The 2018 (15th annual) Stevie® Awards for Women in Business - the world's top honors for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees and the organizations they run - will be presented this Friday, November 16 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in New York City.  More than 540 nominees and their guests from more than 20 nations will attend for the announcement of the Grand, Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners.

Download the official program book of the awards presentations.

The presentations will be broadcast live, beginning at 7:30 pm ET.

Here are the organizations that as of this writing will be represented at the event on Friday.

2020 Mom
9th Gear Technologies
ACV Auctions
AdvancedMD
Allscripts
American Global Logistics
Ampla Education
Apple Growth Partners
ArcPoint Strategy
Aspire
AT&T
Avasant Foundation
Award Winning Accelerator
Belatrix Software
BiggerPockets
Braven
Brighton Health Plan Solutions
BrightSpring Health Services
Camp Broadway LLC
Care2
Caring Safely
Carolin Soldo Coaching & Events, LLC
Century 21 Real Estate
Chargebacks911
Choice Delights Inc.
Cisco
Coast Professional, Inc.
Compeat
Convergys
Copart
Covance
Creative Nature
D3 NYC
Dana's Bakery
DarcMatter
DDB Worldwide
DeFacto
DentalX
Deutsche Bank
DHL Express Mexico
Dignity Health
Editor World LLC
ELE Internacional
engage2learn
Eventerprise AG
Events DC
Extreme Reach, Inc.
FG Holding Group
Financial Voyages LLC
First Advantage
First Tennessee Bank
FIS
Fogo de Chão
FPI Fair Pay Innovation Lab
FULL Creative
Garden Light LED
Gendel Girls
Global Upside
GloveStix LLC
Goodwin Group PR
Gracyfy.com
Greenworks Lending
GroundLink
Hawke Media
HCL Technologies
Health4theworld
Hill + Knowlton Strategies
Home Heart Beats, LLC
Humanity For The World
Hundred Stories
IBM
IGEL
Improving
Income Access (a Paysafe Company)
InfoMart
Instructional Design and Educational Consulting LLC
Intellis
Interior Marketing Group
ISG
iTalent Digital
JP Morgan Chase
KATT Communications
LBR Insight
LoveBug Probiotics
Matrix New World Engineering
Mattress Firm
Maximum Games
Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)
Mekky Media Relations Inc.
Meli Studio
Merck
Meritor Inc.
Montana State Fund
Mortgage Bankers Association
My City Gives
National Association of Women Business Owners
NCR Corporation
New Orleans Business Alliance
Newday Media JSC
Nic + Zoe
Nonda
Olin Corporation
Orange
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.
Papa John’s International
Pearson
Phaidon International
PharmaLogics Recruiting
Pipeline Entrepreneurs
Plan International Canada
Pocket Learning Spanish
PotomacWave
Procter & Gamble
Proforma Inspired Promotions
Purpose DRVN
Rachel Engler Andalaft
Red Hat
Revamp Interior Design
ReviveMed
RewardJet
Rimini Street, Inc.
Ritchie Bros.
Rocket Software
Savvy Marketers, LLC
Securing Water for Food Technical Assistance Facility
SEEN Connects
Sempra energy
ShieldX
SHIFT HR Compliance Training, LLC
Smarty Social Media
Snelleman Tom
Social Media Link
Southern California Edison
Southwest Michigan First
SPLICE Software
Squelch
Stay In The Game
Stericycle Environmental Solutions
Strategati LLC
Stripe Communications
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
Susan Davis International
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated
T and T Consulting Services, Inc.
Tata Consultancy Services
T.D. Jakes Ministries
Tangible Words
Tata Consultancy Services
TBWA Istanbul
Tempaper
TetraVX
Tezgahçilar
The Ace Class
The Alpha Enterprise
The Ambit Group
The Female Social Network
The Financial Literacy Youth Initiative
The GREEN Program
The Inclusive Foundation
The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)
The Malvern School
The Mane Choice
The Roundtable
The Welsh Air Ambulance Charitable Trust
The White Company
ThermoBrush
Third Team Media
Thomson Reuters
Thought Bubble
TIAA
UBM Americas
UCSF
UK Power Reserve
Unique Wedding Cars
United Franchise Group
UnitedHealthcare
UpWell Health
USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore
Vested
WalkMe
WeUsThem Inc.
WorkForce Software
WorkWave
Xandr
YouEarnedIt
Ziegler
Zingbox, Inc.

The 2019 edition of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business will open for entries in May.  Join the mailing list and the 2019 entry kit will be emailed to you as soon as it is available.

The Stevie® Awards has issued a call for entries for the 2019 (sixth annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the only business awards program to recognize innovation in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region. 

The early-bird entry deadline is November 28. The final entry deadline is January 30, 2019, but late entries will be accepted through March 8 with the payment of a late fee. Complete entry details are available at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are open to all organizations in the 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region: Large and small, for-profit and non-profit, public and private. Seven nations are added to those eligible to submit nominations to the 2019 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The awards focus on recognizing innovation in all its forms, wherever it is achieved in the workplace. Entries will be accepted in eight languages – Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Thai and Vietnamese - in the following awards category groups:

• Annual Report Awards & Other Publication Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• Company/Organization Awards
• Human Resources Awards
• Information Technology Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• Corporate Communications, IR, and PR Awards
• Website Awards and Smartphone and Tablet App Awards
  …and more

New awards categories introduced for 2019 include Most Innovative Startup of the Year and Most Innovative Tech Startup of the Year. There are no entry fees for the these categories.

Asia-Pacific Stevie Award winners will be announced on April 17. Winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during a gala banquet on May 31 in Singapore.

Scores of professionals from throughout the region will participate in the judging process to determine the Stevie winners.

Some of the Asia-Pacific region’s most innovative organizations have won Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards in the past five years including ABS-CBN Corporation, Bangkok Health Research Center, Cisco Systems, Delta Air Lines, Dentsu, Freelancer.com, GE Indonesia, Globe Telecom, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Huawei, Maras Group, MetLife Asia Ltd., MSLGROUP China, Ooredoo, PT Petrokimia Gresik, Samsung, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Singapore Power, Sony, Telkom Indonesia, Xiaomi, and more.

The Stevie Award trophies, made by the company that makes the Emmy and other major international awards, are among the world's most coveted prizes. The name Stevie is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for "crowned."

For most people, participating in conversations and listening to music are easy to take for granted. For those with hearing impairment, these everyday activities are a major challenge.

Over the past 71 years, Phonak, which is based in Zurich, Switzerland, has been working to eliminate those hurdles for customers around the globe. After many years of dedication in the industry, the company’s achievements now include a litany of technological breakthroughs, each resulting in hearing devices that are more discreet, effective, and versatile than ever before.

A member of the Swiss corporation Sonova Group, Phonak launched the world’s first behind-the-ear hearing aid in the early 1970s, and a few years later, they introduced the first digitally programmable hearing device. In the 1990s, Phonak developed the market’s smallest FM receiver, which paired with a wireless transmitter to minimize background noises and to enhance the clarity of individual voices.

The desire to push the boundaries of hearing technology still drives the company today, resulting in a series of high-profile accolades. Phonak recently launched Audéo B-Direct, the first hearing aid that can connect to any Bluetooth®-equipped mobile device. The product, which earned the organization a Silver Stevie Award for Best Product at The American Business Awards® this summer, automatically senses the user’s surroundings and adjusts the output to make answering phone calls and holding conversations simpler.

On the heels of that achievement, Phonak was named winner of the Gold Stevie for Best Product at The International Business Awards®. This time it was for its cutting-edge Virto B-Titanium hearing aid. Developed using custom 3-D printing, the device capitalizes on titanium’s lightweight and superior strength. The result is a hearing aid that’s virtually unnoticeable to the outside observer.

“The Stevie Awards are an extremely important achievement to us. They demonstrate our ongoing commitment to create a consistent, scalable, sustainable competitive advantage within Phonak,” says John Urbaniak, Associate Director, Media Relations US Hearing Instruments at Sonova.

Helping Families Cope with Hearing Loss

The firm’s management has made research and development a top priority going forward. In April, Phonak announced a new audiological center of excellence at its audiology research center outside of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The center will serve as a hub for independent research, as well as ongoing collaborations with a network of top audiology experts and institutions around the globe.

“Tackling everything from pediatric to profound hearing loss, Phonak remains committed to creating hearing solutions that change people’s lives and help them thrive socially and emotionally,” Urbaniak says.

The Swiss company is using its stature in the industry to increase awareness of hearing loss solutions. To that end, it recently partnered with a charity called Songs of Sound, which helps improve access to hearing loss testing and the technology to help correct it.

With support from sponsors like Phonak, Songs for Sound holds a free weekend retreat each year that educates families of children with hearing loss about new technologies. It also teaches them how to navigate the health care system in order to get optimal care. In addition to the camp, the partnership with Phonak helps assist the organization’s Hear the Music Project and mobile clinic tours, which provide 10,000 to 15,000 people a year with access to free hearing tests.

Phonak also works to reduce the stigma that sometimes surrounds hearing loss by leaning on successful hearing-impaired celebrities. For example, it inked a sponsorship deal with stand-up comedian D.J. Demers, a contestant on season 11 of America’s Got Talent. His performances often revolve around his experiences as a youth in need of hearing aids.

The organization also turned Swiss aerialist Jason Brügger into a brand advocate. In this role, he’s involved in a range of projects worldwide to help support those with hearing impairments. Additionally, U.S. golfer and Deaflympics gold medalist Kaylin Yost was a guest keynote speaker at Phonak-sponsored summer camps for children with hearing loss.

“With these ambassadors, we've been able to reach thousands through conferences, community outreach, and speaking opportunities,” adds Urbaniak.

In doing so, the company known for developing state-of-the-art technology has also helped hearing-impaired people heal on an emotional level, too.

“Publicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front-page ad.” —Richard Branson

Richard Branson is the prominent British business mogul with over 400 companies under the Virgin Group and a net worth of $5.1 billion. His insights on public relations (PR) and advertising come, quite obviously, from a great amount of success and experience.

The sentiment also simply makes sense. The art of storytelling has connected generations, communities, and cultures for as long as humans have existed. Storytelling—or, in a broader sense, communication—is a foundational pillar of any civilization, culture, or people. The story and the emotion it elicits are why songs sell and why people celebrate holidays, attend events, and, ultimately, make purchases. 

PR tells a company’s story, and that story often connects a business with people in a stronger way than an often-overlooked print ad or a radio clip that goes in one ear and out the other. PR doesn’t act in a vacuum, though. PR, marketing, and advertising are all connected, and this trifecta can make or break a brand.

PR and marketing services are changing and evolving in the world’s fast-paced, global, and tech-saturated economy. Business analysts already project marketing services will be greatly affected by advancements in artificial intelligence.

Now, agencies are converging PR and marketing services to compete and to rise above the digital clutter.

This makes sense, given PR and marketing are connected at their cores. Offering digital marketing and PR services in tandem only strengthens the deliverables and elevates the brand. This isn’t a new idea; it’s just being reinvented on a digital platform.

SparkPR, who won the Bronze Stevie® for Public Relations Agency of the Year in the 2018 American Business Awards, has 20 years of experience in digital marketing. Specializing in helping innovation-minded companies transform their brands with powerful storytelling programs, SparkPR uses the latest digital analytics to amplify PR programs. Services include content and social development, programmatic distribution, paid media, and data-driven insights to inform strategic planning and to measure go-to-market plans.

This strategy has proved successful. Some of the world’s most innovative startups and industry leaders, including eBay, Electronic Arts, Flickr, Mozilla.org, Nokia, NVIDIA, Skype, the Economist, Trulia, Verizon, Visa, Yahoo!, and Walmart Labs, have partnered with SparkPR and reaped the ROI.

The methods SparkPR uses are adaptable to quickly growing tech and investment programs, too. For example, SparkPR provided comprehensive strategic communications and marketing services for blockchain and cryptocurrency leaders through what they call “Sparkchain.” This guides successful token sales to growing companies post-ICO, and Spark has emerged globally as the preferred partner for these highly specialized services.

The company’s ability to deliver has strengthened startup opportunities. A startup that might normally prepare for months to secure venture funding is able to create a business, launch it, and raise tens of millions of dollars in less than three months.

“Funding was secured for concepts, not betas, and money was often from wealthy individual investors, not VCs,” says Spark's co-founder Donna Burke.

Zucker develops strategies for written and creative content for their clients. She notes that many of the company’s startup clients successfully exit through acquisitions or go public through IPO, thus demonstrating how a successful partnership with SparkPR delivers ROI.

SparkPR aims to constantly stay updated with developments in cutting-edge technology, as well as to maintain the ability to translate those changes into a wider landscape.

“Collaborating with like-minded innovators is always ideal—especially those who are creating the next era of the Internet,” says CEO, Alan Soucy. “It’s truly an era of transparency, efficiency, and trust.”

SparkPR is one example of a company that has sought to raise the global tide and is fighting to stay ahead of the rapid changes. They also seek to be adaptable by offering various mobilized marketing and PR services, which have traditionally been separated—at least by department in the business world.

True to their storytelling mind-set, SparkPR believes their client successes and awards, such as the recent Stevie Award, will elevate their brand as well as their story, as the world enters a new digital age of marketing and the Internet. And, as Branson aptly stated, that story will do far more for them than any front-page ad.

For the first time in their 15 year history, The International Business Awards®, the world's premier business awards program, will visit London, England this coming Saturday, October 20 for the sold-out presentations of the 2018 Stevie® Awards.  The InterContinental London Park Lane Hotel will be the setting for the event, with more than 400 executives from over 30 nations expected to attend.

More than 3,900 nominations from a record 74 nations were submitted to the IBAs this year.  More than 270 professionals worldwide, working on 12 juries, determined the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners, who were announced in August.  That announcement was closely followed by the announcements of best-in-show Grand Stevie Award winners, and the winners of People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies, a worldwide public vote.

Saturday's presentations will be broadcast from the IBA website, from 7:00 pm local time (2:00 pm EST).

Saturday's presentations will be followed on Sunday morning by several social events for IBA delegates.  At 8:30 am, Brett MacFarlane, Client Services Director with EVRY Strategic Design Lab at Method in London, will speak during a session called Breakfast with Branding, sponsored by Stevie Awards partner AD STARS.

The presentation will be followed by delegates' choice of two whirlwind tours of London.

Here's the list of organizations that will be represented at Saturday's event.

7 Stage Advisors
Accedia JSC
Ahjo Communications
AICPA
Airport Railroad
Al Jazeera Media Network
Amorette Ltd
AmRest sp. z o.o.
APAX Recreation
Arçelik
ASDA'A BCW
ATREVIA
Biggin & Scott Knox
Binary Digital Advertising Inc.
BoardPAC
Business Coaching Hanoi West CO., LTD
Canadian Tire Corporation
CEFIC
Central de Informação
Cisco Collaboration
Cisco Systems, GATS  IT
Cisco Systems, GIS
Cisco Systems, Global Virtual Engineering
Cogeco Peer 1
College Works Painting
Colquimica Adhesives
comm:up Kommunikation & Management GmbH
CROWDCONSULTANTS
Dani Communications
Deutsche Telekom Services Europe GmbH
DHL Express
Diligent Corporation
Directorate of Public Work of Sharjah
DRF Deutschland Fernsehen Produktions GmbH & Co. KG
Dubai Economy
Dubai Health Authority
ECi Software Solutions
Edelman Intelligence
Eff Creative Group
Egypt Express
Empire Eagle Food Co., Ltd.
endorfina events sp. z o.o.
Enerjisa Enerji A.S.
eNett International
Events DC
Federal Demographic Council
Federal Electricity & Water Authority
First Advantage
FIS
Flamingo Group
Garden of Words
GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications Inc
General Sport Authority
Gilan Holding /Publicity Genie
GRAFFITI
Graham Shapiro Design
GTT Communications, Inc.
GXEVER
Gyeonggi Province
Hanaroadcom
HansaWorld Ltd.
Hanyang University
HELLENIC PETROLEUM SA
Herbalife Nutrition
HeyMoments® The Experience Design Company
Horizon Communication Group
HOTEL SOULHADA
HUYA Bioscience International
I Am Enough
IBM
Informa Pharma Intelligence
ING Bank Turkey
IPRA
Ipsos
IRPC Public Company Limited
KB Kookmin Bank
KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Company
KORAIL
Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Korea Gas Safety Corporation
Korea Rail Network Authority
Korea Seven Co., Ltd.
Korean Culture and Information Service
KoROAD
KPR
KT KBN
LifeVantage
Limak Foundation
Link4Media
LLORENTE & CUENCA
Lumeon
Mariposa Consulting International
Megaworld Corporation & Foundation
Meralco
Merck KGaA
MicroHealth, LLC
Ministry of Youth and Sport Affairs
Minor Hotel Group Limited
Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd
Mphasis
MTRNL
Natal Joint Municipal Pension Fund
Net World Sports
NeuroTransData GmbH
Ooredoo Group
Ortigas & Company
Pan American Energy
Paradigm Design Group
Pegasus Airlines
Penny Appeal
Philia Earth Limited
Philip Morris International
Port It Global Kenya
Port It Global Mexico S.A. de C.V.
PRecious Communications
Pru Life UK
PT ANGKASA PURA II (PERSERO)
PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (Persero) Tbk
PT Petrokimia Gresik
RAK Chamber
Resolute Forest Products
SABC Pension Fund
sahibinden.com
SCHUFA Holding AG - Project SPIRIT
Seocho Gu
Seoul Metropolitian Government
Shade Tree Auto
Smart Dubai Government Establishment
Solarwinds
Soohyun
Strategic Public Relations Group
Super Life Saver Board Game
SuperLife World
Syncron
Tata Consultancy Services UK
TELUS International
TemaCC - Talent Entertainment Management and Consultancy Company
Tezgahçilar
TH Food Chain Join Stock Company
Thai Life Insurance Plc.
The Female Social Network
The Saem International Co.,Ltd.
The Surgery
ThermoBrush
Thomson Reuters
Trainer Rx
Ulled Asociados C.R.P. S.A.
University of Greenwich
Velocity Global
Viettel Group
Virtusa Corporation
Wayfair
WebTalk sp. z o.o.
Westminster Abbey
Wharf China Estates Limited
Whirlpool Corporation
WP Engine

Entries for the 2019 IBAs will open in early February.  Join the mailing list for the entry kit and it will be sent to you then, as soon as it is available.

Stevie Awards küren die Gewinner der Stevie Awards for Great Employers 2018

Am Freitag, den 21. September 2018, war es endlich soweit. Die Stevie Awards kürten die Preisträger der diesjährigen Stevie Awards for Great Employers. Im Rahmen einer feierlichen Preisverleihung in New York City überreichte Michael Gallagher, Präsident und Gründer der Stevie Awards, den stolzen Gewinnern ihre Trophäen und Medaillen.

Die Stevie Awards for Great Employers zeichnen herausragende Unternehmen, HR-Teams und HR-Manager sowie Dienstleister, neue Produkte und Services aus, die Unternehmen darin unterstützen, herausragende Arbeitsplätze zu schaffen und zu erhalten. Unter den Preisträgern finden sich auch in diesem Jahr wieder renommierte Unternehmen aus Deutschland.

Einer der Top-Gewinner des Abends war die Deutsche Telekom Services Europe GmbH aus Köln. Das Tochterunternehmen der Deutschen Telekom AG gewinnt gleich dreimal Gold, einmal Silber und siebenmal Bronze in den verschiedenen Kategorien. Die Gold-Trophäen gewinnt das Unternehmen in den Kategorien „Achievement in Workplace Design - for More Than 100 Employees - Multiple Locations“ für seinen innovativen Ansatz zur Gestaltung von selbstbestimmten und flexiblen Teilzeitmodellen, sowie in den Kategorien „Self-Service HR Solution – New“ und „Attendance Tracking Solution – New“ für seine neue Clock-in-App. Die Preise nahm entgegen Andre Jansen, HR-Produktmanager.

Die Deutsche Telekom Services Europe GmbH (DTSE) ist eine hundertprozentige Tochter der Deutschen Telekom AG. Die DTSE vereint die Bereiche Human Resources, Finanzen, Beschaffung und Reporting unter einem Dach. Im Mittelpunkt stehen Kundenzufriedenheit, Qualität und Innovation, um Prozesse zu rationalisieren und zu vereinfachen.

Weitere Preisträger aus Deutschland waren die Daimler AG aus Stuttgart, die einen
Gold Stevie Award in der Kategorie „Achievement in Recruitment“ gewann, sowie die SAP SE aus Walldorf, Preisträger eines Silber Stevie Awards in der Kategorie „Learning/Training Team of the Year“. Einen Silber und einen Bronze Stevie Award gewann die Johannesbad Hotels Bad Füssing GmbH aus Bad Füssing in den Kategorien „Employer of the Year - Hospitality & Leisure“ und „Engagement/Happiness Team of the Year“.  

Insgesamt gingen in diesem Jahr über 550 Bewerbungen von Unternehmen aus 21 Nationen bei den Stevie Awards for Great Employers ein. Die Preisträger wurden durch eine international besetzte Jury von über 50 Experten ermittelt.

Eine Übersicht über alle Gold, Silber und Bronze Preisträger finden Sie nach Kategorien sortiert unter https://stevies-sage.secure-platform.com/a/page/the-awards/2018-stevie-winners.

Wenn Sie an den nächsten Stevie Awards for Great Employers teilnehmen möchten, können Sie sich bereits jetzt auf der Awards-Webseite für die Teilnahmeunterlagen registrieren. Die Bewerbungsphase der Stevie Awards for Great Empolyers beginnt im März 2019.

Videos und Interviews der deutschen Preisträger bei der Preisverleihung der Stevie Awards for Great Employers in New York:

• Daimler AG nimmt den Gold Stevie Award in New York entgegen: https://youtu.be/OZTlt28sNjw

• Daimler AG im Interview in New York: https://youtu.be/gBa-F7kZ154

• Deutsche Telekom Services Europe GmbH im Interview in New York: https://youtu.be/Zhb8KC4v3PI

• Deutsche Telekom Services Europe GmbH bei der Preisverleihung in New York: https://youtu.be/Z0yHCWFQolU, https://youtu.be/n2vGbIEnhiQ und https://youtu.be/T8EXUI5-WPw

• Johannesbad Hotels Bad Füssing GmbH live auf der Bühne in New York: https://youtu.be/5uU_p2VqXU4

• SAP SE nimmt den Silber Stevie Award in New York entgegen:  https://youtu.be/TSOh0I39Ui4

• SAP SE im Interview in New York: https://youtu.be/iI_13v9uII0

Dental health is extremely important to growth, as well as overall health. The proper development of jawbones and muscles affects speech patterns, as well as supporting an attractive appearance, and these are just some of the many benefits of having access to a proper dental plan.

Staying on top of your dental health by informing your doctor about noticeable issues is, unfortunately, easier said than done. For a third of Americans, having access to the most basic dental care is hugely problematic, and it largely boils down to cost.

Steven C. Bilt, CEO of Smile Brands Inc., bit into this problem and cofounded Smile Brands in 1998 and OneSmile in 2015. He eventually combined the two businesses and now oversees 5,500 employees and affiliated providers at approximately 400 U.S. locations. Bilt is also a founding member and former president of the Association of Dental Support Organizations.

“Our CEO, Steve Bilt, is a master at creating an effective corporate culture,” says the company’s chief marketing officer, Jody Martin. “He believes that, to be successful, the mission has to be motivating, both personally and financially to employees; inclusive to all employees, not just a few; and continually reinforced in a variety of ways.”

Incorporating recognition and a mindset of giving is also integral to the Smile Brands culture.

“At Smile Brands, every employee wears a blue ‘Smiles for Everyone’ wristband, and we continually celebrate everyday miracles. This includes calling out employees who do amazing things,” says Martin. “We also have the Smiles for Everyone Foundation, which provides donated dentistry to people in need here and abroad.”

Bracing Themselves

The cofounders of Smile Brands reacquired the company in August 2016 after prior ownership drove the business to the brink of bankruptcy. Despite this rocky start, Smile Brands won Stevie Awards in The American Business Awards® and the Stevie Awards for Great Employers.

“The team worked tirelessly on a highly successful turnaround,” says Martin. “Winning the Stevie Awards helps to validate all that hard work and the fact that Smile Brands stands apart in terms of financial strength and company culture.”

Bilt also reached a 97 percent approval rating, based on the past year’s Glassdoor reviews from Smile Brands employees and affiliated dental providers. Those numbers are sure to keep Smile Brands grinning from ear to ear!

A Simple Concept

As Smile Brands Inc. grows in to one of the largest providers of support services to dental groups in the United States, dentists can spend more time caring for their patients and less time on the administrative, marketing, and financial aspects of operating a dental practice.

This is an important step in the dental industry because new research continues to show links between chronic oral infections and heart and lung diseases, stroke, low birth weight, and premature births. Smile Brands aims to further build and to bundle comprehensive general dentistry with specialty care and to streamline experiences for both dental care practitioners and patients.

Even with all these moving parts, everything still comes back to one foundational and simple concept: smiles for everyone.

World’s Top Honors for Women Professionals to Be Presented in New York on November 16, with First Edition of Women|Future Conference

Finalists were announced today in the 15th annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world’s top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees 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.

This year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists will be announced at an awards dinner at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in New York City on Friday, November 16. More than 600 women and their guests from around the world are expected to attend the presentations, which will be broadcast live on Livestream.

Visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/Women for a complete list of Finalists by category.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business event will be complemented by a new one-day educational and networking event called the Women|Future Conference, also at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel on November 16.  Tickets for both the conference and the awards dinner are now on sale.

More than 1,500 entries were submitted this year by organizations and individuals around the world for consideration in more than 90 categories including Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Startup of the Year, Women Helping Women and Women-Run Workplace of the Year.  New categories for 2018 included Achievement in Equal Pay, Achievement in Developing and Promoting Women, and Achievement in Promoting Work-Life Balance.

Among the many extraordinary organizations and women who have been recognized as Finalists, the following organizations stand out as those with five or more Finalist nominations: Award Winning Accelerator, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Bob Woodruff Foundation, New York, NY, USA; DHL Express, worldwide; The Female Social Network, Sydney, NSW, Australia;  iTalent Digital, San Jose, CA, USA; Jeunesse Global, Lake Mary, FL, USA; Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), Englewood, CO, USA; Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers, Kenmore East, QLD, Australia; Plan International Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada, Simpson Healthcare Executives, LLC, Old Lyme, CT, USA; Tata Consultancy Services, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India; Tavuun Welfare Association, Karachi, Pakistan; The Welsh Air Ambulance Charitable Trust, Llanelli, Wales, United Kingdom; and Zingbox, Inc. Mountain View, CA, USA.

Nominations were submitted by organizations in 33 nations including Angola, Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Kenya, Maldives, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.

Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 200 professionals around the world, organized in five juries.

Top Sales Awards and Customer Service Awards Winners to Be Recognized in Las Vegas

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards programs, has issued a call for entries for the 2019 (13th annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Entry kits and complete details on the competition are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

All customer service, contact center, business development and sales departments, teams and professionals worldwide are eligible to be nominated, in addition to new products and services and solution providers used by those professionals. The 2019 awards will recognize achievements since July 1, 2017.

The early-bird entry deadline with reduced entry fees is October 17, 2018. The final entry deadline is November 14, but late entries will be accepted through January 10, 2019 with payment of a late fee. Finalists will be announced in mid-January, and the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements revealed during a gala awards banquet on February 22 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service feature more than 150 sales awards, customer service awards, business development awards, new product awards and solution provider awards categories. Entrants may submit any number of nominations to any number of categories, which include:

•         Sales Individual categories such as Senior Sales Executive of the Year and Sales Representative of the Year
•         Sales Team categories like Global Sales Team of the Year and Online Sales Team of the Year
•         Sales Achievement categories such as Sales Turnaround of the Year and Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year
•         Sales Distinction categories in 14 industry groupings
•         Customer Service and Contact Center Individual categories such as Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year and Customer Service Leader of the Year
•         Customer Service and Contact Center Team categories like Contact Center of the Year and Back Office Customer Service Team of the Year
•         Customer Service and Contact Center Achievement categories such as e-Commerce Customer Service Award and Award for Innovation in Customer Service
•         Customer Service Department categories in 12 industry groupings
•         Customer Service Success categories in five industry groupings
•         New Product and Service categories like Best New Business Intelligence Solution and Best New Marketing Solution
•         Solution Provider categories such as Sales Consulting Practice of the Year and Incentive, Rewards or Recognition Provider of the Year
•         Business Development categories such as Business Development Professional of the Year and Business Development Achievement of the Year - Hospitality & Leisure

New categories for the 2019 competition include Woman of the Year in Sales and in Customer Service. Among other new Sales Awards categories include Account Management Team of the Year, Sales Diversity and Inclusivity Initiative of the Year, Sales Recruitment Initiative of the Year, Social Selling Initiative of the Year, and Sales Distinction of the Year - Consumer Products & Services. There are four new awards for Innovation in Customer Service including Best Customer Feedback Strategy, Best Customer Satisfaction Strategy, Best Return on Customer Service Investment, and Best Use of Customer Insight. The new Customer Service Department of the Year category is for Consumer Products & Services. Among the new categories for New Products & Services are CRM Suite - Enterprise - New and New Version, CRM Suite - Mid-Market – New and New Version, CRM Suite - Small Business – New and New Version, and Sales Performance Management Solution - New and New Version.

2019 will see the return of the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service, a popular feature of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service in which the general public may vote for their favorite providers of customer service, from among all finalist nominations in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories.

Winners of the 2018 edition of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service included Carbonite, Care.com Homepay, Chewy, CubeSmart, Dell Technologies, DHL Express Bangladesh, FieldEdge, John Hancock Financial Services, Loop Communications, Standard for Success, TravelZoo, and Zelis Payments, among others.

The 2019 competition will be judged by more than 150 professionals around the world.

Allianz Partners, ej4, and New World Development Company among Top Winners

Winners in the 2018 Stevie® Awards for Great Employers, an international competition, were announced on Friday, September 21 during a gala event in New York City. The awards recognize the world’s best employers and the human resources professionals, teams, achievements and HR-related products and suppliers who help to create and drive great places to work.    A complete list of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners by category is available at www.StevieAwards.com/HR. 

A diverse group of organizations and individuals around the world are among those recognized. The organization that won the Grand Stevie Award for Most Honored Organization of the Year is ej4 of St. Louis, Missouri USA with nine Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award wins totaling 23 points.  Organization of the Year goes to the organization with the most award points, with each Gold Stevie win counting for three points, each Silver Stevie win for two points, and each Bronze Stevie for one-and-a-half points.

There was a tie for the Grand Award for the Highest-Rated Nomination of the Year, between the Gold Stevie-winning Employer of the Year nominations of Allianz Partners of Richmond, VA USA and New World Development Company of Hong Kong, so both of those nominations were honored with Grand Stevie trophies.

Leading winners of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevies include Deutsche Telekom Services Europe GmbH with three Gold, one Silver, and seven Bronze Stevie Awards in a variety of categories; Tata Consultancy Services of Mumbai, India and Toronto, Canada, which won five Gold, two Silver, and two Bronze Stevie Awards; and Turkcell of Istanbul, Turkey, winner of one Gold, one Silver, and 11 Bronze Stevies.

More than 550 nominations from organizations in 21 nations were evaluated in this year’s competition. Winners were determined by the average scores of more than 50 professionals worldwide, acting as judges.  Stevie Award winners in the 35 Employer of the Year categories were determined by a unique blending of the ratings of professionals and the votes of the general public.

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize achievement in many facets of the workplace. Category groups include:

•    Employer of the Year
•    HR Achievements
•    HR Individual Awards
•    HR Team Categories
•    Solution Provider Awards
•    More than 60 New Product & Service Categories

The awards are presented by the Stevie Awards, which organizes seven of the world’s leading business awards shows including the prestigious International Business Awards® and American Business Awards®.

Entries for the 2019 Stevie Awards for Great Employers will open in March.  The entry kit will be available then at www.StevieAwards.com/HR.