The Stevie Awards to stage inaugural three-day event in New York City on starting, growing and managing a business -- June 13 - 15, 2012.

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards, today announced that it will stage a landmark three-day event about entrepreneurship throughout New York City on June 13, 14, and 15.

America Means Business will feature dozens of inspirational keynotes, informative panel discussions, “How I Did It” case studies, basic startup education by SCORE, networking opportunities, an exposition, and many other events about how to start and grow a business and everything in between.

Registration for America Means Business is free through May 25, and just $10 thereafter. Registration details are available at http://www.AmericaMeansBusiness-NYC.com.

Those interested in staging an event related to entrepreneurship and business management during America Means Business are invited to become Event Partners. There is no cost to participate.

“By creating America Means Business, we hope to help spark an entrepreneurial revolution in the U.S.A.,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards, which are celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2012. “Small businesses are the building blocks and the hiring engines for widespread economic well-being, and we want to enable many more people to realize their dreams of growing their own businesses.”

According to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the total number of self-employed Americans with incorporated and non-incorporated businesses declined 2% in 2011. The 27 million small businesses in America represent 99.7% of all employers and employ 49.2% of the private sector workforce, according to the Small Business Administration’s latest small business profile. Recognizing the importance of small business to the sustainability of the economy, America Means Business will aim to address the needs of entrepreneurs and assist and inspire those who have the dream of opening their own business.

America Means Business will be headquartered at the Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 West 18th Street, with events taking place there and at other locations throughout New York City.

About America Means Business
America Means Business is a landmark event about entrepreneurship - about how to start, grow and manage your own business. To take place in New York City on June 13 - 15, 2012, America Means Business will be packed with educational, networking and social events that will show you how to bring your dream to life. For more information visit http://www.AmericaMeansBusiness-NYC.com.

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

More than 1,000 votes were cast this month in answer to our poll question, What is the top business story of the past 10 years? Our monthly poll will help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the start of the Stevie Awards movement.

You've voted the rise of social media as the top business story of the past decade, with 31% of all votes cast.

Other options in the poll were

a) Apple’s introduction of the iPhone sparks a revolution in mobile computing (26%)

b) Wall Street’s troubles trigger the “Great Recession” (18%)

c) Europe’s sovereign debt crisis heralds an era of austerity across the continent (10%)

d) The rise of the BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) changes the balance of power in international trade (14%)

February's Stevie Awards poll will ask, Who was the top business leader of the past 10 years? Look for the poll to open on February 6.

Let us know what you think - Do you agree with the results?

We have made two changes to our 2012 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., to help make your Stevie Awards® submission process easier. (The 2012 American Business Awards are now accepting entries. Download your entry kit here and submit entries by the March 28th deadline.)

Our business awards updates include:

• A new link/file uploader
  We've added a Link/File Uploader to the online entry form. Click the link that says "Add Attachments, Videos or Links to This Entry" to add or upload any number of URLs or offline supporting attachments to an entry. Your attachments and links will then be presented to the judges.
  
  
• Online only submission acceptance
  Entries may no longer be submitted offline. All entries must be submitted online, even if you enter a category for which you'll provide materials for judging offline (e.g. Best Annual Report).

Our business award updates will help you to:

• Easily enhance your submission
  With our new link/file uploader, you have the option to upload a collection of supporting files and web addresses to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges.
  
  
• Keep track of the progress of your submission
  Our online submission center allows for you see all of your submissions in one easy-to-view location.
  
  
• Save your entries while perfecting your submissions
  Since all submissions will be entered online, you can save your submissions while you continue to work on other entries. You have the option to submit entries individually or all at once.

Let us know what you think about our new updates - leave us a comment!

SCRA Technology Ventures’ SC Launch program was the Stevie® Award winner for Non-Profit or Government Organization of the Year in The 2011 American Business Awards. (The 2012 American Business Awards are accepting entries. Download your entry kit now.) Here we look at how the successful SC Launch program created jobs.

About SC Launch
Located in South Carolina, SC Launch began in 2006 as a way to assist entrepreneurial start-up companies with up-front counseling, seed funding and access to a powerful resource network. Created by the collaboration between SCRA and the research foundations of Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and the Medical University of South Carolina, SC Launch is an entrepreneurial inspired program. Created by entrepreneurs and run with best entrepreneur practices, SC Launch provides necessary tools to help build successful technology startups, jobs, and future opportunities for entrepreneurs in South Carolina.  

SC Launch's mission is to: 

1. help generate knowledge economy jobs in South Carolina,
2. enhance the state’s quality of life and;
3. provide opportunity for all South Carolinians in the new economy.

Through its entrepreneurial inspired business model, SC Launch has helped South Carolina's job market by:

• supporting and funding nearly 200 start-ups in South Carolina,
• drawing several business relocation landing parties to the state,
• providing business services to some 250 early stage technology companies in South Carolina through a powerful Resource Network and;
• positioning emerging South Carolina Knowledge Economy companies to secure more than $165 million in follow-on funding from angel, venture, and other private capital sources.

In 2011, SC Launch made significant gains:

• Three Award Winning Innovation Centers were opened to house companies working to commercialize their research discoveries. These Centers are state-of-the-art laboratories, manufacturing, and business facilities whose occupants work on new technologies in such fields as bioscience, advanced manufacturing, energy and environmental sustainability, and pharmaceuticals. A number of SC Launch companies are housed in these facilities.
• SC Launch invested in eleven new, promising portfolio companies and supported three companies moving operations to South Carolina.
• The increase in applicants in 2011 demonstrated the success of the SC Launch program.  The increased number of companies that actually received support showed that companies are maturing in their life cycles and choosing to run their businesses in the State of South Carolina. 

Good Stewardship
SC Launch is particularly proud to be an efficient steward of its funds. The organization documented that in 2010 95% of its funds were directed into investments in entrepreneurial company growth.

National & International Recognition
The business awards winning company was recognized in The 2011 American Business Awards for its role in leading collaborative entrepreneurial and economic development efforts.

"SC Launch is overwhelmed to receive such an honor from the American Business Awards," said SCRA Executive Vice President and SC Launch Executive Director Dave McNamara. "I would like to thank our staff, our investment board, and our outstanding resource partners for their hard work and dedication in building our program."

SCRA CEO Bill Mahoney added: "The SC Launch program continues to identify and support emerging technology businesses in South Carolina, and we are pleased to be recognized on a national scale.  We are committed to advancing South Carolina's Knowledge Economy, and I am confident that SC Launch, along with other SCRA operations, will continue to help companies succeed through our partnership efforts."

In addition to winning a Stevie Award, SC Launch was recognized by Forbes as one of the top entrepreneurial support programs in the nation for its dedication to pursing its mission. SCRA also received national and international recognition for such diverse outcomes as advances in defense-related manufacturing technologies, design and construction of LEED-certified research facilities, and quality-of-life improvements for prosthetics users.

About Dave McNamara:
Dave McNamara serves as SCRA Executive Vice President and SC Launch Executive Director. McNamara provides leadership at SC Launch by directing all aspects of operations, research, communications, and recommendations of the program. He is an experienced Fortune 500 and start-up executive, and also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina and Midlands Technical College. McNamara is a strong asset to the SC Launch program and brings the program an entrepreneurial spirit that is seasoned, savvy, and forward-looking.

About Bill Mahoney:
Bill Mahoney serves as President and CEO of SCRA and brings over 35 years of technology management and applied systems innovation and leadership to the company. Mahoney’s leadership has positioned SCRA as an emerging global leader in targeted applied research and commercialization vertical markets for federal and corporate clients. He has brought national attention to the award-winning SC Launch program, which was created under his watch.

About SCRA:
SCRA is an applied research company with over 28 years of experience delivering technology solutions with high returns on investment to federal and corporate clients. SCRA has three sectors which fulfill our missions: our Technology Ventures sector helps early-stage companies to commercialize innovations and create jobs, our Applied R&D sector manages over 100 national and international programs worth over $1.5 billion in contract value and our R&D Facilities sector builds and manages research facilities that include wet labs, secure rooms for sensitive work and advanced high-tech manufacturing shops.

Today, January 18, is the final entry deadline for the 2012 (6th annual) Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's premier customer service awards, contact center awards, and sales awards.

If you have not yet requested your 2012 entry kit, you can download your entry kit here. For your convenience, we have also made a helpful video tutorial on how to successfully enter submissions here. 

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service has over 90 categories to honor sales excellence  and good customer service for individuals, teams, and departments. We also have new categories this year for products, service, and solution providers. Types of business awards categories include:

• Sales Individuals
• Sales Team
• Sales Achievement
• Sales Department
• Customer Service & Contact Center Individual
• Customer Service & Contact Center Team
• Customer Service & Contact Center Achievement
• Customer Service Department
• New Product & Service
• Solution Provider

All 2012 sales awards and customer service awards Finalists will be notified on January 25th. As part of our 10 year anniversary celebration, Finalists will be recognized as Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award winners. Winners will be announced at the 6th annual sales and customer service awards banquet at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas on February 27th.

If you have questions about the 2012 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, please email us at help@stevieawards.com or call us at +1 703-547-8389.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the start of the Stevie® Awards, we will introduce Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards at our 6th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service banquet. Henceforth, all honorees in Stevie Awards programs will be Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winners. (Entries for our 2012 sales and customer service awards, which honor good customer service and sales excellence, are still being accepted. The last day to submit entries is this Wednesday, January 18; download your entry kit here.)

Finalists that receive the top scoring qualifying entry in each category will receive a Gold Stevie Award.  Finalists that receive a final average score of at least 8.0 out of a possible 10 will be named Silver Stevie Award winners. All other Finalists will be designated as Bronze Stevie Award winners.

Gold Stevie winners will automatically receive a Gold Stevie trophy.  Silver and Bronze Stevie winners will automatically receive a Silver or Bronze medal and will have the option to purchase their Stevie trophy. With the introduction of our new business awards distinctions, there will no longer be Finalist certificates.

Finalists at The 2012 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service banquet will be the first to receive our new corporate awards distinctions. The annual banquet will be held on February 27 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

How will your organization strive to win a Gold Stevie Award?

2012 marks the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the Stevie Awards movement, and to help celebrate our anniversary we'll be conducting a series of polls throughout the year about the events, people, organizations, and products that shaped our lives over the past decade.

Our first poll asks, What's the top business story of the past 10 years? After careful consideration, we've narrowed the choices to the following five. Vote now for your choice, on our poll on our Facebook page:

a) Apple’s introduction of the iPhone sparks a revolution in mobile computing

b) Wall Street’s troubles trigger the “Great Recession”

c) Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter stoke the growth of social media and social networking

d) Europe’s sovereign debt crisis heralds an era of austerity across the continent

e) The rise of the BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) changes the balance of power in international trade

Results of our poll will be announced at the end of January.

Which do you think is the most important business story of the past decade?

The final day for submitting entries to the 2012 Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service is January 18. Showcase your organization's sales excellence and customer service excellence by submitting your entries today. (Request your entry kit here.)

Organizations and individuals worldwide are invited to submit entries. There are dozens of opportunities to win for both private and public organizations, small and large organizations, and non-profit and for profit organizations. The 2012 competition will recognize achievements since July 1, 2010.

How the submission process works:

1. Get your entry kit here.
2. Review all of our sales awards and customer service awards categories. We have more than 90 categories honoring sales excellence and customer service excellence for individuals, teams, and departments, plus new categories this year for products, service, and solution providers.
3. Select the categories you wish to apply for, write your submissions according to the instructions, and submit your entries.

Benefits of submitting a Sales and Customer Service entry:

1. More chances to win
   All Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will automatically be included in the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service, a worldwide public vote that will commence on January 26.  Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will have an opportunity to win two awards: a Stevie Award, as voted by your peers, and a crystal People's Choice Stevie Award, as voted by your customers.
2. New award distinctions
   The Sales and Customer Service awards banquet will be the first to showcase our three levels of award distinction: gold, silver and bronze Stevie Awards. You can learn more about the new awards here.
3. Know your finalist status right away
   There's only a short wait to find out if you and/or your organization is a finalist. All Finalists will be notified on January 25.

Helpful resources to make your submission process easier:

1. Watch our helpful video tutorial on how to successfully enter submissions here. 
2. Review past winners' entries here.  These are great examples of entries that were judged highly in the 2011 awards.
3. Make your entries count:  learn how to submit winning entries here.

Still have questions? Call us at + 1 703-547-8389 or leave us a comment and we'll get back to you right away.

With the holidays upon us, give a gift of appreciation by submitting entries to The 2012 American Business Awards and Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  (You can get the entry kit for the ABAs here and an entry kit for Sales & Customer Service awards here.)

Why Give the Gift of the Stevie Awards?
The Stevie Awards are the world's premier business awards.  Not only does a nomination represent appreciation and a recognition of success, but all Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be recognized on a national and international scale- an invaluable gift!

What is the nomination process?
The nomination process is simple:

1. Get your entry kits for the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and/or The American Business Awards.  The Sales & Customer Service awards are open to all organizations and individuals worldwide, with an entry deadline of January 18.  The ABAs are open to all organizations and individuals in the U.S.A., with an entry deadline of March 28.
   
   
2. Review all of our awards categories. We have scores of sales awards and customer service awards categories as well as hundreds of business award categories.
   
   
3. Select your categories and write your nominations according to the instructions.

Need more resources?

1. Understand the value of your gift: Learn more about the importance of corporate awards.
   
   
2. Make your nomination a winning one: Read How to Submit Winning Entries.
3. Know what to say: Review past Sales and Customer Service awards winners' entries here and past American Business Award winners' entries here.

Still have questions? Call us at 703-547-8389 and we'll help you get started!

Happy holidays to you and yours, and best wishes for continue success in the New Year!

How will you use a Stevie Award nomination to reward those in your organization?

The final day for submitting entries to the 2012 Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service is January 18. Recognize your organization's sales excellence and customer service excellence by submitting your entry today.

All organizations and individuals worldwide are invited to submit entries.  The 2012 competition will recognize achievements since July 1, 2010.

To start your submission process, you should:

1. Get your entry kit here.
   
   
2. Review all of our sales awards and customer service awards categories. We have more than 90 categories honoring sales excellence and customer service excellence for individuals, teams, and departments, plus new categories this year for products, service, and solution providers.
   
   
3. Watch our helpful video tutorial on how to successfully enter submissions here. 
   
   
4. Review past winners' entries here.  They're examples of entries that judges scored highly.
   
   
5. Make the most out of your submissions and learn how to submit winning entries here.

Still have questions? Contact us at help@stevieawards.com; we'd love to answer your last-minute questions!

More than 200 professionals worldwide will participate in the 2012 judging process.  Finalists will be notified on January 25.  Starting in 2012, all Finalists will be recognized as Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award winners.  Results will be announced at the sixth annual awards banquet on Monday, February 27 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

All Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will automatically be included in the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service, a worldwide public vote that will commence on January 26.  (Last year more than 150,000 votes were cast.)  So Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will have an opportunity to win two awards: a Stevie Award, as voted by your peers, and a crystal People's Choice Stevie Award, as voted by your customers.

Leave a comment and let us know which Sales or Customer Service award your organization deserves most!