We've just published a new video entitled "How to Enter the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.  Watch it now.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the first new Stevie Awards program to be launched in seven years.  This business awards program is open to all organizations operating in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region.  There are 18 categories to choose from, and entries may be submitted, and will be judged, in Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay and Thai languages.

The early-bird deadline, with discounted entry fees, for the 2014 competition is November 6.  The final deadline is December 4, and late entries will be accepted through March 31.  Finalists will be announced on April 9, and celebrated at an awards event Seoul at the Lotte Hotel on May 30.

The new video provides a whirlwind tour of the awards' website and the category-selection and entry-submission processes.  The entry process for the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards is a bit different from that of other Stevie Awards programs, as the website is built on an entirely new platform.  So even if you're a long-time entrant in Stevie Awards programs, we recommend that you watch this video.

Versions of the video in a number of other languages will be available soon.

Learn more about the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

Makovsky Integrated Communications received the first-ever Grand Stevie Award for Interactive Services Agency of the Year in The 2013 American Business Awards, the top business awards program in the U.S.A.  (Entry to The 2014 American Business Awards is now open. Find out more here.)  Here we look at what winning the Grand Stevie has meant to the company; and at Makovsky’s work for MediScripts, which earned them two Gold Stevies in the Marketing Awards categories of the 2013 ABAs for Online Marketing Campaign of the Year and for Business-to-Business Marketing Campaign of the Year.

When Timothy Kane, Makovsky’s Executive Vice President, Digital Branding, heard that his firm had received the 2013 Grand Stevie for Interactive Services Agency of the Year, he was both delighted and surprised.

 “It was especially gratifying because we’ve made a major effort to build our integrated and interactive capabilities,” said Tim. “In fact, I joined the firm specifically to establish a digital practice. This Grand Stevie is a wonderful acknowledgement that we are accomplishing our goal.”

MediScripts’ Marketing Challenge

Tim was the executive in charge of Makovsky’s multiple Stevie Award-winning MediScripts marketing campaign. “For nearly 20 years, MediScripts had enjoyed an almost effortless increase in sales and profits,” he explained.  “MediScripts’ personalized prescription pads were the perfect way for pharma companies to put their messages right in physicians’ hands at the exact point of prescription.”

But then everything changed.

A Shift to Digital Channels

In recent years, pharma marketers have been shifting an increasing percentage of their marketing dollars away from traditional marketing vehicles and into digital channels. Younger brand managers began to dismiss MediScripts as just another tchotchke.

Makovsky’s challenge was to find a way to move MediScripts out of that tchotchke graveyard and into the world of multichannel marketing.

Introducing a New Medium

The first step was to reposition MediScripts as an actual advertising medium:

MediScripts. The most engaging medium. The agency then redesigned MediScripts’ brand identity, with a modern proprietary font and an icon specifically designed for use in digital applications.

Next, Makovsky suggested a shift in targeting. Over the years, MediScripts had aimed the majority of its marketing efforts toward senior brand marketers at the major pharmaceutical companies. Makovsky suggested broadening their targeting strategy to include younger brand managers, agency media planners, and agency creative directors. Why? Because brand managers control the budget; media planners control the buy; and creative directors control the campaign idea.

The new MediScripts launched in September 2011:

• A new MediScripts website featured separate user interface pathways for its three targets: Brand Managers, Media Planners, and Creative Directors. (This award winning website won a Silver Stevie in the website awards categories of The 2013 American Business Awards.)

• A campaign of provocative digital ads confronted the conventional media wisdom. Headlines like "What ad is more effective than any ad on this site?" drove MediScripts’ targets to the new website in record numbers.

• Erez Lapsker, the young CEO of MediScripts, became the public face of the brand, authoring bylined articles, white papers, and podcasts, and hosting a Marketing Agency Happy Hour with representatives from key organizations.

• Feature articles in major pharma marketing publications such as Med Ad News, PM360, and PharmaVOICE repositioned the company and legitimized point-of-prescription advertising.

From Antiquated to Innovative

Makovsky’s work for the new MediScripts produced immediate results. In the first 90 days of the campaign:

• Website traffic shot up by 120%; unique visits increased over 80%;

• Six feature articles and a corporate announcement produced 65 million media impressions;

• The podcast was downloaded 765 times by key targets and the white paper 104 times;

• The advertising produced historic click-through rates—as high as 4,800% above industry norms.
  

But there was one final—and unexpected—result. MediScripts, once considered an antiquated company with an irrelevant value proposition, was named PM360’s Most Innovative Company of the Year, for its ability to show value within the digital space and convey measurable engagement.

Tim summarized it this way: “The hardest part of any digital campaign is how to measure its success.  Not only was MediScripts able to see an increase in meetings and sales, but also the campaign paid for itself almost immediately.”

About Timothy Kane
Timothy Kane is Executive Vice President, Digital Branding at Makovsky Integrated Communications.  In his thirty-year career as an award-winning writer, designer, and marketing strategist, Tim has developed a unique perspective on the value of branding. "The market always rewards strength," he says. "And strength is revealed through communications." 

About Makovsky Integrated Communications
Kenneth D. Makovsky launched the firm in 1979 with a simple philosophy: “There is no task so difficult that it can’t be accomplished by a team of smart people working in harmony.” That mantra holds true more than 30 years later. Though many of Makovsky’s people have big agency and big brand credentials on their résumés, everyone shares an entrepreneurial mindset, infusing everything the company does with a sense of urgency and total commitment to results. That fosters a culture of collaboration, bound by a shared dedication to exceed clients’ expectations.  For more information visit: http://www.makovsky.com/

Cynthia Good is the founder and CEO of Little PINK Book, and is chair of the final judging committee for the media awards categories in the 2013 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run. We asked Cynthia about her experience as a Stevie Award winner, the value of awards programs for women in business, and what inspires her.

Here’s what Cynthia had to say about being a Final Judging Committee Chair, and her own experience of winning a Stevie Award:

“I personally value the invitation to chair one of this year's final judging committees.   At PINK, we have found that whenever we contacted our friends - all senior level women, at Walmart, HP, Accenture, Estee Lauder, Ahava, JPMorgan Chase, and UPS - they were thrilled to join the committee to judge the Stevie Awards.  It speaks volumes about the Stevie Awards organization that some of the most prominent women at many of the world's top companies are willing to take the time to be part of this.  It also shows the commitment their own organizations have to helping women succeed.

“The Stevie Awards have a great reputation and many longtime partners of PINK also participate. We have been excited to share the work PINK has done and to be recognized for the hard work the team at PINK has put in over the years to tell the story about women, career, and advancement.

“At PINK we were especially pleased to have received the Gold Stevie Award in the website awards category for two consecutive years (2011 and 2012) from the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. I’m so proud of the PINK team. It is their hard work that resulted in this recognition. And we all appreciate the support given by the Stevie Awards to organizations working to promote women in business.” 

We asked Cynthia for some advice on what Corporate America can do to expand the roles of women and minorities in the workplace.  Here’s what she told us:

“In our work with corporations to advance women and minorities we’ve found that most companies rely primarily on mentoring, networking, affinity groups, and sponsorship programs as the means of advancing diversity; but this isn’t enough to change the metrics.

“At most companies, diversity engagement becomes the responsibility of the HR and Diversity departments in order to make sure a company is compliant and that minority employees have a sounding board. But this does not drive real change and may even contribute to a continuation of the status quo.

“How to fix it?  What we at PINK have found is often lacking is full endorsement from the top. Once the CEO of a company decides to measure and then increase diversity participation in leadership roles, then we can bring about real change.

“At PINK, we will only work with companies to increase diversity leadership when there is full support and direction from the top. This makes it far easier for Diversity and HR to set--and then achieve--specific goals.

“Advancement within a company or organization requires not just the full participation of the individual diversity candidate: it means finding out what each candidate is most passionate about; what the obstacles to advancement are; and what it will take to overcome those obstacles.”

When asked for her sources of inspiration, Cynthia told us:

“Eighty percent of those in PINK’s community say they advanced in their career because of Little PINK Book. It is those individual stories of inspiration that keep us motivated and excited to get up every morning.

“You can read one example in a recent feature story we ran on America’s Top 10 Female CFOs.  Another was the Facebook Contest we organized that gave one contestant a week at Canyon Ranch Spa for sharing how she had found the ‘courage to do what she loves.’ We also share the wisdom of women leaders every year at our signature events.  The next one, our 9^th Annual Fall Empowerment Event, is November 12 in Atlanta, and we will be live-streaming it free for women around the world to watch, learn, and be as inspired as we are by these leaders’ stories of triumph.”

2013 Judging and Awards Dinner and Ceremonies:

The final judging committees of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business are currently determining the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the winners. In addition to the media categories, The Stevie Awards for Women in Business final judging committees will also confer marketing awards, new product awards, management awards, company awards, and PR awards. The awards will be announced and presented, and the recipients and judges will be celebrated, at the 2013 (10th annual) awards dinner and ceremonies. The dinner will be held on Friday, November 8 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, New York City. Tickets are still available.

About Cynthia Good:
Cynthia Good is the founder and CEO of Little PINK Book, America's #1 digital platform for career women. PINK launched in 2005 as the only national women's business magazine, which under Cynthia’s leadership grew to a readership of 650,000. She then grew the digital version, LittlePINKBook.com, into America's top online resource for working women. Now she's bringing advancement directly to Fortune 500 companies with programs such as ITAP (Identify, Track, Advance, Promote), enabling corporate America to increase the diversity representation of women and minorities in leadership roles. "It's our legacy work," says AIG.

PINK has won numerous industry honors including the Ozzie Award for Best Feature, and the Gold Stevie for Best Website from the Stevie Awards for Women in Business for two consecutive years. Stories featuring top women in business on LittlePINKBook.com continue to inspire generations of ambitious women. Cynthia has written six books and appears regularly as a women's business expert on evening newscasts. She gives speeches to corporate and entrepreneurial groups alike, including The Coca-Cola Company, Ford Motor Company, McKesson, Andrews Kurth, Hilton Worldwide, Deloitte, and KPMG.

A self-described Famillionaire, Cynthia knows riches are in family. She lives in Atlanta, GA, USA with her husband of more than 20 years and their two sons, Alden and Julien; two miniature horses; four chickens; and Lucy their giant orange cat.

About Little PINK Book:
Little PINK Book describes itself as:  “Your daily dose of encouragement and inspiration to follow your dreams and have the beautiful career and beautiful life you deserve.”  For more information, go to www.littlepinkbook.com.

We're expecting more than 300 executives from organizations in more than 25 nations to attend The 10th Annual International Business Awards banquet at the W Hotel in Barcelona, Spain on October 14. Tickets are still available.

The IBAs are the world's premier business awards program, with categories to recognize the achievements of professionals in every facet of the workplace.  Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie® Awards will be conferred.  The IBAs feature categories for management awards, marketing awards, overall business excellence, customer service awards, HR awards, IT awards, PR awards, app and website awards, new product awards, and more.

Our guest room block at the W Hotel in Barcelona has sold out.  Any rooms still available at the W for the night of the 14th and adjacent nights will be at market rates.  There are plenty of other fine hotels in Barcelona within a short taxi ride of the W. Among them are the AC Hotel Barcelona Forum and the Hotel Arts Barcelona. See this article for a list of other hotels in the area.

Here's the list of organizations that have already booked their places for The 2013 International Business Awards:

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
Accenture Chicago IL USA
ADCO  Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
ADTRAN Inc. Huntsville AL USA
AECOM New York NY USA
Ajman Police GHQ Ajman United Arab Emirates
Akbank TAS Istanbul Turkey
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller Dubai United Arab Emirates
AstraZeneca Middle East & Africa
Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd (Astro) Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
AVL Emission Test Systems GmbH Neuss Germany
AYGAZ Istanbul Turkey
Bahrain National Gas Company Manama Bahrain
Bakkavor Group Ltd Spalding Lincolnshire United Kingdom
Best Doctors Inc. Boston MA
CallidusCloud Pleasanton CA USA
CEZ Bulgaria EAD Sofia
Cisco Systems Inc. San Jose CA U.S.A.
Coca-Cola HBC Croatia Zagreb Croatia
Codan Insurance Copenhagen Denmark
Creative Virtual Ltd London United Kingdom
Daimler AG Stuttgart Germany
DANI Communications Seoul South Korea
Dell Bratislava Slovakia
Diamantis Masoutis S.A. Thessaloniki Greece
ECIJA Abogados Madrid Spain
Everything Everywhere London United Kingdom
Firmex Toronto ON Canada
Forests to Protect Lives Tohoku Association Miyagi Japan
Freelancer.com Sydney Australia
Garden Centre Dhaka Bangladesh
GDC Technology Limited Hong Kong
GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications Manila Philippines
GINGERS s.r.o. Bratislava Slovakia
GLOBAL EVENTS ID Corporation SL Madrid Spain
Global Leaders in Law Beaconsfield United Kingdom
Goyang City South Korea
GreenBulb PR Inc Metro Manila Philippines
GUBRETAS Istanbul Turkey
HANAROADCOM Seoul South Korea
Hanwoo Board Seoul South Korea
Heaven by Deborah Mitchell Shifnal Shropshire United Kingdom
Home Retail Group - Contact Centre (Model Office) Warfield United Kingdom
Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong) Limited
Hzo Inc. Draper UT USA
Implix sp. z o.o. Gdansk Poland
Inovex Inc. Oakville ON Canada
inspiria event service GmbH Salzburg Austria
International Armoring Corporation Centerville UT USA
Jeju Free International City Development Center Jeju City South Korea
Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council Jeju City South Korea
KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Company Seoul South Korea
Koç Holding Istanbul Turkey
Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology Seoul South Korea
Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation Seoul South Korea
Korea Southern Power Co., Ltd Seoul South Korea
Korea Transportation Safety Authority Seoul South Korea
KOROAD Seoul South Korea
KW Digital Stockholm Sweden
LLORENTE & CUENCA Madrid Spain
Maras Group Adelaide Australia
Marketing Services Press Agency  Siegburg Germany
M-CAT Enterprises LLC Austin TX USA
McCain Foods London United Kingdom
Mediafon Vilnius Lithuania
Mercedes-Benz Istanbul Turkey
MetaMoJi Corporation Tokyo Japan
Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources of Singapore
Nu Skin Enterprises (China Hong Kong Taiwan)
Nunwood London United Kingdom
Ooredoo  Doha Qatar
OPET Istanbul Turkey
other London United Kingdom
OTTOGI Corporation Seoul South Korea
Partner of Promotion Sp. z o.o. Warsaw Poland
promio.net GmbH Bonn Germany
PT Adaro Energy Tbk Jakarta Indonesia
PT Bank Permata Tbk. Jakarta Indonesia
Quality Systems Inc. Irvine CA USA
Reading Room Singapore
REN Lisboa Portugal
Riverbed Technology Reston VA USA
RTR Rete Rinnovabile Rome Italy
Ryan LLC Dallas TX USA
Salalah Free Zone Company Dhofar Oman
SAS Paradise Rescued Cardan Bordeaux France
Seznam.cz Prague Czech Republic
Shell & Turcas Petrol A.S. Turkey
Siemens AG Healthcare Sector Erlangen Germany
Smart Cookie Guildford United Kingdom
SmartSite LLC La Plata USA
SNAS - DHL Express Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Strategic Public Relations Group Hong Kong
SUNGWOOADCOM Seoul South Korea
Telecom Development Company Afghanistan LTD [Roshan] Kabul Afghanistan
TELUS Burnaby BC Canada
TELUS Communications Edmonton AB Canada
The General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs Ras Al Khaimah United Arab Emirates
The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Seoul South Korea
The Korea Student Aid Foundation Seoul South Korea
Tmob Mobile Technology Istanbul Turkey
Torres y Carrera Consultores de Comunicación SL Madrid Spain
TRACCS Dubai United Arab Emirates
translate plus London England
TTNET Istanbul Turkey
Türk Ekonomi Bankasi AS Istanbul Turkey
Türkiye Is Bankasi A.S. Istanbul Turkey
Unilever Domestos Turkey
Uskudar Municipality Istanbul Turkey
Verne Global Falls Church VA USA
Virtusa Corporation Westborough MA USA
Weber Shandwick London United Kingdom
WebTalk and Live Warsaw Poland
Zyncro Tech Barcelona Spain

Join them in Barcelona on October 14 - reserve your tickets now!

In the leadup to tomorrow's final entry deadline for the 10th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for women in the workplace, we've been catching up with Stevie Award winners from the past decade.  They've told us about what it meant to them to win their Stevie Awards; how it's affected their lives and their businesses.

Today we catch up with 2008 Stevie winner Nina Simosko, then global chief operating officer of SAP Education, SAP America, Palo Alto, CA.  Simosko won her Stevie as Best Executive – Services Business (more than 2500 employees).

Since winning the Stevie Award in 2008, Simosko has been fortunate enough to land her dream job at Nike. In her role at Nike, she continues to work in a technology function, as head of strategy, planning & operations for Nike Global Technology.  Since fitness is such an important aspect of her life, having the chance to work for such an iconic brand as Nike is what she claims “a truly wonderful experience and amazing career move and opportunity.”

Back in 2008, the Stevie Awards competition was deep for Simosko, as in her category she was surrounded by a plethora of powerful, intelligent and driven women like herself, all of whom were leading their respective efforts at large corporations. She was honored to be part of the Stevie Awards program and to be associated with the award and group, especially considering all the amazing executives that participated across the board, both in years before she received her award as well as years following.  What makes the Stevie Awards for Women in Business distinctive is that it attracts strong, smart and tenacious women spanning many platforms – for profit and non-profit, large and small companies, and more.  The company one keeps when being part of this competition is really motivating and intriguing.

Today, Simosko continually reflects on her Stevie Award win, using it as a tool to help empower younger women, who also are chasing their dreams. She refers to it as a way for her to help them further their careers and prove that anything is possible.

The Stevie Award has been proudly featured on her personal blog (ninasimosko.com) as well as on her LinkedIn profile since she earned it, affording inspiration for others.

“My Stevie Award experience was an amazing one – first, from my initial surprise when I was declared as the winner, to proudly showcasing my Stevie ever since and sharing it with many younger colleagues seeking to enhance their own careers. I hope the Stevie Award and my career serve as examples and role models for these energetic young women who are learning that the sky is the limit for setting out to achieve whatever you set your mind to.  For me, the Stevie win was behind me all the way!”

Enter the 2013 Stevie Awards for Women in Business now at www.StevieAwards.com/Women.   Need a brief extension past tomorrow's deadline?  Request one by writing to help@stevieawards.com.

In the leadup to tomorrow's final entry deadline for the 10th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for women in the workplace, we've been catching up with Stevie Award winners from the past decade.  They've told us about what it meant to them to win their Stevie Awards; how it's affected their lives and their businesses.

Today we catch up with 2005 Stevie winner Marla Letizia, then president of Mobile Billboards of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV.  Marla and her company won their Stevie for Most Innovative Company of the Year – Up to 100 Employees.

Marla R. Letizia was one of the first women to earn a Stevie Award for Women in Business. In 2005, the second year of the awards program.  At that time, Letizia was in the throes of getting her novel billboard business off the ground by bringing mobile advertisements to the exciting Las Vegas market.

At that time, her business was in its embryonic stages. Letizia was learning how to navigate her newfound entrepreneurial venture.  She was busy enjoying both building and operating her new enterprise.

The Stevie Award win helped solidify her firm’s position in the marketplace, expanding awareness beyond the Las Vegas market the company was serving, and exposing its successes to others outside the area looking in to find a billboards vendor.

Sometime after winning her Stevie Award, Letizia hit a crisis and while her business survived (and was renamed), she claims to have found the silver lining by learning a great deal about being a successful entrepreneur and running an innovative company.  According to Letizia, “I have the courage of a lion with regard to anything in business.”  There is an a old quote, “that which does not kill us makes us stronger," and while Letizia grew stronger personally and professionally, the confidence of a winning a Stevie stayed alongside her.

The press coverage that resulted from her Stevie Award win continues to show up in Google searches and brings instant credibility to her business when potential customers -- both inside and outside of the Las Vegas marketplace – search for businesses boasting her service offering.  The recognition she earned also continues to aid in recruitment as future employees discover the award win online when searching her firm and are very impressed with the remarkable achievement.

“When a solid organization finds you worthy of honoring, graciously smile and say thank you, then enjoy all it has to offer and then find ways to give back!”

It has been an honor to earn this award, and Letizia is constantly seeking ways to give back. The Stevie has helped propel her business to new levels.

Enter the 2013 Stevie Awards for Women in Business now at www.StevieAwards.com/Women.   Need a brief extension past tomorrow's deadline?  Request one by writing to help@stevieawards.com.

September 25 is the final entry deadine for the 10th annual Stevie ® Awards for Women in Business (www.StevieAwards.com/Women), the world's top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run.

You may be considering nominating yourself, your boss, your company... and are wondering whether the hassle of preparing an entry, and paying the entry fee, are worth it.

Over the past several weeks we've profiled in this blog a number of Stevies for Women winners over the past decade.  We thought you'd like to hear one more time what they said about what winning their Stevie has meant to them, and to the continued success of their organizations.

What Past Stevie Award Winners Have to Say

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

"It was a massive honour to be the first Australian woman to win a Stevie Award for Women in Business, and I’ve since gone on to win multiple Stevies.  I think back to the night I won my first Stevie and look at how much my business has expanded since, and feel honored to be recognized internationally for my achievements.”
--- Sandy Forster, founder and CEO of WildlyWealthy.com

“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

"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

“Winning the Stevie Award was an enormous achievement for me and my business and continues to prove beneficial to our operations every day. I had no idea of the impact that winning this award would have on our business until I checked my e-mail from my hotel room the next morning and online orders had flooded in from across the USA.  We now have a growing and loyal customer base in America via online and retail outlets.  The Stevie Awards have definitely helped elevate our U.S. presence.”
--- Niamh Barker, founder and managing director of The Travelwrap Company

"Since earning the Stevie Award, my business has grown. As the first Japanese woman to win, I am humbled and honored to have earned this award. It continues to positively impact the success of my business."
--- Atsuko Matsumura

“Outside of being recognized as a best-selling author on Amazon.com, the Stevie Award has been my most recognized accolade.”
--- Dr. Laureen Wishom

If you want the same platform for recognition that these women received through their Stevie Award wins, you need to enter the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  Do that today at www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

The Stevie® Awards held one of its awards galas for its 11th annual American Business Awards competition last night, and announced the winners of its first-ever Grand Stevie Award trophies.

LifeLock received the Grand Stevie for organization of the year, for earning the most award points in The 2013 American Business Awards. Other top ABA Grand Stevie winners include Makovsky for interactive services agency of the year, Slack and Company for marketing agency of the year, and MWW for public relations agency of the year.

The Grand Stevie Awards were presented to the organizations that submitted the best body of entries to The American Business Awards this year, in their own name or in the names of one or more clients. The organizations with the most points won, with a Gold Stevie Award win counting for three points, a Silver Stevie win for two points, and a Bronze Stevie win for 1.5 points.

Besides LifeLock, Makovsky, MWW and Slack and Company, Grand Stevies were also awarded to the ten other organizations with the most points in the 2013 competition. They are:

10th place: EMKAY Inc.
9th place: Actiontec Electronics
8th place: VerticalResponse
7th place: CallidusCloud
6th place: USANA Health Sciences
5th place: Cisco Systems, Inc.
4th place: Accenture
3rd place: AT&T Inc.
2nd place: DRC    
1st place: Quality Systems, Inc.    

Last night’s gala, focused on new product awards, website awards, and other tech awards, was the second of two American Business Awards ceremonies this year. The first ceremony took place in Chicago on June 17 and honored winners in disciplines such as customer service, human resources, corporate communications, live events, publications, and selected categories for company/organization, management and marketing.

The American Business Awards honor an all-inclusive spectrum of American business people and organizations -- from non-profits, emerging start-ups, major public companies and government agencies, to corner-office executives, product developers, marketers and web development teams.

More than 250 executives attended last night’s awards banquet at San Francisco’s Julia Morgan Ballroom. Stevie Awards were conferred in three levels of distinction: Gold, Silver and Bronze.

For a complete list of all 2013 American Business Awards’ Stevie Award winners visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

More than 3,200 entries were submitted to The 2012 American Business Awards and more than 320 executives nationwide participated in judging to determine this year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners.

Entries for The 2014 American Business Awards will be accepted starting in October.

About the Stevie® Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. A fifth program, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, will debut later this month. 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 2013 American Business Awards include the Business TalkRadio Network, Callidus Software, Citrix Online, Dynamic Research Corporation, Experian Consumer Services, John Hancock Funds, LifeLock, PetRays, and SoftPro.

The 11th Annual American Business Awards announced Stevie® Award winners last night at its event focused on outstanding new products and services and on achievements in technology industries.

Last night’s gala was the second of two American Business Awards ceremonies this year. The first ceremony took place in Chicago on June 17 and honored winners in disciplines such as customer service, human resources, corporate communications, live events, publications, and selected categories for company/organization, management and marketing. Winners in all new product and technology-related categories were announced at the event in San Francisco last night.

The American Business Awards honor an all-inclusive spectrum of American business people and organizations -- from non-profits, emerging start-ups, major public companies and government agencies, to corner-office executives, product developers, marketers and web development teams.

More than 250 executives attended last night’s awards banquet at San Francisco’s Julia Morgan Ballroom. Stevie Awards were conferred in three levels of distinction: Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Also announced last night were the first-ever Grand Stevie Award winners. The Grand Stevies were awarded to the organizations who received the most awards overall – Gold, Silver or Bronze – in the ABAs this year. LifeLock was presented with the Grand Stevie for Organization of the Year. The winners of the other Grand Stevie Awards will be named in a followup press release today.

AT&T, Inc., Dropbox and Marvell were the top winners of Gold Stevie Awards last night with three each. Winners of two Gold Stevies include Actiontec Electronics, Brainshark, Inc., DRC, ExtraHop Networks, LexisNexis, Web Advanced, Wilshire Axon, and ZehnerGroup.

Notable Gold Stevie Award Winners announced last night include:

­    New Product or Service of the Year - Consumer Services: Bitcasa’s Infinite Drive
­    Best Hospitality & Leisure Website: Carbone Smolan Agency for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group website
­    Information Technology Team of the Year: The Cisco IT Elastic Infrastructure Services Team
­    New Product or Service of the Year - Hardware - Peripheral: Hewlett-Packard’s HP Officejet Pro X576dw
­    Best Marketing App: John Hancock Funds iDiversify
­    Executive of the Year - Computer Software - Up to 500 Employees: Phil Fernandez, president and CEO of Marketo
­    Most Innovative Tech Company of the Year - Up to 100 Employees: ExtraHop Networks
­    Tech Innovation of the Year: AT&T’s Application Resource Optimizer (ARO)

For a complete list of The 2013 American Business Awards winners announced last night visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

Winners of the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, which were determined by more than 20,000 votes in July and August, were announced in August and presented their crystal People’s Choice Stevie Awards last night.

More than 3,200 entries were submitted to The 2012 American Business Awards and more than 320 executives nationwide participated in judging to determine this year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners.

Entries for The 2014 American Business Awards will be accepted starting in October.

About the Stevie® Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. A fifth program, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, will debut later this month. 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 2013 American Business Awards include the Business TalkRadio Network, Callidus Software, Citrix Online, Dynamic Research Corporation, Experian Consumer Services, John Hancock Funds, LifeLock, PetRays, and SoftPro.

2013 marks the 10th anniversary of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run.

As we approach the September 25 final entry deadline for the 2013 competition we'll look back at some of the women who have won Stevie Awards over the past decade.  We'll catch up with them on their current activities, and learn what their Stevie win meant to them and their careers.

Today's Q&A is with 2004 Stevie winner Madolyn Johnson.  Johnson won the Stevie Award for Women Helping Women in the 2004 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Now the founder and CEO of Signature HomeStyles (formerly The HomeMaker's Idea Company), Johnson has seen the company grow over the past 10 years.

As one of the first winners in the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and subsequently also in The American Business Awards, what has winning a Stevie Award meant to you?

It 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.   

As a successful business owner, what advice do you have for women starting their own businesses?

Do it now! If you wait, it might be too late. You must be passionate about what you do. Believe in yourself and keep at it no matter the challenges or obstacles put in your way.

Signature HomeStyles must be something of a bellweather for the economy in the United States and Canada.  What do you see shaping businesses in the next three years?

Perseverance! I started my company in 1971 when the country was in a recession. You’re going to hit a few bumpy patches, but if you follow your mission and passion, make smart business decisions, and persevere, you can weather any storm.

Do you have a favorite business app?

Yes, SHS Everywhere! We introduced this app to our team of Signature HomeStyles representatives a year ago. This app allows them to do their Signature HomeStyles business on the go. They can access important news and product-training videos, and show their customers our catalogs everywhere they go! 

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?

The stories of success I hear from our Signature HomeStyles representatives. Whether it is someone who is a more confident person because she presents our products at Signature HomeStyles Shows, or has gotten rid of credit card debt thanks to her Signature HomeStyles business—that’s all the motivation I need to keep going! I love helping women who can then help other women start their own Signature HomeStyles businesses, too.

The final entry deadline for the 2013 edition of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business is September 25.  Complete entry detail are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

About Madolyn Johnson
Madolyn Johnson is the founder and CEO of Signature HomeStyles.  She celebrates more than four decades at the helm of this one-stop home organizing and decorating resource, which has also become a catalyst for thousands of successful female entrepreneurs. Madolyn Johnson is frequently recognized as one of the top woman business owners in the nation.

About Signature HomeStyles
Signature HomeStyles offers an exclusive line of hundreds of versatile and beautiful organizing and decorating essentials including baskets, linens, pottery, wall decor, and holiday decorations. The products are available throughout the U.S. and Canada exclusively through thousands of trusted sales representatives who have built successful businesses.