Newest Stevie Awards Program to Recognize the Best in Business in 22 APAC Nations

The Stevie® Awards today issued a call for entries for the 2014 (first annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the first business awards program to recognize achievement in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region.  Information about the program is available online at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com in seven languages, including Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay and Thai.

The Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards programs, conferring recognition for achievement in the workplace in programs such as The International Business Awards, The American Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the first new Stevie Awards program to be created in seven years.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are open to all organizations in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region:

Australia
Brunei
Burma
Cambodia
China (PRC, including Hong Kong)
East Timor
Fiji
Indonesia
Japan
Laos
Malaysia
Mongolia
New Zealand
Philippines
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Samoa
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Korea
Thailand
Tonga
Vietnam

Entries will be accepted and judged, in all seven languages featured on the web site, in the following 18 categories:

• Technology Company of the Year
• Manufacturing Company of the Year
• Services Company of the Year
• Government or NGO Organization of the Year
• Fastest-Growing Company of the Year
• Exporter of the Year
• Management Team of the Year
• Customer Service Leader of the Year
• Technology Executive of the Year
• Manufacturing Executive of the Year
• Services Executive of the Year
• Government or NGO Executive of the Year
• Woman of the Year
• New Technology Product of the Year
• New Consumer Product of the Year
• New Consumer Service of the Year
• New Business Product of the Year
• New Business Service of the Year

The early-bird entry deadline for the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, offering discounted entry fees, is 6 November. The final entry deadline is 4 December. Late entries will be accepted through 21 January, and Stevie Award winners will be announced in mid-February. 
 

Judging for the competition will be conducted in two rounds.  The first round of judging will determine Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners on a national level in each category.  Those winners will be announced in mid-February.  All of the Gold Stevie Award winners will then compete in the second round of judging for the right to be named the Grand Stevie Award winner in their categories for the entire Asia-Pacific region.  Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners will be honored, and Grand Stevie Award winners announced, at a gala awards banquet in the region in late March.

Judging committees for the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are currently being formed.  Those interested in participating in the judging process are encouraged to apply now. Stevie Awards competitions typically feature more than 200 executives around the world as judges.

The Stevie Award trophies, made by the company that makes the Oscar and other major international awards, are among the world's most coveted prizes.

To learn more details about the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, visit our Frequently Asked Questions webpage.

 About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in five programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. 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 www.StevieAwards.com, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards.

With the preliminary judging of this year’s Stevie® Awards for Women in Business about to wrap on October 6, the Stevie Awards are delighted to announce the names of the five distinguished women who will chair the final judging committees of the 2013 (10th annual) competition.

The Individual Awards categories, which recognize the achievements of individual women entrepreneurs, executives and employees, form the biggest category group in the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, so two committees have been formed:

Marcie Allen, president of New York City-based sponsorship and fulfillment agency MAC Presents, will chair the committee for the Best Executives Awards categories.

“As a woman in the music industry, recognition in the Stevie Awards has proved an effective tool for me to encourage more women to enter this industry,” stated Marcie recently. “As someone who has been in the music industry for 18 years, I want to inspire women and show them that anything is possible.  All power to the Stevie Awards for Women on its 10^th Anniversary!”

Marcie is a seven-time nominee and two-time winner of Billboard Magazine's Concert Marketing and Promotion Award. She was named to Billboard’s Women in Music in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and to Billboard’s 40 under 40 in 2013. Earlier this year, The White House honored Marcie as one of their Hurricane Sandy "Champions of Change." The event highlighted people and organizations directly involved in response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Sandy. Marcie directed a documentary short, “Beach 119,” about her efforts in the Rockaways, New York, after the storm. Marcie leverages her eighteen years of music industry experience to negotiate high profile sponsorships between the world’s leading brands and artists. Recent clients include Jeep, Microsoft, Samsung, CITI, AT&T, and Nokia. 

Prior to starting MAC, Marcie owned and operated MAD Booking & Events, which booked and produced music festivals across the country including On the Bricks in Atlanta, Georgia. Allen is on the board of directors for Musicians on Call and the TJ Martell Foundation.

 

The final judging committee for the Best Entrepreneur Awards categories will be chaired by Kristen White, CEO of Creative Catapult, LLC/Instant Celebrity Academy in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, and host of “Let’s Start A Ripple” TV. Kristen is a media expert who helps entrepreneurs, authors, speakers, life coaches, and businesses become more powerful messengers through content creation and on-camera coaching. Kristen works with clients to create media-based marketing platforms including television, radio, iPad magazines, and multi-media books. Her company, Creative Catapult, LLC, is a media coaching and video production company for the wellness and personal development marketplace.

Kristen has more than a decade of experience as a television journalist and anchor. Her new show, Let’s start a Ripple, which debuted in January 2013, is a news-style talk show that features experts in personal development, wellness and spirituality. The show is broadcast on The Wisdom Channel on Google TV, HULU, and on mainstream media. It is produced in the ABC TV studio in St. Louis, Missouri, and on location in Sedona, Arizona, in California, and in New York.

In addition to a Gold Stevie Awards for Video of the Year and for Mentor/Coach of the Year, Kristen received the Bronze Stevie Award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year in the 2012 Women in Business Awards. Her industry awards include the Platinum “Best in Show” Award for Video and a Gold Award for Video in the 2012 Aurora Awards.

 

Chair of the final judging committee for both the Company/Organization Awards and the New Product Awards categories is Jessica Eaves Mathews, CEO of Leverage a Lawyer LLC in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Jessica describes herself as America’s Advocate for Women in Business™.  She is an award-winning entrepreneur and intellectual property and business lawyer; a published author and speaker; and an authority on helping women entrepreneurs and women business owners step into their power and, as she says, “create a brilliant business and a brilliant life on their own terms.”

Jessica has spent her legal career representing all types of businesses, from solopreneurs to Fortune 500 companies. Before launching her own firm, she was the head of litigation and compliance for Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft.  Jessica is the founder of Leverage Legal Group, a global intellectual property and business law firm for the new economy. Jessica's team of experienced attorneys provides world-class, flat-fee legal services, virtual general and outside counsel, and in-sourced legal services.  The firm’s entry-level program, Leverage-a-Lawyer, provides budget-friendly, flat-fee legal services, information, and education for first-time business owners or startups who don’t yet have the budget for full-blown legal counsel.  Jessica also has experience "on the other side of the conference table" as founder and CEO of Grace & Game, a lifestyle brand both for golf and for the sophisticated, feminine, modern women. Grace & Game designs are made in the USA with sustainable fabrics and are designed to perform beautifully both on and off the course.  She is also founder and CEO of Untoxicating Beauty, a new subscription beauty experience for women who care as much about what goes into their bodies as what they put on them.

Jessica is an adjunct professor at University of New Mexico Law School; an appointee on the New Mexico Economic Development Council; co-founder and Chief Legal Officer for The Virtual Accelerator, a virtual business accelerator for startups, and is the co-founder of Hautepreneurs, a new networking organization for women entrepreneurs based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has been featured on MSNBC, Oprah, Forbes.com, NBC, Oxygen, and in Allure Magazine.

 

The chair of the final judging committee for the Communications & Marketing Awards categories is Ruwena Healy, CEO and president of Marketing 24/7, Inc., a full-service marketing, branding, and public relations firm in Trussville, Alabama, USA, which she founded eight years ago. Marketing 24/7 has a diverse client list and is one of Birmingham, Alabama’s Top 10 PR firms. Ruwena gave some useful advice on the importance of winning business awards in an earlier blog post.

Marketing 24/7 and Ruwena have garnered numerous international, national, state, and local awards, including a Gold Stevie for Communications/PR Campaign of the Year in the 2012 Stevie Awards for Women In Business. Ruwena was recently named first runner up in the Birmingham Business Journal’s Social Madness competition that showcased a company’s social media savvy by gaining new followers and encouraging follower engagement. Just this week, Ruwena was honored as one of three finalists in the Birmingham Business Alliance's 2013 Awards in the category of Small Business of the Year (1 to 50 employees) and was awarded three Lantern Awards from the Southern Public Relations Federation. She has also received an “Honorable Mention” in the international Enterprising Women of the Year Award by Enterprising Women magazine,

Ruwena is a LinkedIn expert and trainer (her LinkedIn profile was among the Top 1% of the Most Viewed profiles in 2012). She is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and lecturer, and has also presented numerous programs on branding, social media, public relations, and how to successfully get the word out about a business. Ruwena maintains a blog at MasterMarketing247.com and her articles have appeared in PR News’ 2011 Crisis Management Guidebook, Birmingham Business Journal, The Birmingham News, Alabama Business News, and al.com. Ruwena is an active member of the Birmingham, Alabama community:  she is a member of The Women’s Network; a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Relations Council of Alabama’s Birmingham Chapter; a former Board member and currently a member of the Public Relations Society of America Alabama Chapter; and a current member of Alabama Women In Business.

Ruwena has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Florida and a Masters in Business Administration from Florida State University. Today, with twin boys that are seven years old, Ruwena gives her time to fundraisers for their school and as a leader in the Cub Scouts.

 

Chair of the final judging committee for the Media Awards categories (covering websites, apps, live events, and film/video) is Cynthia Good, founder and CEO of Little PINK Book, a digital platform for career women, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Commenting on her appointment as Chair, Cynthia said: “The Stevie Awards is an organization that inspires companies to do the right thing to help advance women in business. It’s great to see those supporting women’s advancement be acknowledged for their good work.”

Supporting women’s advancement and entrepreneurship is something with which Cynthia is familiar. Her Little PINK Book is the online evolution of PINK magazine, founded by Good in 2005. In addition to the daily e-notes, proven to help career women advance, Little PINK Book’s ventures include two highly successful national conference series: their Spring Into Ownership event for entrepreneurs; and the Fall Empowerment series, featuring top women from Corporate America.

Cynthia appears regularly as a speaker at seminars and women-centric events with companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, Ford Motor Company, McKesson, Turknett Leadership Group, Andrews Kurth, Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group, and more. She has written six books and has a weekly TV segment on CBS Atlanta, where she discusses news pertinent to women. You can follow her on Twitter and via Facebook.

Finalists in the 2013 competition will be announced next week.  Final judging, to determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists, will begin the week of October 14.  Stevie winners will then be announced and recognized at the 10th annual awards dinner in New York City on Friday, November 8.

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!

Wednesday, October 9 is the early-bird entry deadline, with discounted entry fees, for the 2014 (8th annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. These are the world's top honors for contact center, customer service, business development, and sales professionals. All organizations and individuals worldwide are eligible to submit entries.

Review the entry kit now - you'll find it online. The entry kit contains all of the information you'll need to be able to prepare and submit entries to the 2014 awards.

If you miss the early-bird deadline, the final entry deadline is November 13, and late entries will be accepted through January 14 with payment of a late fee.

There's a lot that's new and different for the awards this year, including our new Grand Stevie Award trophy .

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service feature categories to recognize achievement in every aspect of the worklife of sales, business development, contact center, and customer service professionals. Category changes and additions for 2014 include the fact that it is now free to enter the Sales Meeting of the Year category. The following categories have been split into multiple categories based on industry:

• Sales Representative of the Year
• Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year
• Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year
• Back-Office Customer Service Team of the Year
• Contact Center of the Year (Up to 100 Seats)
• Contact Center of the Year (100 or More Seats)
• Award for Innovation in Customer Service
• Customer Service Department of the Year - Computer Software has been split into two categories, based on the number of employees in the entire organization

Selected winners of the 2013 Stevie Awards For Sales & Customer Service included:

• Worldwide Sales Executive of the Year
  GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
  State Street Corp, Boston, MA: George Sullivan, Executive Vice President, Global Alternatives

• Global Sales Team of the Year
  GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
  SecurityMetrics, Orem, UT: SecurityMetrics' World Class Sales Team

• Customer Service Leader of the Year
  GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
  TATA Motors Ltd, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: Sanjeev Garg, Global Head, Customer Care

• Contact Center Professional of the Year
  GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
  EE, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom: Karla Cagney, Business Operations Manager

• Business Intelligence Solution – New
  GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
  Navantis Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada: Navantis Inc. NBC Learn Customer Care Center

• Sales Consulting Practice of the Year
  GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
  Richardson, Philadelphia, PA: Richardson's Sales Enablement Practice

The following professionals led the final judging committee for the 2013 awards:

• Customer Service & Contact Center Individual & Achievement
  Chair: Angela Blevins, Vice President of Customer Care, Bluegreen Corporation, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

• Solution Provider Chair: Robert P. Gillespie, Executive Vice President, Corporate Director of Employee Development & Training, New York Community Bancorp, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, USA

• Sales Team Chair: Robert Jeppsen, Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales, Zions First National Bank, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

• Sales Department and Sales Achievement Chair: Fred Kessler, Founder, Sales Partnerships, Inc., Westminster, Colorado, USA

• Sales Individual Chair: Corbett Kull, Senior Vice President of World Wide Sales & Market Development, PacketVideo Corporation, Palatine, Illinois, USA

• Customer Service & Contact Center Team Chair: Jenifer Page, Senior Vice President of Operations, Paylocity, Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA

• Customer Service Department Chair: Alice Sesay, Director of Customer Advocacy, Capital One, Dallas, Texas, USA

• New Product & Service Chair: Mathias Strandberg, Head of Digital, Valtech, London, United Kingdom

If you'd like to apply to participate in the 2014 Stevie Awards For Sales & Customer Service judging, you can apply online.

Don't hesitate to contact us with your questions about how to participate in the 2014 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

More than 15,000 votes were cast in this year's People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Companies, a feature of The International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition.  Voting closed last Wednesday (September 18th).

With the most votes received in their respective categories, the following are the 2013 winners of the crystal People's Choice Stevie® Award trophies:

Advertising, Marketing & PR: LLORENTE Y CUENCA         
Automotive & Transportation: Korea Transportation Safety Authority                             
Business Services: translate plus                 
Computer Hardware & Electronics: Arvento Mobile Systems   
Computer Services: ROFF                 
Computer Software: BlueCat                 
Conglomerates: GE Global Growth and Operations               
Consumer Products, Food & Beverage: McCain Foods         
Energy & Utilities: RTR Rete Rinnovabile               
Financial Services: Codan Insurance                     
Health & Pharmaceutical: NU SKIN Greater China                 
Industrial: SmartSite, LLC                 
Internet & New Media: WordPress.org                   
Media & Entertainment: Dulsori                   
Non-Profit & Government Organizations: Endeavor                 
Services: Maras Group                   
Telecommunications: Lycamobile                     

For more information about The International Business Awards, including a complete list of all Stevie Award winners in the 2013 IBAs, visit www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

The crystal People's Choice Stevie Awards will be presented on stage to winners who are represented at the 10^th Annual International Business Awards banquet at the W Hotel in Barcelona, Spain on October 14^th. Tickets are still available for this gala event. Otherwise awards will be shipped to winners in late October.

Congratulations to the winners!

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 open for entries next month. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards. 

 

Contact:

Michelle Rutkowski
Marketing Director
michelle@thestevies.com
+1 703-547-8389
www.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 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.

We've published a short video about how to enter the 2014 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service: 

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world's top customer service awards, sales awards, and contact center awards. There are even new product awards categories and categories to recognize the achievements of solution providers.

This quick informational video plus an entry kit are all any company needs to know to be able to submit entries.  The Stevie Awards are the world's premier business awards.

There are dozens of categories to recognize the achievement of individuals, entire departments and teams, as well as new products used by customer service and sales professionals, and the achievements of solution providers to these professionals.

The competition is judged each year by several hundred professionals around the world.  The sponsors are providers of products and services to sales, contact center, and customer service professionals.

The early-bird deadline is October 9.  Get your entry kit, and enter today.

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

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"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

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“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

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"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

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“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

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"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

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“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.