The other day we published the names of the 80 professionals who participated in the preliminary judging round of The 2011 American Business Awards. The preliminary round determined this year's Finalists. Here now are the rockstars who participated on the 10 final judging committees of the 9th annual ABAs. Their average scores determined this year's Stevie Award winners who will be announced at the ABA's awards banquet next Monday, June 20 in New York. Thank you so much to all them of them for their participation!

2011 Company/Organization Awards Final Judging Committee
Chair: Christopher W. Cabrera, Founder, President & CEO, Xactly Corporation, San Jose, CA
Phil Fernandez, President and CEO, Marketo, Inc, San Mateo, CA
Eric Groves, Senior VP, Strategy, Corporate Development & Innovation, Constant Contact, Waltham, MA
Mike Maciag, CEO, Electric Cloud, Sunnyvale, CA
Nick Mehta, CEO, LiveOffice, Torrance, CA
Umberto Milletti, CEO, InsideView, San Francisco, CA
Cary Rosenzweig, President & CEO, IMVU, Inc., Palo Alto, CA
Treb Ryan, CEO, Opsource, Inc., Santa Clara, CA

2011 Corporate Communications, Investor Relations and Public Relations Awards Final Judging Committee
Chair: Kenneth D. Makovsky, President, Makovsky + Company, New York, NY
Kristen Bihary, VP, Communications, Aleris International, Inc., Beachwood, OH
Robert DeFillippo, Chief Communications Officer-Global Communications, Prudential Financial, Inc., Newark, NJ
Mike Fernandez, Corporate VP, Corporate Affairs, Cargill, Inc., Wayzata, MN
William Hughes, Senior VP, Corporate Communications, CA, Inc., New York, NY
Richard L. Nelson, VP, Corporate Communications, ACCO Brands Corporation, Lincolnshire, IL
Carol Schumacher, VP, Investor Relations, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Bentonville, AR
Richard Woods, Senior VP, Corporate Affairs, Capital One Services, Inc., McLean, VA

2011 Creative Awards Category Final Judging Committee
Chair: Suraya Bliss, Senior Director of Digital Strategy and Communication, Walmart, Bentonville, AR
Anne Beléc, VP & CMO, Navistar, Inc., Warrenville, IL
Jeff Bell, Partner, NCT Ventures, Westerville, OH
Kim Burke, Senior Director, Brand & Member Community Marketing, Sam's Club, Bentonville, AR
Colleen DeCourcy, CEO & Founder, Socialistic, New York, NY
Lura Lee, CEO, L2 Ideas, Del Mar, CA
Robert B. Leggat, Senior Advisor, Goddard Claussen Global, Washington, DC
David Leider, CEO, Gas Station TV, Birmingham, MI
Laura E. Maniccia, Principal, Interactive Marketing Solutions, South Lyon, MI
Andrew Mansinne, President, Aveniu Brands, Baltimore, MD
Elise Mitchell, President/CEO, Mitchell Communications Group, Fayetteville, AR
Brendan O'Connell, Contemporary Artist, West Cornwall, CT

2011 Customer Service Awards Final Judging Committee
Chair: Art Gairo, Senior VP-Operations, Broadview Networks, Rye Brook, NY
Maureen Davis, VP Global Service Assurance, Verizon, Basking Ridge, NJ
Kelley DeSantis, Executive Director, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Newark, DE
Kate Feather, Executive VP, PeopleMetrics, Inc., Philadelphia, PA
Joseph Mangiaracina, Principal/Owner, SurfNet Inc., Levittown, PA
Stas Pietrucha, VP, Product Management - E-commerce & Loyalty, Wyndham Hotel Group, Randolph, NJ
Vivek Sawhney, CIO, YAI, New York, NY
Michael Spurlin, VP Operations, Crystal Technologies Group, Inc., West Chester, PA

2011 Human Resources Awards Final Judging Committee
Chair: Jim Gillece, Senior VP of Human Capital Management, Chief People Officer, AlliedBarton Security Services, Conshohocken, PA
Tom Capizzi, Executive VP, Global HR CHRO, DJO Global, Vista, CA
Carole Dalton Slover, Vice President, Human Resources, Yell Adworks, King of Prussia, PA
Nancy Grycewicz, Director of Human Resources, CJs Tire and Automotive, Phoenixville, PA
Robert Madonna, Principal and Executive VP Sales & Marketing, McCoy Enterprises, West Chester, PA
Mark Spool, President, Management Development Solutions, West Chester, PA
Doug Trainor, Principal, Leadership Vanguard, Pearl River, NY

2011 Information Technology Awards Category Final Judging Committee
Chair: Sheri Thureen, VP, Enterprise Business Transformation, CSC, Marlton, NJ
Simone Acha, CEO, iLuMina Solutions Inc., Alexandria, VA
David W. Coker, Senior VP Technology Services & Solutions, MicroTech, Vienna, VA
Soren Hastrup, CEO, Telesto Group LLC, Princeton, NJ
Darren L. MacLennan, President, Sureship (a G&G Outfitters Company), Lanham, MD
Samvit Raina, Senior VP, Patni Americas Inc., Fremont, CA
David L. Sentman, Jr., Senior VP - Change Management, Bank of America, Newark, DE
Jack L. Stem, Senior VP, Maritime and Defense Agencies, CACI International, Ashburn, VA
Rajani Veeramachaneni, President, E Center, Inc., Newtown, PA

2011 Company/Organization Awards Final Judging Committee
Chair: Reggie Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Cvent, McLean, VA
Jonathon Aberman, Managing Director, Amplifier Ventures, McLean, VA
Mirza Baig, CEO, Legal Advantage LLC, Bethesda, MD
Tony Florence, Managing Director, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Chevy Chase, MD
Amir Hudda, Entrepreneur (previously Chairman of the Board for Brickstream, CEO of Apptix, and CEO of Entevo)
Anjali Kataria, Entrepreneur, Washington, DC
Brian Mulvey, Vice President of Technology, Investor Growth Capital, New York, NY
John Rothenberger, CEO, SE Solutions, Reston, VA
Vijay Suri, President & CEO, InferX Corporation, Sterling, VA
Patrick Sweeney, CEO, ODIN, Ashburn, VA

2011 Marketing Awards Final Judging Committee
Chair: Ivan Koon, CEO, YouSendIt, Inc., Campbell, CA 
Ryan Azus, VP, Worldwide Sales, RingCentral, San Jose, CA
Keri Brooke, VP, Marketing, Host Analytics, Redwood City, CA
Ranjith Kumaran, Founder, PunchTab, Inc., San Jose, CA
Erin (Mack) McKelvey, Senior VP Marketing, Millennial Media, Baltimore, MD
Eugene Lee, CEO, Socialtext, Palo Alto CA
Anthony Nemelka, CEO, Teleplace, Inc., Redwood City, CA
Lynn Vojvodich, CMO, Terracotta & CEO, Take3, Mill Valley, CA

2011 New Products & Product Management Awards Final Judging Committee
Chair: Noah T. Rowles, CEO, iolo technologies, LLC, Los Angeles, CA
M. Brian Cotter, VP Business Development - Technical Solutions Group, Quatrro BPO Solutions Pvt Ltd, Glendale, CA
Jim Fowler, Founder, Jigsaw, San Mateo, CA
Melody Haller, President & Founder, Antenna Group Inc., San Francisco, CA
Bob Graves, President, Green Technology, Pasadena, CA
Peter Justen, CEO, My Biz Home Page, Inc., Middleburg, VA
Joel Makower, Chairman & Executive Editor, GreenBiz Group Inc., Oakland, CA
Marc Parrish, VP Marketing, Barnes & Noble, New York, NY
David Steinberg, CEO, SnappCloud, Washington, DC

2011 Support Awards Category Final Judging Committee
Chair: Todd Crowder, Senior Director of Services, Scale Computing, Indianapolis, IN
Mark R. LeClair, Senior Vice President, Volt Consulting Group, New York, NY
Steve Marfisi, Product Manager, Flex Services, Vision Solutions, Inc., Indianapolis, IN
Scott Sauder, Area Operations Director, The UPS Store, Nobelsville, IN
Lynn Shourds, President & CTO, HEROware, Inc., San Clemente, CA

What do you think of this year's final judging committees?

The following professionals participated in preliminary judging of The 2011 American Business Awards in April-May.  Their average scores determined the Finalists.  The 9th annual ABAs couldn't take place without them!

In total more than 200 judges participated in this year's ABAs. Tomorrow we'll publish the lists of final judges.

Alexsis Stephens, HR Manager, Assurant Solutions, Lawton, OK
Ananda Jagoda, Creative Director, Smart Media - The Annual Report Company, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Andrew Filev, CEO, Wrike, Inc., San Jose, CA
Avis Richards, CEO, Birds Nest Foundation, New York, NY
Barbara Zenz, President and CEO, The Stephenz Group, Inc., San Jose, CA
Behfar Jahanshahi, CEO, InterWorks, Inc., Stillwater, OK
Beth Castro, Sales Center VP, AT&T, Washington, DC
Beth Ready, Senior Associate, Gensler, Washington, DC
Brent Almond, Creative Director, Design Nut LLC, Bethesda, MD
Bridgette Ridgeway, President & CEO, Taylorfield, Brown Deer, WI
Carole Holden, Founder & CEO, Gelmtree Advertising, Howey in the Hills, FL
Chris Risheill, Director of Sales, Marketing & Exhibits, NMSA - The Association for Middle Level Education, Westerville, OH
Chris Rodengen, Sales and Marketing Coordinator, Amerilab Technologies, Plymouth, MN
Christopher DeYoung, Managing Partner, The DeYoung Financial Group, Cherry Hill, NJ
Christopher Erb, Vice President - Brand Marketing, EA SPORTS, Orlando, FL
Craig Kaiser, Product Manager, Wireless, Qwest Communications, Denver, CO
Dave Rockenbaugh, VP, Executive Creative Director, Robinson & Maites, Chicago, IL
David Johnston, President, Sales Resource Group Inc., Oakville, ON Canada
David Powers, VP-Marketing, Thinking Phone Networks, Cambridge, MA
David Street, Marketing Manager, Technica Corporation, Clifton, VA
Denise Clancey, President, Teledirect Partners, Boston, MA
Dennis Reno, VP-Customer Experience, Oracle Corporation, San Francisco, CA
Didi Yunginger, Director of Strategy & Development, Wolper Subscription Services, Easton, PA
Fabi Preslar, President, SPARK Publications, Matthews, NC
Frank Laudo, Senior VP Creative Director, GES, Grapevine, TX
Fred Cannizzaro, Creative Director, nVision, New York, NY
Gabrielle Medecki, Principal, MEDECKI, San Francisco, CA
Georgiana Comsa, Managing Partner, Silicon Valley PR, San Jose, CA
Gordon Hochhalter, Managing Partner, creativitystrategyconnectivity, mobium, Chicago, IL
Harshad Natu, Associate VP, Core Accounts & Business Development, MphasiS, New York, NY
Israel Bonequi, Creative Director, Birds Nest Foundation, Montreal, PQ Canada
Jacqueline Gay, Marketing Services Manager, Quincy Compressor, Bay Minette, AL
Jake Wengroff, Global Director, Corporate Communications, Frost & Sullivan, San Antonio, TX
Jamie Holt, President/CEO, JMK Notary & Services, Miami, FL
Jean Simmons, Marketing Coordinator, MailerMailer, Rockville, MD
Jeannine McHenry, Senior Graphic Designer, CCS, Los Angeles, CA
Jennifer Fisher, Director of Sales Operations, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington, DC
Joe Thoma, President/Chief Planner, Awareness Campaign, Inc., Oviedo, FL
John Gorelski, Marketing Strategist, Red Letter Partners, Arlington, VA
Jon Baer, President, Wakefly, Westborough, MA
Judilynn (Judi) Niedercorn, President and CEO, SysTactics, McLean, VA
Julia Zamorska, VP of Corporate Communications, iolo technologies, Los Angeles, CA
Kabir Shahani, CEO, Appature Inc., Seattle, WA
Kathy Menzie, Associate Professor & Chair, Mass Media Department, Washburn University, Topeka, KS
Kent Morris, Director of Customer Service, GameStop Corporation, Grapevine, TX
Kevin Chen, Ph.D., CMC, President/CEO, Business Methods Corporation, Randolph, NJ
Kirsten Osolind, CEO, re:invention marketing, Chicago, IL
Lauren Selikoff, Chief Marketing Officer, Allison & Partners, New York, NY
Lauri Flaquer, Marketing & Branding Specialist, Saltar Solutions, St. Paul, MN
Leslie Yeransian, Creative Writer, Rising Medical Solutions, Chicago, IL
Lisa Gregovich, VP - Customer Service, ePlan Services, Inc., Denver, CO
Lloyd Lofton, VP Sales, American Eagle Consultants, Inc., Marietta, GA
Mark Geiger, Associate Director of Marketing & Communication, Georgia World Congress Center Authority, Atlanta, GA
Mary Ann Henker, President, The Henker Group, Easton, MD
Marylee Klinkhammer, Web Development Director, DRG, Bernie, IN
Matthew Toren, Co-founder/President, YoungEntrepreneur.com, Scottsdale, AZ
Michael Berman, Executive Vice President and Chief Client Officer, Merisel, New York, NY
Michael Jernigan, Lead Instructional Designer, CM Group, Bellevue, WA
Michelle Manuel, President, Manuel Communications, Inc., Kansas City, MO
Nye Word, Director of Public Relations, Good Samaritan Society-Lake Forest Village, Denton, TX
Patrick King, Founder, ImagineDesign, Manassas, VA
Peter Byer, Freelance Graphic Designer/Illustrator, Arlington, VA
Peter Levy, President, Corniche Productions, Brooklyn, NY
Rachel Deutsch, President/Principal Creative Director, Biondi LLC, McLean, VA
Ravinder Paul Singh, Director - Strategy and Online Marketing, Kulwant Advisory, Nairobi, Kenya
Rebekah Clerk, National Customer Service Manager, Empire Today, Northlake, IL
Rob Davis, CEO and Founder, Akavit, Denver, CO
Robyn McNeely, Process Improvement Coordinator, Cigna Government Services, Nashville, TN
Roja Kolachina, CEO/President, Synerteq, Inc., Rockville, MD
Seth Hall, VP Customer Service, Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Bala Cynwyd, PA
Stan Mendoza, Managing Partner, Mendoza Media LLC, Montclair, NJ
Stephen Gallagher, Independent Producer, Bronx, NY
Stewart Andrews, Creative Director, Noodlebox Design, LLC, Arlington, VA
Susan Hein, Creative Director, Office of Communications/Marketing, Export-Import Bank of the U.S., Washington, DC
Tina Stafford, Senior Account Executive, Stafford Creative Inc., Edmonds, WA
Tracy Tran, Founder and CEO, Tran Recruiting, LLC, Fairfax, VA
Vaughn Mootoo, Global Category Analyst, Chevron, San Francisco, CA
Vincent Verdi, Director of Photography, CUNY-TV, New York, NY
Yvonne Sotomayor, Assistant to the Executive Director, CUNY-TV, New York, NY
Zainab Ansari, Director/CEO, Xenith PR (Pvt.) Ltd., Karachi, Pakistan

We're so excited that The 9th Annual American Business Awards gala is just a week and a half a way.  Have you gotten your tickets yet for the June 20 event in New York? 

The following organizations have already confirmed their attendance.  If you're a nominee and would like to join them, login to your account at www.stevieawards.com/aba.  If you're not a nominee but would like to be part of one of the business world's top events, contact us for ticket details.

ABS Associates, Inc. Rolling Meadows, IL           

Accenture, Chicago, IL                      

Acorda Therapeutics, New York, NY            

adBrite  San Francisco  CA               

AECOM Technology Corporation  New York  NY   

Aegis Electronic Group Inc.  Gilbert AZ

Affinnova, Waltham, MA

Agiliance  Inc.

Allen Interactions Inc., Mendota Heights, MN

AlliedBarton Security Services

AmberMcGown.com

American Express Business Travel  New York  NY   

American Support

Americas' SAP Users' Group  Chicago  IL

Approva Corporation  Herndon  VA

Assurant Solutions, Atlanta, GA

A-T Solutions Inc., Vienna, VA

AXA Distributors, LLC

Berkshire Associates Inc.  Columbia  MD

BlackLine Systems                      

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Durham, NC                                         

BOXLIGHT, Belfair, Washington             

Braces By Burris  Jonesboro  AR                

BrainStorm Inc.  American Fork  UT             

Brendan O'Connell

Broadview Networks

Buckeye Partners  L.P.

Business TalkRadio Network

Cabell Huntington Hospital  Huntington  WV       

CACI International, Inc.

Cambium Learning Technologies  Natick  MA         

Capital Access Network, Scarsdale, NY

Cartus Corporation  Danbury  CT

Catapult Technology  Bethesda  MD

CIGNA Corporation

CitiusTech Inc.

Citizens Financial Group  Providence  RI           

CME Group  Chicago  IL                   

Content Master                           

Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System  Boca Raton  FL                   

Creative Lodging Solutions, Lexington, KY   

Definition 6, Atlanta, GA    

Dell  Inc.  Round Rock  TX

DeVry University

DHL Express  Tempe  AZ

DYMO Endicia

DYMO/Mimio Inside Sales & Sales Operations      

E Center, Inc.

eHarmony

Electric Insurance Company

Eloqua  Vienna  VA

EMKAY Inc.  Itasca  IL

Empire Today  Northlake  IL

EmpowHER Media  Scottsdale  AZ

Epic Media Group

Epicor Software Corporation  Irvine  CA

EXIT Realty Corp. USA  Woburn MA

F5 Networks  Seattle  WA

Flextronics International  Milpitas  CA

Fox Business Network

Gas Station TV

GPS Capital Markets  Salt Lake City  UT           

Groupon, Inc. Chicago, IL

Harris Corporation, Melbourne, FL

High Performance Technologies Inc.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts, McLean, VA

Homewood Suites by Hilton  Memphis  TN

Hubspan  Inc  Seattle  WA

Humana, Inc., Louisville, KY

IBM Netezza

Incredimeal.com

Infogroup

Information Builders  New York  NY

INSZOOM.COM INC.  San Ramon  CA

Integrate.com  Denver  CO

InterContinental Hotels Group, Atlanta, GA      

International Checkout Inc  Van Nuys  CA              

Investor Growth Capital             

iolo technologies                                  

John Hancock Funds  Boston  MA                  

KPMG LLP, Montvale, NJ

L-com Connectivity Products, North Andover, MA  

Leadership Vanguard 

Legacy, Washington, DC

LifeLock                            

MailerMailer  Rockville  MD                      

Makovsky + Company, New York, NY

Marriott Intermediary Partner Care  Omaha  NE          

MASERGY Communications  Inc.  Plano  TX

MBX Systems  Wauconda  IL

McKinley Marketing Partners  Inc.  Alexandria  VA     

Merisel

Microsoft  Redmond  WA

MicroTech, Vienna, VA

Modern Technology Solutions, Inc., Alexandria, VA

MonaVie, South Jordan, UT

Mondial Assistance USA  Richmond  VA

Moreover Technologies  Reston  VA

MOST Brand Development + Advertising

NIIT Technologies, Inc., Atlanta, GA

Noetix Corp.  Redmond  WA

Nutricap Labs  Farmingdale  NY

Overture Networks  Morrisville  NC

PeopleMetrics

Percussion Software, Woburn, MA

PetRays

PHH Arval

PlanSource  Orlando  FL

Prescription Solutions/UnitedHealth Group  Irvine  CA        

Quality Systems  Inc.  Irvine  CA

Reliv International  Inc.  Chesterfield  MO            

Richardson                                       

Rovi Corporation, Santa Clara, CA

Rush Communications

SCRA  Charleston  SC                            

SDL

SoftPro                                

SteelHouse  Los Angeles  CA                     

Summit Medical Group  Berkeley Heights  NJ         

Sungard

SurePayroll  Glenview  IL

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare  Inc.         

TelecityGroup, New York, NY

The Knowland Group  Lewes  DE

The Lincoln Electric Company  Cleveland  OH             

The Receivables Exchange  New Orleans  LA              

thebigword  New York City  NY                     

TIBCO Software Inc. Palo Alto  CA                        

Travelex Global Business Payments, Washington DC   

USANA Health Sciences  Inc . West Valley  UT             

uTest, Southborough, MA

ValueClick  Inc.  Westlake Village  CA     

Vérité, Inc.      

VerticalResponse  San Francisco  CA                   

Voices Heard Media                         

Weather Trends International                        

Webs, Inc, Silver Spring, MD

Webtrends  Portland  OR                             

WowWe Inc.  The Woodlands  TX                      

Xcelus  LLC  Provo  UT                            

Zayo Group, Louisville, CO

Zeno Group  New York  NY     

We have extended the final entry deadline for The 2011 International Business Awards to 30 June, at the request of the Minister of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates, our host for this October's IBA awards event.

You'll find the 2011 English-language entry kit online at http://thestevies.com/EntryKits/IBA11EntryKit.html.

No additional late penalties or fees will be charged in association with the deadline extension.

The International Business Awards are the world's premier business awards. The competition is open to all organizations and individuals worldwide. Last year's competition attracted entries from 40 nations.

There are many awards categories to choose from in the IBAs , for

Overall Organizational Performance
Executive Management
Public Relations
Marketing
New Products & Services
Human Resources
Information Technology
Customer Service
Web Sites, Advertising, Video, Live Events, Smartphone and Tablet Apps, Annual Reports, & Other Media

When you're ready to enter, begin here.

Final results of this year's IBAs will now be announced on 27 July, and the awards presented in Abu Dhabi, UAE on 11 October. (Honorees are encouraged but not required to attend the event.)

Don't hesitate to contact us with your questions about how to choose categories, prepare and submit entries to The 2011 International Business Awards.

The final entry deadline for The 2011 (8th Annual) International Business Awards is Wednesday, June 8, so we thought we'd enumerate the 10 best reasons why you and your organization should submit nominations to the IBAs.

First off, the IBAs are the world's top business awards program, typically attracting entries from organizations in more than 40 nations.  There are many different types of categories to choose from, including overall excellence awards, management awards, public relations awards, marketing awards, new product awards, IT awards, web site awards, and more.

The entry kit, with complete instructions on how to choose categories, prepare and submit entries, is available online.

So here are those 10 reasons why you should get it in gear and submit an entry or two to this year's International Business Awards:

1. Entering the IBAs is a cost-effective way to thank and honor your valued employees and to build or burnish your brand.

2. The entry fees are nominal compared to the publicity boon your firm can reap when you become a Distinguished Honoree medalist or a Stevie® winner.

3. Small organizations have just as much chance to win a Stevie as big companies do.  Every year, household-name companies such as BT, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever are joined in the winners' circle by small and medium-size organizations that are still building their brands.

4. There are dozens of categories covering every aspect of work life, from management and finance, to marketing and public relations, to product development, customer service, and human resources.

5. If you’re an advertising agency, marketing consultancy or media production company, your work will be reviewed and honored by potential clients, not just your competitors, and there are many categories for ad campaigns, web sites and blogs, smartphone and tablet apps, annual reports, video productions, and other media.

6. Many of the world's top business executives will review your nominations during the judging process.

7. Honorees will be announced on July 11, so you'll know three months before the awards event what you've won.

8. When you win a Stevie Award you’ll get to make a 30-second acceptance speech…before an audience of 400+ executives from around the world…during an internationally-broadcast awards dinner…that will also be streamed worldwide over the Internet.  This year's event will be a star-studded affair in Abu Dhabi, UAE on October 11.

9. The Stevie Award is 16 inches tall, is hand-cast and finished in 24-karat gold.  Made by the same company that makes the Oscar, the Emmy, and other major awards, it is one of the world's most coveted prizes.

10. As an honoree you'll get a range of free tools that you can use to promote your award.

So, are you planning to enter the IBAs this year?

The Stevie Awards today announced that Russell Simmons, an entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, will be honored with its Difference Maker award at The 9th Annual American Business Awards ceremony on June 20 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

This honorary award is the first of its kind and will be presented to Simmons for his groundbreaking vision and influence on music, fashion, finance, television and film, as well as the face of modern philanthropy.  The annual gala, which will be attended by more than 600 executives, will be hosted by Fox News Channel business reporter Cheryl Casone.

“Russell Simmons is the personification of the American business spirit,” said Stevie Awards President Michael Gallagher.  “His approach to building businesses for the future -- which are both sustainable and philanthropic -- has instigated change in corporate America.  He has the kind of vision as a business leader that not only makes a difference, but creates a path that inspires others to follow and that’s why we are proud to honor him with this award.”

Named one of USA Today’s “Top 25 Most Influential People,” the New York City-born Simmons created Def Jam Recordings in 1984 with partner Rick Rubin, signing forerunners of the hip-hop movement like the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Public Enemy. From creating his seminal Def Jam, to the 2007 publishing of his New York Times best-seller Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success and his latest New York Times best-seller SUPER RICH: A Guide To Having It All, Simmons expanded his personal vision far beyond the music world to create a varied business empire with RUSH Communications, a leading multi-faceted holding company with investments in prominent and respected brands in entertainment & media, fashion & lifestyle, finance and empowerment industries.

Widely recognized as the premier business awards program in the U.S., The American Business Awards honor organizations and individuals in a wide variety of categories -- from management and public relations to technology, human resources, new products and more.

Judges of The American Business Awards include many of the leading figures in American business. 

About The Stevie® Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.stevieawards.com. 

What do you think of the choice of Russell Simmons for this award?

Robert Vandenberg is CEO of Lingotek in Draper, Utah, USA and will chair the final judging committee for the New Product Awards & Product Management categories of The 2011 International Business Awards.

Which innovations do you think will most improve businesses in the next few years?

I’m a huge believer in social media and how it is enabling a more transparent relationship between business and consumer.  The successful companies of the next few years will be those that use social media to engage with their customers, not those that resist it.

At the same time, increasing globalization will require all of us to be more aware and engaged with people of different countries, languages, and cultures. Companies will need to be able to understand those markets and communicate with them in order to grow.

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?

The phenomenal success of LinkedIn’s IPO underscores the value of permanent, transparent interconnections in professional relationships. Each of us now has the ability and tools to control our own professional brand.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?

As someone who spends too much time on planes I would pick something that involved being outdoors. Being a ski bum in the winter and a sailing bum in the summer sounds ideal right now!

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?

My top four are: curiosity, work ethic, maturity, and the ability to be proactive.

What do you think is the worst bad habit to have at work?

Negativity: Everyone’s a critic, but in the workplace you shouldn’t just complain, you should make the effort to offer a solution.

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?
I have the good fortune to engage every day with interesting people who develop creative products and solutions for real-world problems. I’m not a techie, but I learn about customers’ issues as they seek to expand into global markets, and I can discuss these with my technology experts.  It’s a great feeling when we are able to provide those customers with effective solutions.

About Rob Vandenberg

As CEO of Lingotek, Rob Vandenberg is driving the vision as the company looks to change the future of translation. He has never shied away from asking the tough questions that have led to greater understanding, insight, and a more progressive development of new products and services.

Prior to being named president of Lingotek in 2008, Vandenberg served as the company's vice president of sales and marketing, where he provided guidance and inspiration. Before joining Lingotek, Vandenberg served at the helm of several successful ventures. He cofounded and served as the CEO of LocalVoice.com, which was acquired by HarrisConnect in 2005. Afterwards, he was named as the vice president of sales and marketing for HarrisConnect. Prior to that venture, he started as one of the first 20 U.S. employees at INTERSHOP Communications. As a top-performing sales executive with national account responsibilities he helped build the company’s worldwide business: the INTERSHOP initial public offering was one of the most successful enterprise software company IPOs in US history (a $10 billion market cap).

Vandenberg holds a bachelor's degree in political economics from UC Berkeley. 

About Lingotek

Lingotek | The Translation Network gives enterprise business customers new ways to engage their global communities by providing trusted, rapid translations to grow business in a cost effective way. Its exclusive web-based Collaborative Translation Platform™ represents the next step in the evolution of translation through technology and community involvement. Today global organizations, intelligence agencies, and government entities use the platform, saving time and resources on projects ranging from a few pages to several volumes. Lingotek also offers professional translation services for companies. The company is based in Draper, Utah and is funded by Canopy Ventures, In-Q-Tel, and Flywheel Ventures.

Mercedes-Benz South Africa of East London, Eastern Cape received the Stevie Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year in the Middle East and Africa in The 2010 International Business Awards. (The final entry deadline for this year's IBAs is June 8 - see the entry kit online.)  Here's the story of Mercedes-Benz's efforts to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa.

In 2007, Sub-Saharan Africa was home to 22 of the 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS. South Africa is the country with the largest number of HIV-infected people in the world (5,7 million plus) with more than 90% of infections affecting the economically active. These statistics were having an adverse impact on South Africa’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which employ significant numbers and contribute about 40% to the GDP.

Through the Siyakhana Project Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has expanded its globally acknowledged best-practice workplace program to provide HIV/AIDS program support to SMEs and the broader community.

Siyakhana means “to build together” in isi-Xhosam, the local vernacular. In order to achieve the key objectives of the Siyakhana Project, MBSA successfully enlisted the partnership of the Border-Kei Chamber of Business and the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Health, and obtained financial
support from the German development agency DEG and BroadReach Health Care.

The Siyakhana Project is designed to simultaneously tackle HIV/AIDS at the workplace, in communities, and at the primary healthcare level to ensure a holistic response.

By March 2010 Siyakhana had achieved the following:

• Implementation of comprehensive HIV/AIDS policies and programs in 55 SMEs.
• 595 managers trained on HIV/AIDS in the workplace.
• 164 peer educators trained.
• 85 nurses trained on HIV/AIDS testing and treatment.
• 55 successful workplace HIV voluntary counseling and testing campaigns.
• 9,013 employees trained and counseled.
• 6,980 employees voluntarily testing for HIV.
• Establishment of, and ongoing training support to, a private physician network to manage HIV/AIDS care for SME employees and families.
• 850 HIV-positive patients referred into the treatment program with 150
  people on anti-retroviral treatment (as of March 2010).
• Capacity building services extended to 12 public-sector primary-healthcare clinics through providing a retired professional nurse and a lay counselor in each clinic, resulting in a 110% improvement in HIV testing rates.

The Siyakhana Project has a built-in monitoring system that tracks project success both quantitatively and qualitatively. Independent external evaluators regularly conduct an evaluation of project performance against operational plans and “best practice.”

Lessons Learned and Future Challenges

The foundation of the Siyakhana Project’s success has been the strong partnerships that MBSA’s HIV/AIDS program has built with the government, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, and community-based organizations.

Organized business involvement is also a key ingredient, and the project showed that SME owners and managers are keen to participate if guidance and hands-on support is provided.  Employees are eager to access testing, however confidence building is required.

While the Siyakhana Project has demonstrated how much can be achieved by forming broad-based partnerships involving both private and public sectors, its sustainability will be  an ongoing challenge requiring full commitment from all partners.

MBSA’s Promise

Managing HIV and AIDS is a core business for MBSA, and its HIV/AIDS program aims to effectively address the development challenge posed by HIV and AIDS to company employees, their families, business operations, and economic and social development. The workplace program extends universal access to quality prevention, treatment, care, and support to all its employees and their dependents.

MBSA is both a key automotive player and a social partner. It has played a significant role in industrial and corporate socio-economic transformation, and continues to do so today. This is evident in the fact that despite the recession, it maintained its corporate social investment spend in excess of R20 million per annum, and that it is a leader amongst its peers in skills development, employee health and well-being programs, and employee benefits.

About Dr. Hansgeorg Niefer
Dr. Hansgeorg Niefer, a qualified professional engineer, started his career with Daimler AG in 1986 at the Sindelfingen plant in Germany. He joined the South African operation in 2002 to head up the manufacturing activities in East London. Dr Niefer has been chairman of the local group of companies since 2005 and has recently been redeployed to head up the Daimler plant in Berlin. He notes, however, that one of his proudest achievements during his tenure in South Africa has been the group's success in the battle against HIV and AIDS, and the opportunity to provide advocacy and support programmes for SMEs, suppliers and retailers alike, as well as assisting communities impacted by HIV and AIDS.

About Mercedes-Benz South Africa
The Mercedes-Benz group of companies in South Africa was established in 1954. Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) manufactures Mercedes-Benz and Mitsubishi vehicles at its plant in East London, Eastern Cape Province. MBSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler AG and is one of the largest automotive groups in South Africa.

Concurrent with the announcement of Finalists in The 2011 American Business Awards, including nominees in the new product awards categories, voting has opened in this year's People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products.

Vote now at
http://peopleschoice.stevieawards.com/default.cfm?sitetype=P

Voting will remain open through June 3 for the year's best new products and services in 16 categories, including, among others

• Favorite New Consumer Product
  
• Favorite New Smartphone
• Favorite New Smartphone or Tablet App
• Favorite New Tablet
• Favorite New Media or Entertainment Product

Top vote getter in each category will receive a specially-designed crystal People's Choice Stevie Award trophy at the ABA's annual awards banquet in New York on June 20.

Voting Now Open for People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products

Finalists were announced today in The 9th Annual American Business Awards. Companies as diverse as Apple, Groupon, General Electric, Procter & Gamble, and The Walt Disney Company are among those recognized.  Lists of Finalists by category have been published at http://www.stevieawards.com/aba. 

The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. 

This year’s Stevie® Award trophy winners will be announced during the annual gala on June 20 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York.  Tickets are now on sale.  More than six-hundred executives are expected to attend.  The event will benefit Camfed, which fights poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa by educating girls and empowering women to become leaders of change.  The ceremonies will be broadcast nationwide by the Business TalkRadio Network.    

A record number of nominations were submitted this year with more than 2,800 from organizations of all sizes and from virtually every industry.  The ABAs include a wide variety of categories including management awards, new product awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, web site awards, and more.

Members of 10 specialized final judging committees will select Stevie Award winners from among Finalists in judging that will begin next week.  Finalists were chosen by business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April and May.

Voting opened today for the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, a component of The American Business Awards that invites the general public to vote for their favorite new products in a number of categories including Favorite New Smartphone, Favorite New Tablet, Favorite New Consumer Product, and Favorite New Smartphone or Tablet App.  Voting is open through June 3 at http://www.stevieawards.com/FavoriteNewProducts.peopleschoice.

What do you think of the list of this year's Finalists?

 About The Stevie Awards

 

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.stevieawards.com/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards.   

Sponsors and partners of The 2011 American Business Awards include Infogroup, IBM Netezza, American Support, Citrix Online, Epic Media Group, High Performance Technologies Inc., iolo technologies, LifeLock, Merisel, PetRays, SDL, SoftPro, and Vérité, Inc.