan, Singapore, and Australia.

IBKR won a Gold Stevie Award for their mobile trading platform for socially conscious investors called IMPACT.

IMPACT by Interactive Brokers
IMPACT is a mobile trading platform for socially conscious investors that is bringing transparency to investing. IBKR believes that everyone should know as much as possible about the business practices of the companies they invest in. IMPACT was created as the simplest way to invest in companies that are aligned with the values investors care most about.

IMPACT allows investors to select their personal investment criteria from 13 impact values and principles: Clean Air, Pure Water, Ocean Life, Land Health, Consumer Safety, Ethical Leadership, Gender Equality, Racial Equality, LGBTQ Inclusion, Company Transparency, Sustainable Product Lifecycle, Mindful Business Models, and Fair Labor & Thriving Communities.

Investors can also exclude investments based on 10 categories: animal testing, business ethics controversies, corporate political spending and lobbying, energy-intensive, fossil fuels, greenhouse emissions, hazardous waste, high water usage, tobacco, alcohol and gambling, and weapons and gun manufacturers.

Based on these selections, the app provides impact scores on existing portfolios and holdings and identifies companies that align with investors’ selected criteria. Ultimately, IMPACT makes it easy to find and invest in companies that share your values, helping to better align your portfolio with the kind of world you want to create.

IMPACT: Post-Launch
Since launching IMPACT by IBKR, the team has continued to evolve the product to better enable access across the globe. This includes not only regularly reevaluating and enhancing the app’s tools to further educate clients and simplify sustainable journeys, but also adding new features such as “Carbon Offsets,” which allows users to take control of and reduce their individual carbon emissions.

Looking forward, they aim to continue to develop and introduce new features as part of their ongoing effort to encourage investment that will ultimately improve lives today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

Interactive Brokers won a Gold Stevie Award in App & Mobile Website - Financial Services/Banking in The 2022 American Business Awards®.

Interested in entering The 2023 American Business Awards?

Request the Entry Kit

Topics: The American Business Awards, ABA, American business awards

"Mercenaries of the Business World": Veteran-Run Consulting Firm Wins Gold for Workforce Solutions

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Mon, Jan 30, 2023 @ 11:02 AM

OSMEAC Solutions_ABA22Winner_SquareStevie-winner OSMEAC Solutions is one of America's leading-edge accounting consulting firms. They are considered to be in the top 1% of accounting and finance professionals and are publicly marketed as such by their network partners.

With a mission to be "Mercenaries of the Business World," OSMEAC Solutions works to ensure that every client has clear and legible accounting records, financial foresight, and the ability to make sound business decisions. They utilize a fully remote team that spans the United States, assisting clients across North America and now Europe, and facilitating the future evolution of back-office workforce solutions.

President and Founder Charlie Osborne, a US Marine veteran, grew OSMEAC Solutions from $120,000 per year in revenue from 2019 to over $1.2 million in annual revenue in one and a half years, with revenue projected to double over the next 12 months.

From Military Service to Consulting Services
After separating from service with the US Marine Corps, Charlie earned both his bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Accounting. He went on to work for several companies and industries in construction, gaining skills related to SaaS, Tech, Education, Insurance, and eCommerce. He Charlie Osborneheld every position in the accounting and finance field before leaving the corporate world as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and starting his own Contract CFO firm.

After a few years on his own, seeing the lack of communication and full-service offerings from other firms in his field, he brought a team of highly skilled individuals together to provide a wide array of services to best meet his client’s needs on a contracted basis.

Navigating the Pandemic
In 2020, COVID-19 hit most companies hard. Charlie continued to provide support to his clients despite not always getting paid on time, or at all due to the hardships that were endured. As a result, Charlie found a way to continue growing his business tenfold from 2020 to 2021.

With that growth, he was able to hire over 13 employees in a very short time frame and give opportunities to those in the accounting industry who had been laid off or put out of business. That number continues to grow, with a plan to add 5 more accounting professionals in the next few months.
Team
OSMEAC Solutions provides a fully remote work environment, staying ahead of the curve from most accounting professionals that are afraid to make the jump. Charlie hired employees in 10 different states, and that allowed OSMEAC Solutions to service clients nationally, but also internationally where there is a need for back-office support in an era of increasing mergers and acquisitions.

Through Charlie's leadership skills gained while leading Marines in high-stress combat situations, he has honed-in on the needs of people, clients, and employees to help everyone find that success they are looking for. He attributes his success to his Marines, employees, clients, and family who have helped shape him into the leader he is today.

Since Winning a Stevie Award
OSMEAC Solutions has continued to provide a fully remote, flexible work environment to retain and hire the top accounting talent in the United States. They now provide back-office accounting and finance solutions all over North America and Europe.

They have helped several small businesses scale by providing accurate data and reporting so business owners can make crucial decisions. OSMEAC Solutions has also moved over 6 different corporations from a cash-based accounting method to accrual to comply with US GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) and gain better insight into their margins.

OSMEAC Solutions won a Gold Stevie Award for Veteran-Owned Business of the Year in The 2022 American Business Awards.

Interested in entering The 2023 American Business Awards?

Request the Entry Kit

Topics: The American Business Awards, ABA, American business awards

Gold Stevie-winning IMPACT App Helps Users Make Socially Responsible Investment Choices

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Fri, Jan 27, 2023 @ 11:46 AM

Screen Shot 2023-01-03 at 4.33.03 PM copyStevie-winner Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is an American multinational brokerage firm. It operates the largest electronic trading platform in the United States by number of daily average revenue trades. The company brokers stocks, options, futures, EFPs, futures options, forex, bonds, funds, and some cryptocurrencies.

IBKR conducts its broker/dealer business on over 150 market destinations worldwide, providing direct access (“online”) trade execution and clearing services to institutional and professional traders for a wide variety of electronically traded products including stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, gold, crypto, and funds.

IBKR is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA, and has over 2,650 employees in its offices in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Hungary, India, China (Hong Kong and Shanghai), Japan, Singapore, and Australia.

IBKR won a Gold Stevie Award for their mobile trading platform for socially conscious investors called IMPACT.

IMPACT by Interactive Brokers
IMPACT is a mobile trading platform for socially conscious investors that is bringing transparency to investing. IBKR believes that everyone should know as much as possible about the business practices of the companies they invest in. IMPACT was created as the simplest way to invest in companies that are aligned with the values investors care most about. Interactive Brokers_aba22 - Edited

IMPACT allows investors to select their personal investment criteria from 13 impact values and
principles: Clean Air, Pure Water, Ocean Life, Land Health, Consumer Safety, Ethical Leadership, Gender Equality, Racial Equality, LGBTQ Inclusion, Company Transparency, Sustainable Product Lifecycle, Mindful Business Models, and Fair Labor & Thriving Communities.

Investors can also exclude investments based on 10 categories: animal testing, business ethics controversies, corporate political spending and lobbying, energy-intensive, fossil fuels, greenhouse emissions, hazardous waste, high water usage, tobacco, alcohol and gambling, and weapons and gun manufacturers.

Based on these selections, the app provides impact scores on existing portfolios and holdings and identifies companies that align with investors’ selected criteria. Ultimately, IMPACT makes it easy to find and invest in companies that share your values, helping to better align your portfolio with the kind of world you want to create.

IMPACT: Post-Launch
Since launching IMPACT by IBKR, the team has continued to evolve the product to better enable access across the globe. This includes not only regularly reevaluating and enhancing the app’s tools to further educate clients and simplify sustainable journeys, but also adding new features such as “Carbon Offsets,” which allows users to take control of and reduce their individual carbon emissions.

Looking forward, they aim to continue to develop and introduce new features as part of their ongoing effort to encourage investment that will ultimately improve lives today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

Interactive Brokers won a Gold Stevie Award in App & Mobile Website - Financial Services/Banking in The 2022 American Business Awards®.

 Interested in entering The 2023 American Business Awards?

Request the Entry Kit

Topics: The American Business Awards, ABA, American business awards

How Gold Stevie-Winner LINK Agency Enabled Pura Vida to Go Viral on TikTok

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Mon, Jan 23, 2023 @ 03:30 PM

Franscisco CO-FounderStevie-winner LINK Agency is a Los Angeles-based social media marketing company specializing in data-driven, short-form advertising optimized for the attention span of the TikTok generation. At LINK, they seek to make ads entertaining and to empower digital content creators to become entrepreneurs with their own content.

Their patent-pending methodology links brands with TikTok trends and creative strategy to produce extremely high-performing content. They support companies with content production, media campaigns, auditing/consulting/strategy, and viral campaigns, using a combination of targeted and paid media.

LINK Agency campaigns have, to date, produced over 3 billion organic impressions and over 2 million in user-generated content. Their campaigns result in an average of $2.30 organic CPM and have a 24-hour average watch time for monthly active users.

Jewelry company Pura Vida approached LINK when they wanted to develop more disruptive campaigns on TikTok to take their presence to the next level.

The Pura Vida TikTok Campaign
Pura Vida is a jewelry company committed to providing sustainable employment for communities of artisans who handcraft bracelets to spread the “pura vida” lifestyle and ignite positive change for people and the planet.

Pura Vida got in touch with LINK Agency to gain more coverage about LINK's partnership with the influencer Charli D’Amelio and seek creative ideas for the execution of the TikTok campaign.
LINKAgency_Square
LINK Agency conducted a deep dive of Pura Vida’s brand identity and designed a creative
strategy for their 3-week optimal TikTok campaign to support their new product launch. They also created multiple pieces of content for the Pura Vida page, which were concentrated over a 15-day timeline for maximum impact. LINK takes a unique approach to campaigns—they are detail- and data-driven, and have a knack for picking sounds that have the potential to go viral and also reflect clients' brands perfectly.

LINK provided creative input and executional support for the production of the song and its implementation, as well as guidance about music licensing on the growing video platform – a disruptive method for establishing brand awareness at scale.

The chosen campaign song, Pura Vida Feel Like By Andrey Azizov, went viral on TikTok with over 11,000 user-generated videos and over 100 million organic views in the #ShowUsYourHappy challenge period. The use of micro creators was leveraged thereafter to amplify the challenge.

Since Winning Their Stevie Award
With their Gold Stevie Award-winning campaign for Pura Vida, LINK achieved a 2.2x growth of the brand channel from 117,600 to 256,400 followers on TikTok during the 3-week promotion time. The campaign resulted in over 100 million total views from the TikTok videos using the Pura Vida sound and a total of 10.8 million likes as of May 2021.

In the last 18 months, LINK has collaborated with clients like Gameloft, Pura Vida, Supercell, Space Ape, Steve Madden, Sky Castle, Exodus, Guru Energy, Lingokids, among others. They have been hiring top-class talent to support creative needs, most recently hiring Frederico Lopes as COO and Joaquim Salgueiro as Paid Media Director. With both joining as Partners in the Company, LINK aims to raise the bar of operational excellence and continue reaching more brands and help them take advantage of new and ever-changing disruptive social media marketing opportunities.

They are also developing a new platform and implementing processes that allow clients to review, approve, and provide content feedback faster and more effectively. This will enable them to provide real-time data work and results updates to clients.

LINK Agency won a Gold Stevie Award for Influencer Marketing Campaign of the Year in The 2022 American Business Awards®.

Interested in entering The 2023 American Business Awards?

Request the Entry Kit

 

Topics: The American Business Awards, ABA, American business awards

Women-Owned E-Commerce Company Selling Clothing and Fine Jewelry Pivots to Support Lab, Hospital, PPE Needs During COVID Crisis

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Mon, Jan 23, 2023 @ 02:21 PM

SarisAndThings_ABA22Winner SpotlightWomen-owned Saris and Things was launched in 2011 as an online-only business where customers could rent or buy traditional Indian clothing and accessories, including shoes, jewelry, and wedding clothing. Within two years, their business quickly expanded to Amazon and other online marketplaces, where they became a top seller of many brands of clothing and fine jewelry.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Saris and Things pivoted to sell face masks, hand sanitizers, gloves, and other PPE items that were suddenly in high demand. In 2021, they again expanded their inventory to sell COVID test kits and lab supplies under their DBA SNT Biotech. By staying alert to customer needs and adapting quickly, Saris and Things was able to thrive during a time of rapid, global change and uncertainty.

Determining and Prioritizing Customer Needs
Before the pandemic began in 2020, Sari and Things was an exclusive online business selling or renting traditional Indian clothing and accessories to customers at a fraction of retail prices. They feature large collections for men and women of pre-pleated saris, lehengas, anarkalis, and sherwanis for Indian weddings and Bollywood-themed parties. They also offer group discount codes and assistance to brides, event organizers, and wedding planners.

As soon as the need for face masks became clear, they immediately began selling cloth face masks in their online storefronts. In fact, they were one of the first Amazon sellers to sell cloth face masks in March 2020, selling thousands of masks since. They decided to offer more in-demand COVID-19 items later, including gloves, hand sanitizer, pulse oximeters, multiple types of face masks, and varying PPE items.SarisandThings_caption_ABA22

Remaining vigilant to broader market needs in this economic environment, Saris and Things DBA SNT Biotech then began reaching out to laboratories to offer PPE products and  lab consumables like swab kits, tubes, and biohazard bags. They realized the market potential in this evolving market and mobilized operations to expand this arm of their company even further.

Upon request from many of their lab customers, SNT Biotech started assembling their own FDA-registered PCR collection kits and distributing them throughout the USA. By 2021, they had become one of the largest wholesale suppliers of PCR and rapid-antigen tests, delivering to over 500 laboratories and hospitals.

During a time when many businesses were struggling to survive, Sari and Things found a way to pivot and become part of the solution to combat the COVID crisis. Although they started out in the fashion industry for a niche group of consumers, they took the leap to drastically alter and expand their inventory and client network. This foresight and adaptability enabled them to save their business from shutting its doors. At the same time, they were able to help countless individuals, hospitals, and laboratories gain access to essential PPE,  test kits, and medical supplies.

Since Winning Their Stevie
Sari and Things, DBA SNT Biotech has seen its revenue grow by over 2000% since winning their Silver Stevie Award. Today, they are one of the leading national suppliers of Hospital Supplies, Lab Consumables, PCR collection kits, and OTC and POC Rapid Antigen test kits to labs and hospitals around the country.

Saris and Things, Inc. won a Silver Stevie Award for Fastest Growing Company of the Year Among Companies with Up to 100 Employees in The 2022 American Business Awards.

Interested in entering The 2023 American Business Awards?

Request the Entry Kit

Topics: The American Business Awards, ABA, American business awards

NRPR Group’s Expanded Offerings Help New Businesses Scale from Concept to Startup

Posted by Amanda Del Signore on Mon, Jan 16, 2023 @ 01:21 PM

ABA22Winner_NRPRStevie-award winner NRPR Group is a full-service public relations (PR) and strategic positioning agency that serves disruptive enterprises, startups, and thought leaders within the consumer tech, HealthTech, sports, entertainment, diagnostics, and web3 innovation spaces.

Its team is made up of master storytellers, strategists, editors, publicists, and marketing minds working together to capture the true essence and soul of the brands they represent.

Headquartered in the heart of Beverly Hills, California with roots in Silicon Valley and offices across the United States, NRPR prides itself on having a powerful global network of visionaries and talent while maintaining an unwavering commitment to uplevel the way that PR is done at home and abroad.

Continuously expanding their offerings portfolio to match their clients’ evolving needs, NRPR possesses the power to help brands go from concept to reality, while delivering meaningful, measurable press results and public buy-in along the way.

NRPR Biz Pro
NRPR won a Gold Stevie Award for the launch of NRPR Business Productions (Biz Pro™), its
business development arm that offers new businesses full concept-to-opening launch support, ranging from legal entity creation to brand identity and design.aba22_NRPRGroupCEO_NRodriguez_caption

With this new branch of business, NRPR became the only PR agency to offer cutting-edge, multimedia content creation services through NRPR Productions and end-to-end, pre-launch business development strategy and support in addition to its core multi-channel public relations services.

The idea for NRPR Biz Pro sprang from the team’s understanding that many ambitious entrepreneurs have incredible concepts for a new product or service, but often don't know how to move forward logistically to turn that concept into a registered, operating business. Throughout the pandemic when faced with massive industries shifts, global economic shutdowns, and a rise in demand for COVID-related products and services several of these budding business owners sought out NRPR’s PR and marketing expertise before their actual company had been solidified.

NRPR's CEO and founder, Nicole Rodrigues, recognized the opportunity to partner even more closely with the visionaries her team serves by helping guide them through the early nuances of those pre-launch logistics in a way that could seamlessly set them up for strong storytelling and PR campaigns later. By doing so, she meaningfully disrupted the way in which truly end-to-end and thoughtful PR is done in the modern era, as NRPR Biz Pro is the first end-to-end, strategic business development offering of its kind within the PR landscape.

Going Above & Beyond
By partnering with a business owner in the earliest days of idea development and helping them navigate the complexities of incorporating the company, setting up scalable financial systems and legal entities, and helping outline a strong brand identity (to name a few of the services included within NRPR Biz Pro’s offerings), NRPR takes those clients who have trusted the agency with their story through the full spectrum of business strategy and branding support.

This is just one of the many services that NRPR offers its clients to go far beyond what traditional PR firms are willing to handle, including logo and brand identity development, website and digital media development, newsletter creation and strategic messaging framework, pitch deck creation, investor relationship building, and more.

Once those essential gears are operating at full capacity, startups can be confident that PR and marketing teams can then capture the essence of their story and brand to capture the audience they intend to reach.

"We’ve fought hard to overcome every single challenge presented to us, our clients, and our community throughout this pandemic,” said Rodrigues. “While our team put in the work, energy, and grit to remain a resilient, award-winning agency that current and future clients can rely on, we are also aware of what a blessing it is to continue to thrive against all odds recently. I am so proud of the team we have been able to expand into, the clients we have brought onboard, the new ventures we have helped establish, and the industry recognition we have been awarded for those efforts." 

NRPR Group won a Gold Stevie Award for PR Innovation of the Year in The 2022 American Business Awards®.

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Topics: The American Business Awards, ABA