Artitudes Design Inc., of Issaquah, Washington, USA received a Stevie Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year in The 2011 American Business Awards. The same program also won in the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. (Entries are now being accepted for the 2012 ABAs - get your entry kit.)

As the CEO and Creative Principal of Artitudes Design Inc., Andrea Heuston
strongly believes in creating and cultivating a culture of giving back to the community. Because art programs have been consistently cut from the curriculum, teachers and schools look to the community to fill this growing gap. Heuston has responded by providing arts education to local elementary schools through the company’s Artitudes in Action: Art Docent Campaign.  We asked Heuston about her crusading efforts to keep art in the classroom.

Why is art such an important subject for young children?
Every child learns differently. Art has been proven to help develop problem solving and critical thinking skills as well as cognitive and creative skills. Our main goal is to educate children in a variety of mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and movement so we can reach those with different strengths and abilities. We need to give children as many tools as possible to make them as successful as possible. With school budget deficits, art is one of the first subjects to be cut.  We all need to step up and help wherever public school systems need the support.

How can non-design companies help support projects such as the Artitudes Art Docent Campaign?
There are several ways that people can help support our cause in their own communities. Volunteering at local schools as an art docent is a great way to give back. Most schools have art docent programs, but not many have enough parent volunteers and supplies to sustain the programs. If you are unable to volunteer, consider helping spread the word, or donate supplies to schools in your area.

What are Artitudes Design’s plans for the future of the Art Docent Campaign?
Our plan is to remain small, but to reach more students each school year. We would like to raise awareness in our community, and to people everywhere.  We would love to see more volunteers donating their time so the task isn't left only to small programs like ours. Awareness is one of our main goals. We hope that if more people are made aware of the need for art education it will encourage more people to get involved in their local schools.

About the Art Docent Campaign
Since 2007, graphic design firm Artitudes has partnered with Seattle-area schools, working with them to select classes with the greatest need for art instruction. The company’s employees then volunteer their time as art docents, allowing them to give something back to the community about which they are passionate: Art.

These aren’t your typical art docents, however. Team members create sample art projects, write lesson plans, purchase supplies or use recycled materials, coordinate with an elementary school, and then teach the lesson to the class. If classes are focusing on a specific topic, such as the Lewis & Clark expedition, the docents will tailor their lesson plans to that subject. Recently, a fifth grade class was learning about impressionism, so the docents created a project based on Monet’s landscapes. The lesson included tearing magazines into pieces and creating an impressionistic landscape on paper.

Artitudes focuses on using recycled materials in its instruction. This helps
keep out-of-pocket costs low, is environmentally conscious, and allows students
to recreate the projects in their own time for very little cost. Every child
has a unique learning style and creative strength, therefore the company works
with different tools and mediums, including painting, drawing, and
sculpture.

A Growing Challenge
The biggest challenge that Artitudes foresees is keeping up with the growing
demand for arts education in schools. Washington State has a budget shortfall of over $2 billion, and school funding is already being impacted. Artitudes believes it is now even more critical to grow the art docent program to reach more students; but that this can only be achieved through continued media outreach, donations of time and money, and the creation of a non-profit organization dedicated to championing basic arts education.

Art instruction is an essential tool in the development of a child.  It is a
critical building block in developing cognitive and creative skills.  The Artitudes Art Docent Campaign is just one program that will keep art inspiration alive so that the children of today become the artists and graphic designers of tomorrow. 

About Andrea Heuston
Andrea Heuston, CEO & Creative Principal of Artitudes Design, has over 20 years of experience in the graphic design industry. She established Artitudes in 1995. Heuston strongly believes in giving back to the community and focuses on advocating for the prevention of child abuse and on promoting arts education. She serves as a Board of Director with the non-profit organization Olive Crest, is a member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and serves on the Executive Committee of NW Next Leaders Council.

About Artitudes Design
Artitudes Design Inc. is a full service graphic design firm that specializes in executive communications within the high tech, retail, and non-profit verticals through customized presentations, marketing, motion graphics, and branding solutions. Founded in 1995, Artitudes currently employs 15 people. For more information go to www.artitudesdesign.com.

How is your organization engaging with your local community?

More than 330 women entrepreneurs, executives, and their guests will attend the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business on Friday, November 11 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.  These are the world's top honors for working women.

Here's the list of organizations that will be represented at the event (as of November 8). Will you be joining them? If so, act fast - there are only 10 tickets left!

A Glam Slam New York NY USA
Accurate Engineering Integrated Construction Services Inc. San Diego CA USA
Advocacy and Consulting for Education Inc. Wayne PA USA
Agloves Boulder CO USA
AHAVA North America New York NY USA
Allstate Insurance Company Northbrook IL USA
America Works of New York, Inc. New York, NY USA
Americas’ SAP Users’ Group (ASUG) Chicago IL U.S.A.
Arkadium, Inc., New York, NY USA
Axis Teknologies, Atlanta, GA, USA
Bhava Communications Berkeley CA USA
BidSync American Fork UT USA
Birds Nest Foundation New York NY U.S.A
BlackLine Systems Los Angeles CA USA
Blacktop, Kansas City, MO, U.S.A.
Bloomberg TV New York NY USA
Broadview Networks Rye Brook NY U.S.A.
Brownstein & McCabe Associates, Englewood, FL, USA
Business TalkRadio Network Greenwich CT USA
Caligor Rx, New York, NY, USA
Career Opportunity Development Inc. Egg Harbor City NJ USA
Century 21 Real Estate LLC Parsippany NJ USA
Charity Voice Online Dallas TX USA
Cigna Bloomfield CT
Citrix Systems Santa Clara CA
CJP Communications, New York, NY, USA
ClientAttraction.com Stamford CT USA
Clinical Research Advantage Inc. Phoenix AZ
Coloredge Los Angeles * New York USA
Delaney Consulting LLC Atlanta GA USA
Delta Air Lines Inc. Atlanta GA U.S.A.
Designs by Lolita Inc. Pawtucket RI U.S.A.
DiGennaro Communications New York NY U.S.A.
DRT Strategies Arlington VA USA
Dynamic Office & Accounting Solutions Danville CA U.S.A.
Elite Editing New York NY USA
eMASON Inc. Clearwater FL U.S.A
EmpowHER Scottsdale AZ U.S.A.
Encore Public Relations Rochester MN USA
Euro RSCG Worldwide PR New York NY USA
EXIT Realty Corp. International Mississauga ON Canada
FTF Sweets Limited Heysham United Kingdom
Gabriel Marketing Group Reston VA USA
Gale Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, U.S.A
Global Experience Specialists (GES), Las Vegas, NV USA
GreenGym Outdoor Fitness Equipment, Dartmouth, NS Canada
Health Advocate Inc. Plymouth Meeting PA USA
Heaven by Deborah Mitchell Shifnal Shropshire United Kingdom
High Performance Technologies Inc. Reston VA USA
iFinance Canada Inc. Toronto ON Canada
Improve Digital Amsterdam The Netherlands
Indus Health Plus Pvt. Ltd. Pune, Maharashtra, India
Infogroup Omaha NE USA
InnLink LLC Hendersonville TN USA
International Dance Supplies Ltd Newton Abbot, United Kingdom
iolo technologies Los Angeles CA USA
Jack Morton Worldwide Boston MA USA
JCPR, Parsippany, NJ USA
KC Projects Birmingham AL USA
Keurig, Inc., Reading, MA USA
KeyBank Cleveland OH USA
Keystone Resources Houston TX USA
Kiva Systems Inc. North Reading MA USA
Let's Eat Out Menus Magazine, LLC Spotsylvania, VA U.S.A.
Loyalty Factor LLC Portsmouth NH USA
MAC Presents New York NY USA
MamaBargains.com, Salt Lake City, UT USA
Marketing 24/7 Inc. Trussville AL USA
Marketo, San Mateo, CA, U.S.A
Matrex Exhibits Addison IL USA
Medisys Health Communications Fairfield CT USA
Métier Ltd. Santa Rosa CA U.S.A.
Mojiva Inc. New York, NY USA
Mom Central Consulting Newton MA USA
Momentum Inc. Camp Hill PA USA
MWW Group, East Rutherford, NJ USA
MyCorporation, Calabasas, CA U.S.A.
One Stop Environmental Birmingham AL U.S.A.
Organic Inc. San Francisco CA USA
Phoenix Data Corporation Indianapolis IN U.S.A.
Phoenix Suns, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A
Pivot Communications Salt Lake City UT USA
Pure Romance Loveland OH U.S.A.
Rambus Inc. Sunnyvale CA USA
Rockin' Green, San Antonio, TX
SDI Distributor Inc., Yonkers, NY, USA
Seeds of Genius Columbia MD USA
Sharon Lechter Paradise Valley AZ
SiloSmashers, Fairfax, VA
Smart Reader Worldwide Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Spend Radar Chicago IL U.S.A.
Staff Management | SMX, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
Staging Diva/Six Elements Inc. Toronto ON Canada
Stern Investor Relations New York NY USA
Teri Scheinzeit, The Savvy Business Coach New York, NY USA
The HopeFULL Company, Minnetonka, MN, U.S.A.
The Omnia Group Tampa FL USA
tmg-e*media inc. New York NY USA
Transcend Technologies Group dba benefitsCONNECT Elk Grove CA USA
Under Armour Baltimore MD U.S.A
University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS U.S.A
Vaco Los Angeles Los Angeles CA USA
VerticalResponse San Francisco CA USA
Voxy Lady Sydney NSW Australia
Vulcan Park and Museum Birmingham AL USA
Walton Isaacson, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Web Ad.vantage Havre de Grace MD USA
Wipro Limited Bangalore India
Women in the City London United Kingdom
Women Presidents' Organization New York NY USA
WomenOnBusiness.com Clermont FL USA

The Stevie Awards, the world's premier business awards competitions, are looking for an experienced business-to-business sponsorship sales professional to develop and sell sponsorships for our four awards programs and a new multi-day event on entrepreneurship we'll be staging in New York City next June.

This is a contract position offering a monthly retainer and substantial commission percentage, with signficant earnings potential.

The right person can be based anywhere in the U.S.A. and have the following qualifications:

* At least three years of B2B sponsorship sales experience

* Relationships with a number of key decisions makers at some major B2B and consumer marketers

* An extensive contact list of B2B and consumer marketer sponsorship marketers

* Demonstrable experience in developing and pricing sponsorship sales programs and offerings and in initiating, following through, and closing B2B sponsorships.

If you qualify and you're interested, learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com then email your cover letter and resume to Stevie Awards president Michael Gallagher at michael@stevieawards.com.  No calls, please.

The following professionals participated in the preliminary judging of the 2011 (8th annual) Stevie Awards for Women in Business in September-October. Their average scores determined the Finalists. We thank them for their interest, time, and insights. This year's Stevie Awards winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Friday, November 11. Learn more about the event and reserve your table today.

Amal Al-Najjar, Human Resources Supervisor, Fluor Corporation Ahmadi, Kuwait
Ebony Bain, Miss, Plan it Well, Edmonton, United Kingdom
Virginia Balcom, Marketing Director, Lighthaus Logic, Vancouver, Canada
Maxim Behar, CEO, M3 Communications Group, Inc., Sofia, Bulgaria
Susan Benton Russell, Founder, Benton Communications, Inc., Hermosa Beach, CA, USA
Carolyn Betts, CEO, Betts Recruiting, San Francisco, CA, USA
Daniel J G G, Block, PhD, Chaplain, U.S. Army (retired), La Farge, WI, USA
Tya Bolton, CEO / Admistrative Extraordinaire!, Exceptional Business Solutions, LLC, Columbia, MD, USA
Marcia Brand, President, Creative Marketing Concepts, Inc., Alexandria, VA, USA
Jean Brandolini Lamb, Director, Global Branding SAP, New York, NY, USA
Crystal Brown-Tatum, CEO/President, Crystal Clear Communications, Shreveport, LA, USA
Debbie Champion, Attorney at Law, Rynearson Suess Schnurbusch &Champion, St. Louis, MO, USA
Pamela Clark, Founder/Executive Director, New Heights Educational Group, Defiance, OH, USA
Etta Cohen, Founder, Forward Ladies, Leeds, United Kingdom
Maria Coyne, Executive VP, KeyBank, Cleveland, OH, USA
Christine Dunn, Founder, Savoir Media, Belmont, MA, USA
Rochelle Ekanayake, Managing Director, MrPierce Studios International Asia (pvt) LTD, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Diane Emo, VP Marketing, Coverall North America Inc., Boca Raton, FL, USA
Lori Ericson, Product Planning Development, Epicor Software, Denver, CO, USA
Patricia Garcia, Experience Architect, Critical Mass, Aurora, IL, USA
Lorretta Gasper, Director Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, CDC Software, Atlanta, GA, USA
Barb Girson, Owner, My Sales Tactics, Columbus, OH, USA
Audrey Godwin, Managing Member, The Godwin Group, PLLC, Renton, WA, USA
Julie Gordon White, CEO / Broker, BlueKey Business Brokerage M&A, Berkeley, CA, USA
Aileen Gorman, Executive Director, Commonwealth Institute, Boston, MA, USA
Renda Hawwa, Corporate Communications, IntelligentMDx, Cambridge, MA, USA
Ruwena Healy, President, Marketing 24/7, Inc., Trussville, AL, USA
Charity Herb, Online Content Administrator, American Greetings, Cleveland, OH, USA
Robyne Highsmith, Founder, Teen Dare To Dream Program, Zionsville, IN, USA
Dr. Kate Darcy Hohenthal, Founder, The Birthday Club, Manchester, CT, USA
Marie Holliday, EFT-AAMET, President, EFT Spain, Murcia, Spain
Jennifer Houston, President, WE Studio D™, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, Bellevue, WA, USA
Rebecca Jones, Senior Marketing Manager, The Retail Outsource, Coral Gables, FL, USA
Rose Jurczewski, Owner, Funxion Fuzion, Roselle, IL, USA
Patricia Marie Kelly, Owner, Marie Kelly Unlimited, Algonquin, IL, USA
Laura Kerr, Project Principal, Sabre Airline Solutions, Southlake, TX, USA
Roja Kolachina, CEO, Synerteq, Inc., Rockville, MD, USA
Rafal Kucharski, Advertising Manager, Wytwornia Mebli, Swarzedz , Poland
Rebecca Lane, Miss, Epitome Health and Beauty, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Jill Liberman, President, L'Posh Beauty, Boca Raton, FL, USA
Katherine Macaluso, President, A.M. Engineering and Testing, Inc., Port St. Lucie, FL, USA
Sheila Marcelo, Founder & CEO Care.com, Waltham, MA, USA
Carol Marx, Past President, American Agri-Women, Rickreall, OR, USA
Georgia McCabe, Sr. Partner, Brownstein & McCabe Associates, Englewood, FL, USA
Jeannine McHenry, Art Director/Principle, J. McHenry Design, Marina Del Rey, CA, USA
Colin McKillop, Chief Executive Officer, Butcher Enterprises, Windsor, ON, Canada
Sharon Metzung, Publications & Graphics Manager, Lake Metroparks, Concord Township, OH, USA
Lisa Miller, Principal, LaineGabriel, Columbus, OH, USA
Hannah Montroy, Enterprise Business Process Improvement Facilitator, Shamrock Foods Company, Commerce City, CO, USA
Judy Musgrove, Owner, Cover To Cover, Sacramento, CA, USA
Pat Mussieux, Founder, Wealthy Women Leaders, London, ON, Canada
Wendy Nolin, VP of Marketing, TalentGuard, Austin, TX, USA
Dolly Oberoi, CEO, C2 Technologies, Inc., Vienna, VA, USA
Wendy O'Donnell, Manager, Training and Delivery, UnitedHealth Group, Costa Mesa, CA, USA
Elizabeth Ojeda, President, Collective Solutions & Services, Denver, CO, USA
Mark O'Toole, Senior Vice President, The Castle Group, Inc., Boston, MA, USA
Michael Parrillo, QA Manager, Lapp Group, Florham Park, NJ, USA
Harish Pillai, COO, Indus Health Plus Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India
Kim Pita, Managing Principal, Pita Communicaitons LLC, Rocky Hill, CT, USA
Penny Pompei, National Executive Director, Women Construction Owners & Executives USA, Alexandria, VA, USA
Toni Potter, Director, Technica, Dulles, VA, USA
Frank Powell, President, Horizon Radiology/NightForce Radiology/PetRays, The Woodlands, TX, USA
Vicky Prior, Writer, Editor & Communications Consultant, Vicky Prior Communications, London, United Kingdom
Jesintha Rajaratnam, Partner, Joje India Consultants - Finance & HR FZC, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
Fanjarivo Rakotonirina, President, Tropical Items Madagascar, LLC, Boulder, CO, USA
Shenan Reed, Managing Director, Morpheus Media, New York, NY, USA
Dennis Reno, Vice President, Customer Experience, Oracle, San Francisco, CA, USA
Sandra Rinomato, Toronto, ON, Canada
Gyan Saxena, Chief Operating Officer, DatamanUSA, LLC, Denver, CO, USA
Amy Scarlino, President & COO, Catchpole Corporation, Wellesley, MA, USA
Aysegul Seferoglu, External Communications Coordinator, Effect PR, Istanbul, Turkey
Nora Senior, Executive Chair UK Regions and Ireland, Weber Shandwick, Edinburg, United Kingdom
Roz Sohnen, Producer/Director Roz Sohnen Productions, LLC, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Misty Stocksdale, Brand Navigator, Blacktop, Kansas City, MO, USA
Caroline Storey-Sabetti, Executive Director, Marketing, Staff Management | SMX, Chicago, IL, USA
Heena Sunil Bulchandani, Specialist-Training & Development, DEWA, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Letty Swank, Founder, GiftwrapperZ, Los Gatos, CA, USA
Stephanie Taylor, Marketing Director, Promark Financial, Santa Ana, CA, USA
Jacqueline Teo, General Manager, Programme Management Office, FOXTEL, Putney, Australia
Hilary Topper, CEO, HJMT, Melville, NY, USA
Veronique Topping Knight, Web Developer, WomanOwnedNewYork.com, New York, NY, USA
Lynn Walk, Office Manager, Health Revenue Assurance Associates, Inc., Plantation, FL, USA
Wendy Weidenbaum, President and CEO, Weidenbaum Development, New York, NY, USA
Julia Zamorska, VP of Corporate Communications, iolo technologies, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Joseph Zitzelberger, Director of Manufacturing Development, PACCAR Inc., Chillicothe, OH, USA

Last week we announced the Finalists in the 2011 (8th annual) Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's premiere honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, and the organizations they run.

This week the final judging process began, to determine the Stevie Award winner in each category from among the Finalists, and the process continues through the end of next week.

Here are the members of the final judging committees who are working hard to determine this year's winners, which will be announced at our 8th annual awards dinner in New York on Friday, November 11 (tickets are now on sale).  Thanks to all of them for their hard word and passion!

What do you think of our judging panels?

BEST EXECUTIVE AWARDS CATEGORIES

CHAIR:
Sherry Chris, CEO
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC
Parsippany, New Jersey, USA

COMMITTEE:
Dea Benson, Chief Accounting Officer
Realogy
Parsippany, New Jersey, USA

Denise Blasevick, CEO/Founding Partner
The S3 Agency
Boonton, New Jersey, USA

Elise Contarsy, VP Brand Licensing
Meredith Corporation
New York, New York, USA

Susan DeFranca, President & CEO
Doutlas Elliman Developments
New York, New York, USA

Elizabeth Gehringer, SVP Corporate Compliance
Realogy
Parsippany, New Jersey, USA

Jennifer Green, Managing Director
World 50, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Racquel Harris, VP, Marketing
Kraft Foods, Iinc.
Northfield, Illinois, USA

Dottie Herman, President & CEO
Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate
New York, New York, USA

Shannon King, Founder
YPN
Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Jean Brandolini Lamb, Director, Global Branding
SAP
New York, New York, USA

Karen Mayfield, SVP, National Mortgage Sales Manager
Bank of the West
San Francisco, California, USA
 
Molly O'Neill, Managing Director
DeVries Public Relations
New York, New York, USA

Wendy Purvey, CMO
Sotheby's Realty
Parsippany, New Jersey, USA

Tanya Reu, SVP, Human Resources
Realogy
Parsippany, New Jersey, USA

Kelly Roark, VP, Interactive Sales & Development
Scripps Networks Interactive
New York, New York, USA

Bernice Ross, CEO
RealEstateCoach.com
Austin, Texas, USA

Stephanie Smirnov, President & CCO
DeVries Public Relations
Leonia, New Jersey, USA

Bev Thorne, CMO
Century 21
Parsippany, New Jersey, USA

Tracy Weir, Chief Marketing Officer
Inman News
Alameda, California, USA

Anne Wilkie, Director, Business Development
Invesco Ltd.
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Marti Winer, VP, Event Marketing and Communications
Wyndham Hotel Group
Parsippany, New Jersey, USA

Leslie Appleton Young, Chief Economist
California Association of Realtors
Los Angeles, California, USA

Rosanne Zusman, SVP, Global Brand Marketing
Wyndham Hotel Group
Parsippany, New Jersey, USA


BEST ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS CATEGORIES

CHAIR:  
Anne Walker, MBE, Founder & CEO
International Dance Supplies Ltd
Newton Abbot, United Kingdom

COMMITTEE:
Allison Coyne, Choreographer/Director
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

Susan Epstein, Vice President
West Park Productions
New York, New York, USA

Sally Henley, Town Development Manager
Newton Abbot Town Centre Partnership
Exeter, United Kingdom

Shamina Krishna, Curriculum Development, Research & Advanced Training Unit Head
Smart Reader® Worldwide Sdn. Bhd.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Jackie Lee, Managing Director
The Dolls House Emporium
Ripley, United Kingdom

Judy Lever, Executive Chairman
Collier Campbell Ltd
London, United Kingdom

Carrie Molay, Director
MK Venture Partners
New York, New York, USA
 
Varvara Milovanova, Entrepreneur
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Lorraine O'Neill, Director
Luxury Online Pty Ltd
Parrearra, Queensland, Australia

Jane Revell-Higgins, Managing Director
Synergy Partnership Ltd
Ilfracombe, United Kingdom

Steven Sirico, President
Dance Teacher Web
Norwalk, Connecticut, USA

Sarah Smith, Manager
The Bridal Gallery
Coventry, United Kingdom

Rosemary Stockdale, Managing Director
Sterling Marketing Ltd
London, United Kingdom

Dr. K H Wang, Group Executive Director
Smart Reader® Worldwide Sdn. Bhd.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Helen Watson, Managing Director
SES Recruitment
Newton Abbot, United Kingdom


COMPANY/ORGANIZATION AWARDS CATEGORIES

CHAIR:
Lisa Jones, CEO
EyeMail Inc.
Marietta, Georgia, USA

COMMITTEE:
Ahmed Alhai, BRM Specialist
ADCO
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Nagabhushan Balaji, Executive Vice President, Internal Control & Compliance
Dubai First
Dubai, UAE
 
Victoria Barnett, Senior Marketing Executive
Royal College of Nursing
London, United Kingdom

Alison Basa, Senior Executive
National Health Service
London, United Kingdom

Janet Beale, Manager, Platform Investment Implementation
MLC Limited
East Lindfield, NSW, Australia

Georgie Blake, Director
Marine Technicians Australia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Heena Sunil Bulchandani, Training & Development Specialist
Dubai, UAE

Dr. Kate Darcy Hohenthal, Founder
The Birthday Club
Manchester, Connecticut, USA

Yvonne Howie, Chief Executive/NSW
The CEO Institute
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Anne Jefferies, Performance Scorecards & Supplier Benchmarking
AT&T
Glasgow, Scotland

Jennifer Lyon
Australian Institute of Company Directors
Gordon, NSW, Australia

Karen McFadzen, VP Technical Services
Cisco Systems
Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia

Dianne Morris, Researcher
Imperial College
London, United Kingdom

Charles Olsson, Managing Director
Stockfeed Purchasing Pty Ltd
Crestmead, Queensland, Australia

Janine Popick, CEO/Founder
Vertical Response, Inc.
San Francisco, California, USA

Emma Real, Corporate Communications Specialist
AECOM
Chicago, Illinois, USA

Dennis Reno, VP, Customer Experience
Oracle
San Francisco, California, USA

Shaikha Tariq Salim                              
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Susan Savage, General Manager
MICROS Fidelio Australia
South Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia

Julia Zamorska, Vice President, Corporate Communications
iolo technologies
Los Angeles, California, USA


COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING AWARDS CATEGORIES

CHAIR:
Susan M. Kidd, CEO
DRT Strategies, Inc.
Coronado, California, USA

COMMITTEE:
Sonja Beaubien, Finance Professional
Washington, DC,  USA

Margo Burnette, CEO
ImpaQ Solutions
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Andrea Chiou, Principal
ASC Consulting
Fairfax, Virginia, USA

Danielle Cogar, COO
Aquilent
Laurel, Maryland, USA

Jennifer Commander, Partner
Alexandria Clinical Research
Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Stephanie Eskins, President
e3Strategies
Sterling, Virginia, USA

Julie Henderson, President
Spoiled Rotten Dogs, inc.
Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Misty Jordan, VP
Compusearch Software Systems
Dulles, Virginia, USA

Cathy Lange, President
BusinessWorks of America, Inc.
McLean, Virginia, USA

Beth Maloney, President
Palladian Partners
Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Nidia Raya Martinez, Knowledge Management Specialist
University of Sydney
Botany, NSW, Australia

Kimberly Mayo, Deputy Chief
Department of Homeland Security, Office of Law Enforcement/
Federal Air Marshal Service
Arlington, Virginia, USA

Peggy McShane, President
Net New Growth
Arlington, Virginia, USA

Beth Meagher, Director  
Deloitte Consulting
Arlington, Virginia, USA

Deborah Moyer, President
Moyer Consulting Group
Sterling, Virginia, USA

Andrea Myslicki, Director Strategic Programs
SRA
Arlington, Virginia, USA

Toni Potter, Director
Technica
Dulles, Virginia, USA

Tara E. Roche, VP Sales and Client Relations,
Eastern Region
Diva Limousine LTD.
New York, New York, USA

Kristen Staples, Owner
Koru Photography
Aldie, Virginia, USA

PRODUCT & SERVICE AWARDS CATEGORIES

CHAIR: Tereson Dupuy, CEO
Fuzzibunz, LLC
Lafayette, Louisiana, USA

COMMITTEE:
Joan Boudreaux, Attorney
Broussard, Louisiana, USA

Erin Butler, Executive
Fedex International
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Julie Calzone, CEO
Calzone & Associates
Lafayette, Louisiana, USA

Penny Edwards, Owner
Pennimo Productions
Lafayette, Louisiana, USA

Jennifer Finke, CEO
Red Jeweled Media
Denver, Colorado, USA

Patricia Gannon, Editor
LA Femme Film Festival
Louisiana

Marina Go, Publisher
Independent Digital Media
Alexandria, NSW, Australia

Gena Gregerson, Owner
For the Monster
Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

Lonnie Hill, Engineer
City of Mesquite
Dallas, Texas, USA

Kat Leonard, Executive
Zulily, Inc.
Seattle, Washington, USA

Kaan ÖZSÖKMEN, Agent Manager
K-Tex Sourcing & Buying Agency
Istanbul, Turkey

Elif Molla ÖZSÖKMEN, Chief Merchandiser
K-Tex Sourcing & Buying Agency
Istanbul, Turkey

Bobbi-Jean Palmer, Owner
Diaper Shops
South Paris, Maine, USA

Angie Philip, CEO
Reach Me
Auckland, New Zealand

Angela Powell, Owner
BumRite Diapers
Napa, California, USA

Jolene Powell, Owner
Sweet Cheeks
Auckland, New Zealand

Jeanette Rougee, Owner
Mike Rougee Inc
Kenner, Louisiana, USA

Addie Sorbo, President
Strawberry Fields Designs
Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

Nataljia Sudina, CEO
Best 4 Kids, London, United Kingdom

Nancy Trahan, Executive
whitney Bank
Lafayette, Louisiana, USA

Kelly Wels, Author
KellyWels.com
Hebron, Maine, USA


MEDIA AWARDS CATEGORIES

CHAIR:
Jennifer Rotner,  Owneer
Elite Editing
New York, New York, USA

COMMITTEE:
Laurie Albo, Director
Maryland Financial Investors
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Donna Balinkie, President
FireDrive Marketing Group
Owings Mills, Maryland, USA

Monica Berrocosa, CCO/Founder
MyCity4Her.com
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Karen Brennan, Vice President
Lippe Taylor
New York, New York, USA

Melissa Casalena, Lead Designer
Greek Streak
Reisterstown, Maryland, USA

Liz Cassedy, Director of Product Development
Nations Photo Lab
Laurel, Maryland, USA

Will Davis, Managing Partner
Right Source Marketing
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Rachel Fishman Fedderson, Editorial Director
Parenting.com
New York, New York, USA

Lisa Goldberg, Director, Marketing Services
VetCentric, Inc.
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Latoya Hamilton, Manager, Business Development
NYC & Company
New York, New York, USA

Nicole Hirsch, President
Ty Lucas
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Ronford Howell, CEO
Bottle Service
New York, New York, USA

Alexander Kouts, Senior Manager, Consumer Products
weatherbug.com
Mountain View, California, USA

Kristin Knoerlein, Creative Director
KkDesign
Nottigham, Maryland, USA

Katherine McDonald, Marketing Manager
Eataly
New York, New York, USA

Sophie Roberts, Senior Writer
NYC & Company
New York, New York, USA

Liz Rowell, Managing Director
Red Ark
St Leonards, NSW, Australia

Jessica Watson
CEO/Creative Director
Jwatson Creative
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Finalists were announced today in the 8th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the international competition recognizing the accomplishments of outstanding women executives, business owners, and the organizations they run.  

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards and International Business Awards.  The Stevies are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards.

The final results of the 8th annual competition will be announced at an awards dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Friday, November 11. 

More than 1,300 entries – a record for the competition - were submitted this year by organizations and individuals around the world for consideration in 75 categories, including Best Executive, Best Entrepreneur, Women Helping Women, and Communications Campaign of the Year. 

Among the leading contenders with multiple Finalists are Akbank, Istanbul, Turkey; Australian Innovative Systems Pty Ltd (AIS) Company, Brisbane, Australia; Coloredge New York • Los Angeles, New York, NY; Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, New York, NY; NetApp, Sunnyvale, CA; Staff Management | SMX, Chicago, IL; Staging Diva/Six Elements Inc., Toronto, Canada; TopLine Communications, London, United Kingdom; and VerticalResponse, San Francisco, CA.

For a complete list of Finalists by category, visit www.stevieawards.com/women.

Finalists were chosen by business professionals worldwide during preliminary judging.  Members of six final judging committees will select Stevie Award winners from among the Finalists during final judging.

A portion of each ticket sold for the November 11 awards dinner will be contributed to Camfed (www.camfed.org), which fights poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa by educating girls and empowering women to become leaders of change. 

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 www.stevieawards.com.

Sponsors and supporters of the 8^th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business include the Business TalkRadio Network, Coloredge, Infogroup, KeyBank | Key4Women, Melilea International Group of Companies, SDL, and Smart Reader Worldwide.

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Tomorrow - Thursday, October 6 - is absolutely the last day that we can accept late entries for the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the world's premier honors for women entrepreneurs, executives and the organizations they run.

You'll find the entry kit here, online. It explains how to choose categories and prepare entries. When you've written your entries, submit them here.

Late entries will not be penalized in any way in the judging process. Preliminary judging to determine Finalists closes on Sunday, and Finalists will be notified next Wednesday.

This year's Stevie Award winners will be announced at a dinner in New York on Friday, November 11. Attendance is not required to win.

Who do you know who should be nominated in the Stevies for Women?

We're a week away from what will be the largest International Business Awards event to date - our 8th annual awards banquet, on Tuesday, October 11 at the fabulous Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.  We're expecting more than 400 executives from 25+ nations to attend to help celebrate this year's IBA honorees.

Tickets are going fast - get yours now.

The IBAs are the world's premier business awards program, honoring business-related achievements of all types with corporate awards, management awards, marketing awards, new product awards, website awards, human resources awards, IT awards, public relations awards, and more.

Here is the list of organizations that have already confirmed their attendance at next Tuesday's gala.  Will you be among them?

Abu Dhabi Airports Company, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Abu Dhabi Municipality, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Accenture Services Ltd  India
ACE enterprise Slovakia  Bratislava  Slovakia
Aepona Ltd  Belfast  United Kingdom
African Access Holdings  Durban  South Africa
Al Fara'a Group, Abu Dhabi, UAE
ASDA'A Burson Marsteller, Dubai, UAE
AstraZeneca Bulgaria
Athen International Airport  Athens  Greece
Aygaz  Istanbul  Turkey
Azercell Telecom LLC  Baku city  Azerbaijan
Bombardier, Montreal, Canada
BRComm, Seoul, South Korea
BT, London, United Kingdom
Callidus Software  Pleasanton  CA  USA
Cascades Tissue Group  Candiac  Canada
COMSEL Co.  Ltd.  Tokyo  Japan
DANI Communications, Seoul, South Korea
DHL Express, Bonn, Germany
EFES, Istanbul, Turkey
Emarat, Dubai, UAE
Emirates NBD, Dubai, UAE
Everything Everywhere  London  United Kingdom
Finansbank A.S.  Istanbul  Turkey
GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications  Inc.  Manila  Philippines
GLOBAL EVENTS ID Corporation SL  Madrid  Spain
GS Engineering & Construction , Seoul, South Korea
GSMA  London  United Kingdom
Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill Company  Sitra  Bahrain
Gulf Bank  Kuwait City  Kuwait
HANAROADCOM, Seoul, South Korea
Hancom Inc., Seoul, South Korea
Iberdrola SA, Bilbao, Spain
IBM Netezza, Marlborough, MA USA
IF Net  Tokyo  Japan
INTERIORS (Branch of EASA SALEH AL GURG GROUP)  Dubai, UAE
International Armoring Corporation  Ogden  UT USA
iolo technologies, Los Angeles, CA USA
Isbank  Istanbul  Turkey
Jeju Free International City Development Center, Jeju City, South Korea
Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutıcal Industrıes, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Karsan, Istanbul, Turkey
Kier Group plc, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Korea Business Communicators Assn., Seoul, South Korea
Korea Nuclear Fuel Company, Seoul, South Korea
 Korea Student Aid Foundation, Seoul, South Korea
Lotte Department Store, Seoul, South Korea
M3 Communications Group, Inc., Sofia, Bulgaria
Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad  Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia
Melilea International Group of Companies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nestle Turkey, Istanbul
Newsis, Seoul, South Korea
Nu Skin Korea, Seoul
P2i Limited  Oxfordshire  United Kingdom
PetRays  The Woodlands  TX USA
PJ Lhuillier  Inc.  Makati City  Philippines
Planting for Tomorrow  Sendai  Japan
plusadd  Inc., Kawasaki, Japan
PMFTC  Inc. (Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing  Inc.), Baguio City
Portugal Telecom  Lisboa  Portugal
PT Bank Permata Tbk  Jakarta  Indonesia
PT Unilever Indonesia  Tbk  Jakarta  Indonesia
Quality Systems, Irvine, CA USA
Reckitt Benckiser Group plc  Slough  United Kingdom
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
SIDM, Seoul, South Korea
Smart Media-The Annual Report Company  Colombo  Sri Lanka
Smart Reader Worldwide Sdn Bhd  Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia
Soongsil University, Seoul, South Korea
SUNGWOOADCOM, Seoul, South Korea
Tata Motors Limited  Mumbai  India
Thai Life Insurance Co., Bangkok, Thailand
The Brazilian Secretariat of Social Communication (SECOM), Brazilia
The Land Revitalization Institute  Tokyo  Japan
TSKB, Istanbul, Turkey
TTNET, Istanbul, Turkey
Türk Telekom  Istanbul  Turkey
 Uijeongbu City, South Korea
Uniqueplus, Seoul, South Korea
Weber Shandwick United Kingdom and Belgium
Whirlpool Europe  Comerio  Italy

APRA Porter Novelli of Sofia, Bulgaria has won the Stevie Award for Best Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Reputation/Brand Management in the public relations awards categories of The 2011 International Business Awards. Here we look at their award-winning campaign to fight the flab.

The devastating facts behind APRA Porter Novelli’s LIVE ACTIVELY! campaign were that each year more and more people in Bulgaria were suffering from obesity and related health problems, particularly children, the elderly, and young working people. Contributing factors included a sedentary lifestyle and a lack of education on balanced nutrition. Bulgaria had recently ranked fifth in Europe for having the most obese population, according to the EU’s Diogenes project.

LIVE ACTIVELY! Campaign Objectives

Nestlé Bulgaria is the country’s biggest Nutrition Health and Wellness (NHW) Company, with products targeted at people from all age groups and social and professional backgrounds. Nestlé is also a socially responsible company, dedicated to long-term investment in the health and well being of consumers.

Research showed that obesity-related problems strike everyone, even children. APRA Porter Novelli therefore created the LIVE ACTIVELY! campaign for its client Nestlé to address the mass public.

LIVE ACTIVELY! Events

Since 2005, APRA Porter Novelli and Nestlé Bulgaria have organized an annual campaign to raise public awareness of the benefits of an active lifestyle and to promote the importance of physical activity in an urban environment. A key element in the project is to promote walking as a simple way to not only stay fit and healthy, but also to improving the environment and reduce air pollution.

APRA Porter Novelli organizes LIVE ACTIVELY! events each year in open air spaces that include central streets, parks, and beaches.  LIVE ACTIVELY! 2010 integrated the following events into one campaign:

• Sofia, June 20: Official Opening Ceremony, a walkathon, sports activities, concerts, and educational games.

• Varna, August 10, Nessebar, August 12, and Primorsko, August 14: Beach sports activities, tournaments, and educational games.
  

Communications Campaign

APRA Porter Novelli supported the 2010 LIVE ACTIVELY! project with a huge communications campaign that included the distribution of thousands of branded hats and T-shirts, special LIVE ACTIVELY! footsteps stuck on the ground to mark the route of the Sofia walkathon; 120,000 leaflet insertions in newspapers and magazines; 60,000 posters; print ads; TV and radio spots, outdoor billboards; Internet banner ads; and a Facebook fan page.

In addition, APRA Porter Novelli arranged for the distribution in Sofia schools of 10,000 maps of South Park, with locations and details of related sport activities; and at the opening ceremony, 50 LIVE ACTIVELY! Gold Medals were awarded to top Bulgarian sportsmen.

VIP Support

LIVE ACTIVELY! received support from numerous Bulgarian VIPs, including the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borissov; the Mayor of Sofia, Yordanka Fandakova; Olympic athletics champion Tereza Marinova; World rhythmic gymnastics champion Iliana Raeva; World Champion weightlifter Armen Nazarian; and Olympic shooting champion Maria Grozdeva.

Overwhelming Results

The amount of publicity and total media space devoted to LIVE ACTIVELY! events has doubled each year.  Over 300 media outlets covered the events in 2010. The number of participants has grown by over 1,500% over the past 5 years, with 28,500 people taking part in 2010. Over 83,000 people were involved in all the 2010 LIVE ACTIVELY! activities, including 18,000 Facebook fans; and the most active participants received a total of 30,000 sports awards.

LIVE ACTIVELY! is currently the biggest sports event in Bulgaria. It is Nestlé

Bulgaria’s flagship initiative for Nutrition Health and Wellness.

About Tomislav Tsolov and Lubomir Alamanov:

Tomislav Tsolov and Lubomir Alamanov founded APRA Porter Novelli in 1994.  Under their guidance, it has evolved into one of the most experienced communication groups on the Bulgarian market, setting trends for the whole Bulgarian market.

APRA Porter Novelli was among the founders of the Bulgarian Association of PR

Agencies, and Lubomir Alamanov was its first Chairman, from 2001 to 2008. During these years the foundation of the PR industry in Bulgaria was formed and the Stockholm Chapter of Ethics was adopted.

About APRA Porter Novelli:

APRA Porter Novelli is a full-service communications agency with a team of over 70 experienced staff.  For more information go to www.apraagency.com.

Q&A with Jennifer Rotner, owner of Elite Editing in New York, New York, which won the Stevie Award for Best Website in the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  Jennifer is also Chair of the final judging committee for the Media categories of the 2011 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  The final entry deadline for the awards is this Friday - you'll find the entry kit here.

What are your top 3 tips for creating good writing on the Web or in business documents?

1. Be Clear.

Clear writing focuses on a specific objective and a specific audience. Examine your assumptions about readers—can you use industry jargon? How much background information will you need to provide?

2. Be Honest and Accurate.

This should go without saying; people are going to more willingly trust (and therefore do business with) companies known for their integrity. Be intentional about spreading the truth and about verifying information—anything less will annoy readers who know the facts and motivate them to look elsewhere.

3. Be Balanced.

Ultimately, effective business communication happens when the message you present is received, understood and accepted by your intended audience; and the best way for this to happen is to create a balance—passion with control, grammar with rhetoric and readability with enjoyment.

What has happened since you won Website of the Year at the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business?

It’s been a great year for us. Since we took home the award, we immediately saw an increase in traffic to the website that has sustained throughout the year. We’ve also seen the B2B side of our business grow by twofold. Much of that growth comes from building a good reputation and gaining referral business. I credit the Stevie Award with strengthening our company’s overall reputability and visibility in the market.

In 2011 we’ve also put a tremendous amount of effort into our website. With the goal in mind of making a visit to EliteEditing.com as resourceful and simple as possible, we’ve made a lot of changes and are relaunching this October, complete with new services, checkout system, and blog.

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?

I’ve been really enthralled by what’s going on in the Middle East. So much of my business involves social media, writing, and the sharing of ideas, and these have been a driving force behind the unprecedented movements that are changing the landscape of that region. I have Twitter followers from Egypt whose profiles call for freedom and democracy. It’s pretty awe-inspiring.

Do you have a favorite business app?

(Does Angry Birds count? It’s a great stress reliever on those tough days!)

Yes, I do. Evernote is a game changer for me. If you’re a list maker or a bookmarker, this is the most incredible tool. I went from always having a notepad in front of me and post-its sticking to my laptop (and often to the bottoms of my shoes when I got home) to having everything I wrote, heard, saw, bookmarked, etc., neatly filed, tagged, and organized in a cloud-based app that syncs to all my devices. Ahhh.

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

That’s easy. Storm chaser. Since I was a kid I ran outside when everyone else ran inside. But, being a small business owner, sometimes I feel like that IS my profession!

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

Trust, above all else. I’m putting my business, my clients, my livelihood, into the hands of those I work with, so I need to feel that they are as devoted to the work as I am.

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

Everyone is different, but I can tell you mine: bringing my laptop to bed. I’m trying so hard to break the habit! Bed is for sleep, not for work! (Or that’s what I keep telling myself…)

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

You’ve got to love what you do. I can’t imagine getting up every day and devoting my time to something I’m not passionate about. Whatever it is, you’ve got to find that thing that makes you want to kick the covers off and get to work. For me, it’s running this business. It’s helping people—day in and day out—to get published, get into grad school, or run their own businesses more effectively with our services. This is what drives and inspires me every morning to get working, and what makes me sneak that laptop into bed at night!

About Jennifer Rotner

Jennifer Rotner is the owner of Elite Editing, a New York–based full-service editorial company offering proofreading, editing and writing help for businesses, academics and individuals through the website EliteEditing.com.

From her real-world experience as a professional editor, Jennifer recognized the need for a better way to ensure that editing and proofreading services were customized to each of her clients. With this goal firmly in mind, she developed the exclusive matching system Elite Editing uses to pair every project and customer with the right proofreader or editor. Which is why Elite Editing boasts a loyal roster of satisfied clients and an unrivaled pool of editors that hail from the business, academic and journalism realms. 

Prior to founding Elite Editing, Jennifer helped form the editorial division at NYC & Company, New York City’s official marketing organization, where she ran the copy department as copy chief. Before taking on this post, she gained years of experience in the field as features editor for Focus-New York magazine and as an editor for the marketing department at the American Museum of Natural History.

Jennifer received a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and is a Baltimorean (her home town) above all else.

About Elite Editing

Elite Editing is a New York–based proofreading, editing, and writing company that offers editorial support for companies of all sizes, from small businesses and non-profits to large corporations and Fortunate 500s; authors and writers seeking to get published; and students who want their projects to have that final, all-important polish. Elite Editing also offers copywriting, web copy optimization and SEO, content creation, and many other long-term customized business solutions that give their clients the benefits of having a professional editorial staff, without the overhead. For more information visit EliteEditing.com.