Michael Gallagher

Recent Posts

ElsaMarie D'Silva to Chair Women in Business Company/Organization Categories Jury

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Wed, Sep 06, 2017 @ 02:00 PM
ElsaMarie D’Silva, Founder & CEO of Red Dot Foundation (Safecity) in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, has been selected to chair the jury for the Company/Organization categories of the 2017 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees and the organizations they run.

The final entry deadline for the awards is September 20.  Complete details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

In December 2012, ElsaMarie D’Silva founded Red Dot Foundation (Safecity), which is a platform that crowdsources personal experiences of sexual violence and abuse in public spaces. Since Safecity started, it has become the largest crowd map on these issues in India, Kenya, Cameroon, and Nepal.

ElsaMarie is an alumni of the Stanford Draper Hills Summer School, the US State Department’s Fortune Program, and the Commonwealth Leadership Program. She is also a fellow with Rotary Peace, Aspen New Voices, Vital Voices, and a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader. She is listed as one of BBC Hindi’s 100 Women and was named a Female Entrepreneur of the Year by Dusan Stojanovic of True Global Ventures. She also received the Government of India NITI Aayog’s Women Transforming India Award, and was a Digital Women Awards in Social Impact winner, hosted by SheThePeople.TV. Recently, ElsaMarie was awarded a Global Leadership Award by Vital Voices in the presence of Hillary Clinton; and in 2016, she won the Gold Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year-Government or Non-Profit (10 or Less Employees). She has penned articles that have appeared in CNN and the Huffington Post, and has spoken about her work at the Aspen Ideas Festival and at TEDx MidAtlantic, UN Women, and at Vital Voices South-to-South Leadership Summit. She has been a panelist for NDI, USIP, and SheThePeople.TV, and hosted a roundtable at the Bloomberg CityLab London in 2015.

Prior to Safecity, ElsaMarie was in the aviation industry for 20 years where she worked with Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines. Her last portfolio was Vice President Network Planning & Charters where she oversaw the planning and implementation of 500 daily flights.

“I am honored to be a Chair for this year’s Stevie Awards for Women in Business judging panel,” ElsaMarie told us. “These are prestigious awards that endorse the credibility of the organization or entrepreneur and set a high benchmark for others to match up to. I look forward to contributing to the process of identifying the next set of world class businesswomen and entrepreneurs.”

 

Topics: stevie awards for women in business, Awards for Women, Awards for Women in Business, 2017 Stevie Awards for Women in Business

Rebecca Flood to Chair Women in Business Individual Executive Jury

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Tue, Sep 05, 2017 @ 02:00 PM

Rebecca Flood, CEO of New Directions for Women, in Costa Mesa, California, USA, has been named the chair of the jury for the individual Executive categories of the 2017 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees and the organizations they run.

The final entry deadline for the awards is September 20.  Complete details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

In her nearly four decades of experience in the health care industry, Rebecca J. Flood has demonstrated expertise in program development, implementation, and evaluation. She was with Seabrook House in Seabrook, New Jersey, for over 25 years. As Vice President of Treatment Services, she oversaw the organization’s residential treatment programs and the planning of specialized treatment for women, adolescents, and individuals with co-occurring disorders. She has also distinguished herself in the areas of marketing, fundraising, technical assistance and board development. As CEO of New Directions for Women since 2004, her expertise has been applied exclusively to issues relating to women of all ages, pregnant women in any trimester, and women with dependent children affected by addiction.

Rebecca has always been committed to giving back and has given of her time, talent, and treasure by serving on international, national, and local boards, providing training at national conferences, and serving as a CARF surveyor. She is currently a member of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) Board and of the Seabrook House Board, and is President of the Association of Intervention Specialists (AIS).  She is also a member of the TRIAD Board and the Advisory Committee for Limen House in Wilmington, Delaware; and of the Sober Living Coalition Board for the State of California.

Rebecca attended Johns Hopkins University and obtained a Master’s Degree in Human Services from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. She is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) in the state of New Jersey; a Nationally Certified Drug & Alcohol Counselor (NCAC II); and is certified in California, Delaware, and New Jersey as a Drug & Alcohol Counselor (CADC II).

Rebecca tells us: “The old saying that ‘you always get more than you give’ has certainly come true for me in my life. Being able to Chair the 2017 Individual/Executive Judging Committee is a great example of that. I am honored to share some of my time in recognizing incredible, visionary women all over the world that are impacting our communities for the better.”

Topics: stevie awards for women in business, Awards for Women, Awards for Women in Business, 2017 Stevie Awards for Women in Business

Marlene Fox-McIntyre to Chair Women in Business New Products and Service Jury

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Sep 04, 2017 @ 03:16 PM
Marlene Fox-McIntyre, Principal of Athene Solutions LLC in Coral Springs, Florida, USA, has been named the chair of the jury for the New Product and Service categories of the 2017 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees and the organizations they run.

The final entry deadline for the awards is September 20.  Complete details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

Marlene Fox-McIntyre has over 30 years of engineering and management experience in the government, private industry, and non-profit sectors, and she proudly served as a Captain in the United States Army Reserve.  Marlene recently started her own high-tech business, Athene Solutions LLC. The company specializes in the development of unique technologies to make aviation safer, and to deliver quality-of-life technologies for the home. According to Marlene: “We are currently developing several 'secret sauce’ technologies that will be announced as soon as patent applications have been filed. Stay tuned!”

In 2016, Marlene won the Stevie Award for Woman of the Year – Technology for her leadership role at Hilton Software LLC as Program Executive and head of business operations, responsible for the success of all Hilton Software programs, and ensuring client and end-user satisfaction across all company products. According to Dr. Hilton Goldstein, CEO and Chief Architect of Hilton Software, “Marlene provided stability to our company. She has proven to be invaluable in the management of our government and commercial software programs. Not only did she bring her expertise in technology into the firm, but many years of experience in the public sector. I am very proud of her achievements and privileged to have her run our incredible line of products.”

Marlene earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Chemistry from the University of Texas, a Graduate Certificate in Engineering from the Army Materiel Command, and a Master’s Degree in Technical Management from Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, where she also lectured for several years. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and earned her Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) in 2006.

Marlene is honored to have been selected to Chair the 2017 New Product/Service Awards Judging Committee.  “Our committee is looking forward to the exciting challenge of choosing the best new products and services from an incredibly talented pool of nominees,” said Marlene. “Good luck and best wishes to all the outstanding nominees!”

Topics: stevie awards for women in business, Awards for Women, 2017 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, women in busines

Aline Stanworth to Chair Women in Business PR/Marketing Jury

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Fri, Sep 01, 2017 @ 11:54 AM

AlineStanworth.jpgAline Stanworth, Global Communications Leader - Specialties Markets with SABIC, of Bergen op Zoom, Noord Brabant, The Netherlands, has been named the chair of the jury for the Communications, Marketing & Media categories of the 2017 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees and the organizations they run.

The final entry deadline for the awards is September 20.  Complete details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

Aline Stanworth is a Gold Stevie® Award honoree for the campaign Stories of Possible from SABIC. Based in the Netherlands as Global Communications Leader Specialties Markets, she drives strategic communications to accelerate the diffusion of SABIC’s unique technologies in industries such as Mass Transportation, Healthcare, Electronics, Energy, Additive Manufacturing, and Industrial Automation. She is a Dutch and Brazilian national with a diversified International Business-to-Business experience in both private and public-listed global companies in Personal Care, Healthcare, Entertainment and Chemicals industries.

Aline holds a Master of Science in Corporate Communications from Erasmus University (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts in International Business Management from Hogeschool van Amsterdam.

Aline tells us that she is honored to have been invited to Chair.  “These Awards provide a magnificent platform to celebrate true talent. It is an immense honor to be invited to Chair such a high-caliber judging team.  I look forward to helping promote to the world the best work of female professionals in Marketing, PR and Media.”

Topics: stevie awards for women in business, awards judging, judges, Awards for Women, final judges

HCL Technologies Sponsors 21st Century Enterprise of the Year Categories in The 2017 American Business Awards

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Tue, Mar 21, 2017 @ 11:00 AM

HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global IT services company, will sponsor a track of new categories in The 2017 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the USA.

The 21st Century Enterprise of the Year collection of categories will recognize organizations that have driven innovation by being experience-centric, outcome-based, agile and lean, service-oriented and ecosystem-driven. This is the 15th year that The American Business Awards will recognize the achievement of organizations operating in the USA.

HCL_logo_resized.pngHCL is sponsoring all nominations for the 21st Century Enterprise of the Year Awards categories, including:

  • Leader in Operational Excellence through Autonomics
  • Cloud Innovator of the Year
  • Digital Transformer of the Year
  • Connected Enterprise of the Year
  • Leader in Marketing Excellence through Technology
  • Leader in driving business through Analytics
  • Social Media Leader of the Year

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE

The Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners in these and all other categories will be announced on May 1, and honored during a gala ceremony on Tuesday, June 20, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

“We are very pleased that HCL Technologies have chosen The American Business Awards to showcase excellence in technology, and we welcome this opportunity to recognize more achievements in American businesses’ use of technology,” said Stevie® Awards president Michael Gallagher.

The final entry deadline for The 2017 American Business Awards has been extended through April 7.  Complete entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.  

About HCL Technologies (HCL)
HCL Technologies (hcltech.com) is a leading global IT services company that helps global enterprises re imagine and transform their businesses through Digital technology transformation. HCL operates out of 32 countries and has consolidated revenues of US$ 6.7 billion, for 12 months ended 31st December, 2016. HCL focuses on providing an integrated portfolio of services underlined by its Mode 1 2 3 growth strategy. Mode 1 encompasses the core services in the areas of Applications, Infrastructure, BPO and Engineering & R&D services, leveraging DRYiCE™ Autonomics to transform clients' business and IT landscape, making them 'lean' and 'agile'. Mode 2 focuses on experience centric and outcome oriented services such as Digital and Analytics Services (BEYONDigital™), IoT WorKS™, Cloud and Security, utilizing DRYiCE™ Orchestration to drive business outcomes and enable enterprise digitalization. Mode 3 strategy is ecosystem driven, creating innovative IP partnerships to build products and platforms business.

HCL leverages its global network of integrated co-innovation labs, and global delivery capabilities to provide holistic multi service delivery in key industry verticals including Financial Services, Manufacturing, Telecommunications, Media, Publishing, Entertainment, Retail CPG, Life Sciences Healthcare, Oil & Gas, Energy & Utilities, Travel, Transportation & Logistics and Government. With 111,092 professionals from diverse nationalities, HCL focuses on creating real value for customers by taking 'Relationships Beyond the Contract'.

Topics: marketing awards, American business awards, innovation awards, digital awards

Who's Coming to the Sales & Customer Service Awards on Friday?

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Feb 20, 2017 @ 01:11 PM

The 11th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service - the world's top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals - will be staged this Friday, February 24 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  More than 650 professionals from around the world will attend, making it one of the largest Stevie Awards events ever staged.  

The awards presentations will be broadcast live - look here for the details.  

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards in the business development, new product and service and solution provider categories will be presented at 5:15 pm Pacific Time.  After a reception and dinner, awards in the sales and customer service categories will be presented beginning at 7:40 pm PT.

Here's the list of organizations that have already confirmed their attendance this Friday.

Access One Inc Chicago IL
Achievers Toronto ON Canada
Acquia Inc. Boston MA
Adestra New York NY
Adobe Systems San Jose CA
Aflac Columbus GA
Albridge Lawrenceville NJ
Allianz Global Assistance Richmond VA
Ally Bank Detroit MI
Arcelik Istanbul-Turkey
ArmadaGlobal Hunt Valley MD
Auspac Business Advantage Maroochydore QLD Australia
AWeber - Email Marketing Chalfont PA
BCM One New York NY
BiggerPockets Denver CO
Billhighway Troy MI
Black Knight Financial Services Jacksonville FL
Blue Ocean Contact Centers Halifax NS Canada
Board of Certification/Accreditation Owings Mill MD
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft Customer Services Toronto ON & Montreal and Mirabel PQ
Borusan Otomotiv Istanbul Turkey
Box Inc. Redwood City CA
Brainier Solutions Inc. Minneapolis MN
CAC 2000 Kingston Jamaica
Camp Bow Wow Broomfield CO
Carbonite Inc. Lewiston ME
CareerArc Burbank CA
CareerBuilder Chicago IL
Casper New York NY
Chewy Dania Beach FL
Choozle Denver CO
Cisco Systems Diegem Belgium
Cisco Systems Inc. San Jose CA
CLEAResult Tempe AZ
ClearSlide San Francisco CA
ClearVision Optical Company Hauppauge NY
Clio - Practice Management Software Vancouver BC Canada
Comcast Philadelphia PA
Concentrix Fremont CA
Conectys Bucharest Romania
Convergys Corporation Cincinnati OH
Cricket Wireless Atlanta GA
CrunchTime! Information Systems Boston MA
CubeSmart Malvern PA
DataCore Software Fort Lauderdale FL
Daxko Birmingham AL
Dell Technologies Bangalore Karnataka India
Delmarva Trailer Sales and Rentals Inc. Elkridge MD
Delta Air Lines Atlanta GA
Delta Defense West Bend WI
Delta Vacations Minot ND
DHL Express Plantation FL & Tempe AZ
DHL Global Forwarding U.S.
Dicom Transportation Group Dorval QC Canada
Digital Native Agency Prague Czech Republic
Donan Louisville KY
Dow Jones & Co. Princeton NJ
Druva Inc. Sunnyvale CA
Dun & Bradstreet Malibu CA
EFG Companies Irving TX
Elite Wealth Group San Jose CA
EMKAY Inc Itasca IL
eMoney Advisor LLC Radnor PA
EventMobi Toronto ON Canada
EXTRA Loyalty Solutions Istanbul Turkey
ezCater Boston MA
Festival Walk Hong Kong
First American Database Solutions Santa Ana CA
FirstEnergy Akron OH
FIS Global New York NY
FIS Jacksonville FL USA
Forrest Performance Group and The Pacific Institute Fort Worth TX USA:
FreshBooks Toronto ON Canada
Garanti Emeklilik ve Hayat A.S. Istanbul Turkey
Globoforce Southborough MA and Dublin Ireland
GMC Software Boston MA
GoDaddy Scottsdale AZ
Google Fiber Mountain View CA
GPS Insight Scottsdale AZ
Grovo New York NY
GuideWell Connect Jacksonville FL
HomeAway Inc. Austin TX
HomeServe USA Norwalk CT
Humana Inc. Louisville KY
IBM Armonk NY
ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd Mumbai India
IHG Salt Lake City UT
Imparta Inc. Austin TX
Inci Akü GS Yuasa Manisa Turkey
Infinity Cedar Rapids IA
Invenio Solutions Austin TX
ISN Dallas TX
j2 Global Inc. Ottawa ON Canada
Janek Performance Group Las Vegas NV
John Hancock Financial Services Boston MA
Kohl's Credit and Customer Service Menomonee Falls WI
KT Seoul South Korea
L A Mortgage Team, Mortgage Intelligence Burlington ON Canada
Lennox Industries Richardson TX
Lhasa OMS Weymouth MA
ListenTrust Portland ME
LiveOps Inc. Scottsdale AZ
Lucernex Plano TX
MarkitTrack Chicago IL
Marriott Intermediary Partner Care Omaha NE
Marriott Vacation Club International Orlando FL
MediaRadar New York NY
Mercer Consumer Des Moines IA
MetTel New York NY
Migros Istanbul Turkey
Mixpanel San Francisco CA
ModusLink Waltham MA
Moody's Analytics New York NY
Mozy by DELL Draper UT
MTM Lake St. Louis MO
NCR Atlanta GA
Netchex Covington LA
Network Alliance Reston VA
Nuance Communications Burlington MA
Oi Rio de Janeiro Brazil
OmniUpdate Camarillo CA
OpenLink Financial Uniondale NY
Optum Eden Prairie MN
Optum Consumer Sales and Services Horsham PA
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Raritan NJ
PGi Atlanta GA
PlanGrid San Francisco CA
Prov International Inc Tampa FL
Pushpay Holdings Limited Redmond WA
QNB Finansbank Istanbul Turkey
Qstream Burlington MA
Qualtrics Salt Lake City UT
Response Lindon UT
Revana a TeleTech Company Tempe AZ
Richardson Philadelphia PA
Rimini Street Las Vegas NV
Riva International Inc. Edmonton AB Canada
RizePoint Salt Lake City UT
Runzheimer Waterford WI
Salary.com Waltham MA
Sales Partnerships Broomfield CO
Sandler Sales Institute Overland Park KS
SAP Newtown Square PA
SAVO Group Chicago IL
Scribendi Inc Chatham ON Canada
Securus Technologies Dallas TX
Selling Energy Burlingame CA
SGEi Las Vegas NV
Sharegate Montreal QC Canada
ShopKeep New York NY
Signs.com Salt Lake City UT
SMTP2GO Christchurch New Zealand
SoftPro Raleigh NC
Sonnet Toronto ON Canada
Standard For Success Indianpolis IN
Statewide Intake Austin TX
Sun Basket San Jose CA
Symantec Ltd Dublin Ireland
Tarion Warranty Corporation Toronto ON Canada
TCL Corona CA
Telogis Inc. Aliso Viejo CA
The Horton Group Chicago IL
Transitions in Progress LLC Winchester VA
Travelzoo New York NY
Ultimate Software Weston FL
United States Equestrian Federation Lexington KY
University of Oregon Eugene OR
Unox, Inc. Belmont NC
UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh PA
UserTesting Mountain View CA
USHEALTH Advisors LLC Forth Worth TX
ValueSelling Associates Rancho Santa Fe CA
Velocity Advisory Group Philadelphia PA
VENZA Roswell GA
VIPRE (ThreatTrack Security) Clearwater FL
Visualize, Inc. Birmingham MI
Vivint Smart Home Provo UT
VIZIO Inc. Irvine CA
VMWare Palo Alto CA
Warshaw Group Inc. New York NY
Wayfair Boston MA
Webhelp Istanbul Turkey
Webroot Broomfield CO
Wells Fargo Treasury Management Client Delivery San Francisco CA
WePay Inc Redwood City CA
WP Engine Austin TX
Wyndham Vacation Ownership Orlando FL
Young Living Lehi UT
Zebra Technologies Lincolnshire IL
Zelis Payments Clearwater FL

Entries for the 2018 edition of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service will open in July.  Interested?

Get the Entry Kit

Topics: customer service awards, stevie awards, new product awards, sales awards, stevie awards for sales and customer service, business development awards

Winners Announced in People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Tue, Feb 14, 2017 @ 10:00 AM

Votes Determined Public's Favorites for Customer Service Excellence

Winners of the 2017 People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service, a worldwide public vote, were announced today. Voting was conducted from January 20 through February 10, with the highest number of votes deciding the winners in 12 industry categories.

PCSAFCSAwardImage_medium.jpgAll organizations honored in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories of this year’s Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service were eligible to be included in voting for the people’s choice awards. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, now in their 11th year, are the world’s top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals.

This year’s people’s choice winners, who will each receive the coveted crystal People’s Choice Stevie Award, are:

        Airlines, Distribution, Transportation: Bombardier Aerospace                            
        Computer Hardware: Unitrends
        Computer Services: Ultimate Software
        Financial, Less Than 100 Employees: CommonBond
        Financial, More Than 100 Employees: Distinguished Programs
        Healthcare/Pharma: Zelis Payments
        Leisure & Tourism: Marriott Vacation Club Owner Services                
        Retail: Chewy
        Software, Less Than 100 Employees: FieldEdge
        Software, More Than 100 Employees: GPS Insight
        Telecommunications: j2 Global, Inc.
        Other Industries: CubeSmart

More than 149,000 votes were cast this year.

Nicknamed the Stevie® for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service awards banquet on Friday, February 24 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets for the event are now on sale. More than 600 executives from around the world are expected to attend. The presentations will be broadcast live via Livestream.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. 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.

Sponsors of the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include Sales Partnerships and ValueSelling Associates.

Topics: best customer service, customer service awards, stevie awards, stevie awards for sales and customer service, customer service excellence

Introducing the 2017 Silver and Bronze Stevie Medals

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Thu, Feb 09, 2017 @ 12:06 PM

We're pleased to share with you the first photographs of the Silver and Bronze Stevie® medals that will be presented to Silver and Bronze Stevie winners in all of our 2017 competitions.

Evocative of the crystal pyramid held aloft by the Stevie trophy, the medals are triangular, as were the 2016 medals.  The awards are distinguished from the 2016 versions by the shades of blue and green used, respectively, on the Silver and Bronze medal boxes.

The medals will first be presented to Silver and Bronze Stevie winners at the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service in Las Vegas on Friday, February 24.

As in the past, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners will automatically receive one medal.  They'll have the option to purchase additional medals, or corresponding Silver or Bronze Stevie Award trophies, through the Stevie Awards Store.

Silver_and_Bronze_2.jpg

Silver_3.jpg

Bronze_3.jpg

Topics: business awards, stevie awards, stevie awards for sales and customer service, Awards, medals

Becoming a Stevie Award-Winning Sales Leader

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Wed, Dec 28, 2016 @ 10:55 AM

Insights from a Gold Stevie ® Winner at Lennox Industries, Inc.

We wanted to learn a bit more on how Rich Ford, the Sales Director for Lennox Industries in Richardson, Texas  grew to win the Gold Stevie® for Sales Director of the Year in the 2016 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. So, we reached out to the Lennox Industries team and got a few different perspectives. Quan Nguyen,  the VP of Marketing helped us coordinate the conversation and expressed, “We are very excited and proud of Rich.“ Quan pulled in Gary Bedard, the Vice President and General Manager of Lennox Industries as well as the winner himself, Rich Ford.

The 2017 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service is accepting nominations through January 11. REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

To get started we asked Gary to give us a bit of background on what solutions Lennox provides.

Lennox Industries is a leading manufacturer and distributor of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems and products for residential and commercial markets. We have leveraged our expertise to become an industry leader known for innovation, quality and reliability,” said Gary.

Lennox 1.jpgGary also shared the Vision behind Lennox.Within the home comfort industry, we want to leverage our one step distribution model to provide our professional contractors with the most innovative and highest quality products and services for them to best serve our end customers.” Bedard continued, “Our core values of integrity, respect, and excellence has built a culture of performance and accountability to execute on our vision.”

When asked about the story behind the nomination, Gary got excited. “We have an outstanding team of sales professionals, a group honored by the Stevies for the Best Field Sales Force!  Within that team, we have a leader of leaders and that was Rich Ford. He’s elevated himself in both action and performance to become a complete sales professional. The three year sales performance and growth we’ve seen out of the Western Region is simply incredible for this industry. His leadership has been instrumental in our results. He continually coaches and mentors his team and his peers. He is a thoughtful advisor to the entire management team. He consistently finds innovative solutions to customer challenges and he maintains the highest levels of standards and integrity. When we saw this award category, we were absolutely delighted to nominate Rich. His contributions have been tremendous and he really embodies all of our values of integrity, respect, and excellence.”

Gary provided interesting background on how Lennox first became acquainted with the Stevie® Awards . “We had started undergoing a transformation in 2010. Coming out of the recession in 2012, we started winning. Not just growing,  but winning by taking market share!  It was largely driven by transformational changes in our sales team and supply chain logistics. I understood that the efforts and success we were making were not just industry leading but world class so we sought to compete on a global level. We came upon the Stevie Awards that way and that’s been one of our inspirations ever since.  And we still continue to win in the market.”

Enter Rich Ford himself who described the actual experience of winning the award. Rich began with,

“When you win something you’re not expecting, or even know you’re being considered, it’s a very humbling experience. We have some amazing leaders in our organization – others deserving of the award and recognition. Then, to find out the organization recognized me as their nominee, made me happy to be a part of the team; the organization as well as our industry.”

We were interested in learninghow the award has affected RIch’s business to which Mr. Ford replied, “I can’t say that the award has affected my business dealings. I’m not a better director or leader as a result of the award. I still strive to contribute to a culture of excellence in everything we do. I still try to bring the highest level of service to our customers and to be a champion and advocate for my team. I’m probably more acutely aware of my day to day interactions and will strive to live up to the expectations that come with the recognition.”

Rich also shared his insights on the future of his industry,The key drivers in our industry have always been regulatory. Either the environmental impact at the federal level or on the local level with utility companies. I find it interesting that the regulations can have a greater impact on our industry going forward beyond the typical SEER/EER ratings standards. Secondary regulations in local markets could impact the way our product is installed. And, as an applied product, this could have either a negative impact or change fundamentally how our product is designed and distributed in the future. Closely watching the actions of our competitors as well as different channels (Residential New Construction for example) will keep it interesting and require staying diligent in our own innovative development of products going forward.”

Rich showed his mettle with some inspiration we can all appreciate, “As I think about where I started professionally and where I ultimately wound up – it’s definitely not a straight line. Often times, Sales Leaders start in sales and through consecutive successes over their careers become who they are – Sales Leaders. I started with Lennox, as an IT Specialist. My background had been technology focused and it was through technology I joined Lennox. It wasn’t long before I noticed a culture of sales excellence within the company through working with the Sales Managers.

It became my purpose and goal to become a Sales Director before I had my first sales position. It was not a clear road.  It took three attempts before I was finally given the opportunity to join the sales team as a Territory Manager. With each rejection I worked harder to get better. I looked for opportunities for improvement by spending time with those who were great in the role to which I wanted to rise. From Territory Manager to District Manager – I learned from great DMs.  From DM to director – I listened to and spoke with great sales directors.  

I’m not a ‘natural salesperson’ as many believe is true for most salespeople. My point is – regardless of your dream – be it a sales leader, a great IT professional or even a great parent – don’t quit getting better at what you want to do. More importantly, find others who do it great and do what they do.”

Lennox 2.jpg

Shown from left to right: Mark Yonai winner of the Stevie Gold for Best Use of Technology, Leigh Ann Vernon winner of the Stevie Gold for Best Sales Meeting, Rich Ford winner of the Stevie Gold for Sales Director, Bill Carlson winner of the Stevie Gold for Business Development.

You can learn more about Lennox Industries at http://www.lennox.com/

Topics: sales team, Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, sales awards, stevie awards for sales and customer service, Customer Service

Marketing Awards Opportunities

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Thu, Dec 01, 2016 @ 11:22 AM

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

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

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT.

ABA female winners accepting.jpgAll organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. The last early-bird entry deadline is December 14 – with discounted entry fees. The final entry deadline is February 16 and late entries will be accepted through March 15. 

One of the larger category groups in The 2017 American Business Awards is the Marketing Awards categories. 

The Marketing Awards categories are divided into three groups:

Categories Include:

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Industry Categories

E01. Agricultural / Industrial / Building: for all related products, materials, tools and services.
E02. Automotive - Aftermarket: gasoline, motor oil, tires, batteries, paint, quick-lube, oil change, muffler, transmission, windshield wipers, enhancements, etc.
E03. Automotive - Vehicles: cars, trucks, motorcycles, both brand and model advertising.
E04. Beauty: cosmetics, fragrances, hair products, nail products, beauty services such as salons, spas, etc.
E05. Beverages - Alcohol: beer, champagne, liquor, wine, wine coolers, after dinner drinks, etc.
E06. Beverages - Non-Alcohol: diet and non-diet soda, coffee, tea, juices, milk, milk substitutes, bottled water, sparkling water, etc.
E07. Breakfast Foods: cereals and other foods intended primarily for breakfast consumption.
E08. Corporate Reputation/Professional Services: includes sponsorships, image & identity, communications to promote corporations, not exclusively their products. Includes business/professional services such as consulting, accounting, legal, employments, etc.
E09. Culture & The Arts: plays, museums, music organizations, concert series, cultural festivals, theater festivals, etc.
E10. Electronics: audio and/or video devices such as TVs, radios, mobile devices, home entertainment (DVD/Blu-ray players), cameras, computer hardware, game consoles, laptops, tablets, sound systems, etc.
E11. Energy/Nutrition Products & Services: products and services aimed at the energy, sports, wellness lifestyle. Vitamins, energy bars, drinks, etc.; weight loss and fitness programs/camps, training camps and facilities, etc.
E12. Entertainment & Sports: includes entertainment and sporting events. Sporting events such as the Super Bowl, sports teams, etc. All forms of entertainment including specific films, books, DVDs, videogames, games (online, mobile, social, board, card, etc.), entertainment apps, greeting cards, online, radio and TV programming, etc.
E13. Fashion & Style: brands of clothing, eyewear, footwear, hosiery, jewelry, accessories, etc.
E14. Financial Cards: credit, charge, debit, reward, phone and other cards.
E15. Financial Products & Services: communications promoting overall image and capabilities of a financial institution and specific products or services including home banking, loans, mortgage, mutual funds, traveler's checks, etc.
E16. Government / Institutional / Recruitment: municipal or state economic development, lotteries, utilities (i.e. electricity conservation messages), membership drives, armed forces marketing communications. Includes political messages and special interest/trade group communications.
E17. Healthcare - Disease Education & Awareness: communications to educate and/or spread awareness about a certain disease or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E18. Healthcare - OTC: communications efforts for products that may be purchased without a subscription that address a specific illness, disease, or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E19. Healthcare - Rx: communications efforts for products that may be purchased with a subscription that address a specific illness, disease, or health issue, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E20. Healthcare - Services: marketing communications efforts that were developed for hospitals, HMOs, referral services, dental and medical care services, or chronic care facilities, whether to healthcare professionals, patients, and/or consumers.
E21. Home Furnishings & Appliances: kitchen appliances, air conditioners, carpeting, furniture, decorator's supplies, paint, wallpaper, etc.
E22. Home Supplies & Services: cleaning products, waxes, detergents, floor-care products, fabric softeners, paper products, domestic services, mowers, fertilizers, lawn care, gardening services, etc.
E23. Insurance: communications promoting specific products or services related to insurance and the capabilities of financial institutions offering these services. All types of insurance are eligible (home, auto, financial, health, life, travel, business, etc.).
E24. Internet / Telecom: wireless/cellular providers, high speed Internet access services, online services, portals, search engines and related Internet products & services (including SaaS/IaaS and Cloud-based services), bundled communications (Internet, telephone, and cable TV).
E25. Leisure Products & Services: recreational, sporting, and camping goods/services and other items/services intended for leisure activity.
E26. Media & Entertainment Companies: broadcasters, magazines, newspapers, web sites, consumer or trade media, radio and television stations, including networks.
E27. Office & Delivery Products & Services: delivery - overnight delivery, packagetracking, international service, etc. Office - printers, physical servers, fax machines, copiers, supplies, office furniture, etc.
E28. Packaged Food: packaged and frozen foods both regular and diet/light.
E29. Personal Care: soap, dental products, face & body lotions and cleansers, cotton swabs, deodorants, feminine hygiene products, razors, shaving cream, etc.
E30. Pet Care: animal care products and services of all types, including food, toys, veterinary and boarding services, training, and breeders.
E31. Real Estate: homes, real estate brokers, malls, etc.
E32. Restaurants: quick service, casual dining, mid-scale, white table cloth and other restaurants.
E33. Retail: general -- stores and/or web sites that provides a multiple range of non-related or generally related merchandise, which include department stores, food retailers, and discount/bulk retailers, craft stores, etc. Specialized -- stores and/or web sites that specialize in one particular line of products (e.g. clothing, fashion, jewelry, health food, shoes, pet care, toys, greeting cards, etc.).
E34. Snacks / Desserts / Confections: ice cream, candy, chips, cookies, bakery items, nut, fruit & vegetable snacks, popcorn, etc.
E35. Software & Apps: software, groupware, operating systems, or software stored locally on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. (See category E24 for Saas/IaaS or Cloud-based services, and category E12 for online and mobile games.)
E36. Transportation: air, train, bus/trolley, taxi, subway systems, bike shares, car rentals, leasing not including automobile sales/leasing, ferries, etc.
E37. Travel / Tourism / Destination: cruises, hotels, resorts, amusement parks, travel websites and booking services, travel tours, tourism campaigns, etc.

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Specialty Categories

E40. Brand Experience of the Year - Business-to-Business: recognizing work that reaches out to business audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E41. Brand Experience of the Year - Consumer: recognizing work that reaches out to consumer audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E42. Branded Utility of the Year: recognizing products and services created to address a marketing or business challenge, not to be sold, as part of a marketing program itself.  Entrants must explain the product or service created in response to the challenge, its roles and objectives, and how it was communicated to its audience, and the results achieved.  (New category for 2017)
E43. Mobile Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns targeted to consumers' mobile devices.
E44. Branded Content Campaign of the Year: recognizing work that has used branded content - original or sponsored - to reach out to audiences to establish meaningful relationships, memorable, engaging experiences, and unique connections with their brands.
E45. Online Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that were conducted in their entirety online.
E46. New Product or Service Introduction of the Year: for campaigns conducted to introduce a new product or service to the U.S. market.
E47. Small-Budget Marketing Campaign of the Year (<$3 million)
E48. Viral Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that used word-of-mouth, video stunts, and other viral tactics as their primary means of communication.
E49. Youth Marketing Campaign of the Year: for campaigns that targeted the youth market (up to age 24).

Marketing Professional Categories

E50. Marketing or Advertising Agency of the Year
E51. Marketing Department of the Year
E52. Marketing Team of the Year
E53. Marketing Executive of the Year
E54. Marketer of the Year: recognizing non-executive marketing professionals.  There is no entry fee for this category

Topics: marketing awards, American business awards, best marketing, best marketing campaign, best marketing team, Marketing