The Stevie Awards, organizer of the world’s premier business awards programs, has issued a call for entries for the 2012 (6th annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Entry kits and complete details on the competition are available at www.stevieawards.com/sales/.   

All customer service, contact center, and sales departments, teams and professionals worldwide are eligible to be nominated, in addition to new products and services used by those professionals.

The early-bird entry deadline is October 12 and the final deadline is November 18.  Winners of the sixth annual competition will be announced at a gala awards dinner on in February 2012 in Las Vegas.

The competition will be judged by more than 200 professionals around the world.

2012 will mark the 10^th anniversary of the Stevie Awards movement, and to mark the occasion  the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service will be the first to present awards in three levels of distinction: gold, silver and bronze.  To date only overall category winners have received (gold) Stevie Awards.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service feature more than 125 sales awards, customer service awards, and call center 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 Worldwide VP of Sales of the Year
• Sales Team categories like Global Sales Team of the Year and Field Sales Team of the Year
• Sales Achievement categories such as Sales Turnaround of the Year and Outbound Marketing Program of the Year
• Sales Department of the Year categories in 13 industry groupings
• Customer Service and Contact Center Individual categories such as Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year and Customer Service Manager of the Year
• Customer Service and Contact Center Team categories like Contact Center of the Year and Customer Service Management 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 11 industry groupings
• New Product and Service categories like Best New Business Intelligence Solution and Best New Relationship Management Solution
• Solution Provider categories such as Sales Consulting Practice of the Year and Incentive, Rewards, or Recognition Provider of the Year

Winners of the most recent edition of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service included Apple Inc., Bulldog Solutions, CIGNA Government Services, Competence Call Center AG, L.L. Bean, Marsh U.S. Consumer, Overstock.com, Rosetta Stone, salesforce.com, SMART Technologies, SuiteAmerica Corporate Housing, and T-Mobile. A complete list of the fifth annual honorees is available at http://www.stevieawards.com/sales/.

About The Stevie Awards:

The 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 Twitter @TheStevieAwards.   

Sponsors of the 6th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include InfoGroup, ValueSelling Associates, and SDL.

More than 35,000 votes were cast in the first People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies, from 28 July through 9 September, and here are the top vote-getters in the 25 categories, and thus the winners of the crystal People's Choice Stevie Awards:

2011 Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations: BrainJuicer Group PLC            

2011 Aerospace, Defense & Transportation: Gulftainer Company Limited                      

2011 Automotive & Transport Equipment: International Armoring Corporation                       

2011 Banking: National Bank of Abu Dhabi

2011 Business Services: ActionCOACH

2011 Chemicals: SABIC

2011 Computer Services: Quality Systems, Inc.

2011 Computer Software: SYSPRO

2011 Conglomerates: Siemens AG

2011 Consumer Products: Beiersdorf AG

2011 Electronics: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing 

2011 Energy & Utilities: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company                 

2011 Financial Services: Union National Bank

2011 Food & Beverage: Al Ghadeer Water Factory LLC 

2011 Health Products & Services: PetRays

2011 Insurance: PlanSource

2011 Manufacturing: Joseph Group

2011 Materials & Construction: GS Engineering & Construction                       

2011 Media: British Sky Broadcasting

2011 Metals & Mining: African Rainbow Minerals

2011 Non-Profit & Government: Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters                      

2011 Real Estate: CTP Company

2011 Retail: Ross Stores

2011 Services: African Access Holdings

2011 Telecommunications: Türk Telekom

This worldwide public vote was conducted as part of The 8^th Annual International Business Awards, the only global, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performances in business.

Nicknamed the Stevie® for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented to honorees at the IBA awards banquet on Tuesday, 11 October in the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.  Tickets for the event are now on sale.

All organizations honored in the Company/Organization awards categories of this year’s International Business Awards were eligible to be included in voting for the people’s choice awards, which was open to the public for more than five weeks this summer.

How did your favorites fare in the voting?

The Receivables Exchange of New Orleans, Louisiana USA won a Stevie Award for Management Team of the Year in the management awards categories of The 2011 American Business Awards. The ABAs are open to all organizations in the U.S.A.  The 2012 edition opens for entries in October.

The Receivables Exchange, founded in 2007 by Nicolas (Nic) Perkin and Justin Brownhill, allows businesses to sell their receivables to a global network of institutional investors and access working capital in as little as three days. With remittance terms now as much as 180 days, The Receivables Exchange is a welcome financial tool for small and mid-sized businesses, particularly in the current economic climate.

Working in the Dark

Although the concept for The Receivables Exchange seemed straightforward, there was no blueprint for making the Exchange work. The closest model, the New York Stock Exchange, had nearly 200 years to get everything right. Even building a team was difficult, since Justin Brownhill and Nic Perkin needed to find specific talent for a business model that didn’t exist.

According to its two founders, building the company was like walking through a dark, windowless room: they had no reference points, and could not see the walls. There were moments when it seemed that the Exchange would not come to fruition, but Justin and Nic persevered.

Nic’s idea for The Receivables Exchange was to provide growing companies with business financing. His experience in starting and growing companies led him to conceptualize new and faster means of getting working capital. Where Nic envisioned the idea of modernizing accounts receivable, Justin conceptualized the market model: standardization, transparency, centralization, and competition. Justin drew from his years of experience in exchange strategy and trading technology to structure a marketplace where accounts receivable could be funded and traded like other assets on an electronic platform.

A Competitive Marketplace

The result is a real-time, online, competitive marketplace for accounts receivable that gives companies the ability to generate cash quickly and as competitively as possible.  The normal turn on a transaction is approximately 1 day at a 1 percent cost of capital.

“The ‘Management Team of the Year’ award is a testament to the ongoing commitment, innovation, and hard work of our entire Receivables Exchange team,” said Justin and Nic. “Recognition from the nation’s premier business awards program affirms the tremendous value our employees are contributing to make The Receivables Exchange the truly innovative working capital marketplace it has become.”

A Challenge to the Old Guard

Because the Exchange was pioneering a working capital solution for small and
medium-sized businesses, the old guard saw them as a threat. Some of the factoring industry associations blackballed The Receivables Exchange from working with many of its members, whom the Exchange had counted on to be among their clients.

Needing the half of the equation that would buy receivables, Justin and Nic found an entirely new and unconventional set of institutional buyers. Because these buyers had never purchased receivables before, the Exchange needed to take the extra step of educating them on the value of receivables and how it would benefit them.

Explosive Growth

Since the early days of struggle, the Exchange has grown its business to now
have the best of Wall Street investors. Fortune 100 companies were so impressed with The Receivables Exchange that they the requested that the Exchange set up the Commercial Receivables Paper Market for their receivables. Although these larger cash-rich companies have access to other means of liquidity, they came to the Exchange as they recognized the value in an online receivables marketplace with a diverse pool of investors.

Participation by these corporations is validation that the Exchange is changing the landscape of business financing, and it has quickly become a mainstream cash management tool for companies of all sizes.

The Receivables Exchange saw 466% growth in 2010. This nearly five-fold rise indicates that businesses are embracing the Exchange’s online marketplace as a method of managing cash flow and are taking advantage of this unique opportunity.  Quite an accomplishment for a market built from scratch only a few years ago.

The Receivables Exchange LLC is a subsidiary of the New Orleans Exchange (NOE).

About the Co-Founders

CEO & co-founder Justin Brownhill’s entrepreneurial spirit was instilled at a young age at his father’s knee. On Wall Street, Justin was one of the youngest, most successful bankers at Salomon Brothers, UBS, and DLJ, where he worked on over $100 billion in M&A transactions and some of the industry’s largest underwritings.

Brownhill earned a Bachelor of Commerce with distinction from the Faculty of
Management at the University of Calgary, Canada. In 1994 he helped start Minds Matter, a NYC-based volunteer organization, which helps disadvantaged inner-city high school students prepare and get selected for higher education
opportunities.

At the age of 15, president & co-founder Nic Perkin cleared $500 per week walking dogs. He bought stocks with the money to help to pay for college and went on to receive a Master of Science in Finance from the London Business School and a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University. 

As head of Global Business Development of Massive, Inc., a provider of software and services, he spearheaded the company’s North American strategic initiatives to host advertisements within video games. In 2010, Nic was nominated to serve as the Vice Chairman of the Louisiana Innovation Council, which was ratified unanimously by the Louisiana State Legislature and approved by Governor Bobby Jindal.

About The Receivables Exchange

The Receivables Exchange is a first-to-market, real-time, online marketplace for working capital financing that provides a game-changing solution for both small and large U.S. companies. The Exchange connects a global network of accredited Buyers to businesses (Sellers) in search of flexible, affordable, and continuous access to working capital. Buyers get direct access to a $17 trillion new investable asset that comprises the largest asset class in the U.S. credit markets. Sellers gain prompt and highly cost-effective access to the capital they need, without onerous constraints.

Organizations and individuals in 35 nations, including first-time winners Bahrain, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and Slovakia, have been announced as Stevie® Award winners in The Eighth Annual International Business Awards, the world’s only international, all-encompassing business awards program.

Nicknamed the Stevies from the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented at a gala event on Tuesday, 11 October at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Tickets for the event are on sale now at www.stevieawards.com/iba. 

Winning 42 Stevie Awards this year, organizations and individuals in the United States made the best showing.  South Korea came in second place with 29 awards, while the host nation United Arab Emirates earned an impressive 24 Stevies.  The United Kingdom earned 22 awards followed by Turkey with 11 and Germany with 10 Stevies.

Some notable winners include:

• Company of the Year (Conglomerates): Siemens AG (Germany)
• Executive of the Year (Electronics): Yun Jong-Yong, CEO, Samsung Electronics (South Korea)
• Most Innovative Company of the Year (Middle East and Africa): Etisalat Group (UAE)
• Fastest Growing Company of the Year and Best New Company of the Year: Everonn Education Limited (India)
• Best New Product or Service of the Year (Health Products & Services): Cascades Intelligent Antibacterial Paper (Canada)
• Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year: ITT Corporation (United States)
• Marketing Campaign of the Year: Finansbank A.S. (Turkey)

A complete list of all 2011 International Business Awards honorees is available at www.stevieawards.com/iba. 

Stevie Award trophy and Distinguished Honoree (honorable mention) medal winners were selected from more than 3,000 entries received from organizations and individuals in more than 50 nations.  All organizations worldwide are eligible to compete in The International Business Awards, and can nominate in a wide range of categories, including management awards, company/organization awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, new product awards, IT awards, web site awards, and more. 

Business professionals around the world participated in preliminary judging in May-July.  Their average scores determined the entries that were eligible to be considered in final judging, which was performed earlier this month by the members of 10 specialized committees.  In total, 200 executives around the world participated in the judging process. 

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 Twitter @TheStevieAwards.   

Location hosting patron for The 2011 International Business Awards is the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates.  Premier sponsors include IBM Netezza and Smart Reader® Worldwide.  The Korea Business Communicators Association is the national sponsor for South Korea.  Localization sponsor of the 2011 Stevie Awards is SDL.  Location hosting supporters of the 2011 IBAs include Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Dana Gas, Forbes Middle East, the Gemological Institute of America and The International Business Times.

Susan Davis International of Washington, D.C., USA, won a Stevie Award for Communications Campaign of the Year in the PR awards categories of the 2010 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Here we look at how the communications firm brought widespread recognition to the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II.

Congressional Gold Medal

The unsung heroines of World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), were finally honored with the Congressional Gold Medal in a March 10, 2010 ceremony at the United States Capitol. The WASP—1,102 trailblazing civilian female pilots—were the first women to fly military aircraft. They were not granted military status until 1977, and today fewer than 300 survive.

Susan Davis International (SDI) worked on behalf of the Women In Military Service for America Memorial Foundation to tell the long-forgotten story of the WASP, their service, and their honor. The firm gained the WASP widespread international, national, and local media attention with a combined national and grassroots media strategy.

Media Campaign

To increase awareness of the WASP, SDI designed a media campaign to communicate the unique stories of each WASP as well as the broader story of their collective service. To create additional opportunities for the WASP and media to interact, SDI recommended, developed, executed, and managed two events including a Wreath Laying and Remembrance Ceremony and a Military Salute Reception on March 9, 2010.

Personal Stories

SDI researched personal WASP stories to build a comprehensive media
strategy for coverage in advance of, and during, the celebratory activities. SDI’s initial press release announced events the Foundation would host to honor
the WASP. Preview articles were secured in national and regional outlets
including U.S. News & World Report and the Los Angeles Times.

Grass Roots Strategy

In advance of the ceremony in Washington, D.C., SDI developed state-specific press releases for the ten states with the highest number of surviving WASP, which they strategically distributed to print, online, and broadcast media.

Media Interviews

As the sole connecting resource between the WASP and the media, SDI managed and coordinated hundreds of phone and in-person interviews in hometowns and in Washington, D.C. SDI also pitched and secured media interviews for Brigadier General Wilma Vaught, president of the Women in Military Service For America Foundation, and modern day aviator Lt. Col. Nicole Malachowski, who both contributed to the WASP story.

During the celebratory events, SDI worked closely with WASP and their military escorts to fulfill media requests. Immediately following the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, SDI worked with NBC and ABC pool cameras to facilitate on-camera interviews requested by affiliates around the country, most of which had been generated through SDI’s hometown outreach.

SDI also matched specific WASP with print journalists. The firm had interested ABC World News in following WASP Bernice “Bea” Haydu on her journey to Washington and connected the ABC pool camera with her for a conclusion to the story.

The Story is Finally Told

SDI’s strategy produced more than 925 print articles, 1,200 online articles, and
68 stories on national radio and television. Local radio and television affiliates aired more than 1,170 stories across the nation. More than half of earned media coverage told the individual stories of the WASP, with 174 of those stories on front pages from Alaska to Maine.

SDI’s efforts produced more than 200 million media impressions, including a CNN live interview in the Capitol Visitors Center the morning of the ceremony. The WASP story was told on PBS News Hour, CBS Evening News, CNN, NBC Nightly News, ABC’s World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer, and NPR.  It also earned front-page coverage in such publications as the Washington Post, Contra Costa Times, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Anchorage Daily News, and Denver Post.

The WASP story resonated in more than 180 markets across the nation, ensuring Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II their long-delayed and much-deserved recognition.

About Susan Davis:

Susan A. Davis, Chairman and Founder of Susan Davis International, is an internationally renowned communications strategist. For more than two decades, she has created and managed innovative, award-winning media and public affairs campaigns for domestic and international industry leaders, governments in the U.S. and abroad, non-profits, and NGOs. Ms. Davis is widely known for her expertise in strategic positioning, alliance and relationship building, government relations, and crisis communications. She has provided counsel to government and industry leaders throughout the United States, Europe, and Central America, and continues to counsel key public figures worldwide.

About Susan Davis International

Susan Davis International (SDI) is a full-service, woman owned/operated boutique public affairs/strategic communications firm with a 25-year history of producing award-winning campaigns and events. SDI, with more than 68 agency partners worldwide, services clients including multinationals, the U.S. and foreign governments, federal agencies, non-profit organizations, NGOs, and trade associations.  For more information go to www.susandavis.com.

The Stevie Awards today announced that Russell Simmons, an entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, will be honored with its Difference Maker award at The 9th Annual American Business Awards ceremony on June 20 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

This honorary award is the first of its kind and will be presented to Simmons for his groundbreaking vision and influence on music, fashion, finance, television and film, as well as the face of modern philanthropy.  The annual gala, which will be attended by more than 600 executives, will be hosted by Fox News Channel business reporter Cheryl Casone.

“Russell Simmons is the personification of the American business spirit,” said Stevie Awards President Michael Gallagher.  “His approach to building businesses for the future -- which are both sustainable and philanthropic -- has instigated change in corporate America.  He has the kind of vision as a business leader that not only makes a difference, but creates a path that inspires others to follow and that’s why we are proud to honor him with this award.”

Named one of USA Today’s “Top 25 Most Influential People,” the New York City-born Simmons created Def Jam Recordings in 1984 with partner Rick Rubin, signing forerunners of the hip-hop movement like the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Public Enemy. From creating his seminal Def Jam, to the 2007 publishing of his New York Times best-seller Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success and his latest New York Times best-seller SUPER RICH: A Guide To Having It All, Simmons expanded his personal vision far beyond the music world to create a varied business empire with RUSH Communications, a leading multi-faceted holding company with investments in prominent and respected brands in entertainment & media, fashion & lifestyle, finance and empowerment industries.

Widely recognized as the premier business awards program in the U.S., The American Business Awards honor organizations and individuals in a wide variety of categories -- from management and public relations to technology, human resources, new products and more.

Judges of The American Business Awards include many of the leading figures in American business. 

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. 

What do you think of the choice of Russell Simmons for this award?

Mercedes-Benz South Africa of East London, Eastern Cape received the Stevie Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year in the Middle East and Africa in The 2010 International Business Awards. (The final entry deadline for this year's IBAs is June 8 - see the entry kit online.)  Here's the story of Mercedes-Benz's efforts to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa.

In 2007, Sub-Saharan Africa was home to 22 of the 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS. South Africa is the country with the largest number of HIV-infected people in the world (5,7 million plus) with more than 90% of infections affecting the economically active. These statistics were having an adverse impact on South Africa’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which employ significant numbers and contribute about 40% to the GDP.

Through the Siyakhana Project Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has expanded its globally acknowledged best-practice workplace program to provide HIV/AIDS program support to SMEs and the broader community.

Siyakhana means “to build together” in isi-Xhosam, the local vernacular. In order to achieve the key objectives of the Siyakhana Project, MBSA successfully enlisted the partnership of the Border-Kei Chamber of Business and the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Health, and obtained financial
support from the German development agency DEG and BroadReach Health Care.

The Siyakhana Project is designed to simultaneously tackle HIV/AIDS at the workplace, in communities, and at the primary healthcare level to ensure a holistic response.

By March 2010 Siyakhana had achieved the following:

• Implementation of comprehensive HIV/AIDS policies and programs in 55 SMEs.
• 595 managers trained on HIV/AIDS in the workplace.
• 164 peer educators trained.
• 85 nurses trained on HIV/AIDS testing and treatment.
• 55 successful workplace HIV voluntary counseling and testing campaigns.
• 9,013 employees trained and counseled.
• 6,980 employees voluntarily testing for HIV.
• Establishment of, and ongoing training support to, a private physician network to manage HIV/AIDS care for SME employees and families.
• 850 HIV-positive patients referred into the treatment program with 150
  people on anti-retroviral treatment (as of March 2010).
• Capacity building services extended to 12 public-sector primary-healthcare clinics through providing a retired professional nurse and a lay counselor in each clinic, resulting in a 110% improvement in HIV testing rates.

The Siyakhana Project has a built-in monitoring system that tracks project success both quantitatively and qualitatively. Independent external evaluators regularly conduct an evaluation of project performance against operational plans and “best practice.”

Lessons Learned and Future Challenges

The foundation of the Siyakhana Project’s success has been the strong partnerships that MBSA’s HIV/AIDS program has built with the government, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, and community-based organizations.

Organized business involvement is also a key ingredient, and the project showed that SME owners and managers are keen to participate if guidance and hands-on support is provided.  Employees are eager to access testing, however confidence building is required.

While the Siyakhana Project has demonstrated how much can be achieved by forming broad-based partnerships involving both private and public sectors, its sustainability will be  an ongoing challenge requiring full commitment from all partners.

MBSA’s Promise

Managing HIV and AIDS is a core business for MBSA, and its HIV/AIDS program aims to effectively address the development challenge posed by HIV and AIDS to company employees, their families, business operations, and economic and social development. The workplace program extends universal access to quality prevention, treatment, care, and support to all its employees and their dependents.

MBSA is both a key automotive player and a social partner. It has played a significant role in industrial and corporate socio-economic transformation, and continues to do so today. This is evident in the fact that despite the recession, it maintained its corporate social investment spend in excess of R20 million per annum, and that it is a leader amongst its peers in skills development, employee health and well-being programs, and employee benefits.

About Dr. Hansgeorg Niefer
Dr. Hansgeorg Niefer, a qualified professional engineer, started his career with Daimler AG in 1986 at the Sindelfingen plant in Germany. He joined the South African operation in 2002 to head up the manufacturing activities in East London. Dr Niefer has been chairman of the local group of companies since 2005 and has recently been redeployed to head up the Daimler plant in Berlin. He notes, however, that one of his proudest achievements during his tenure in South Africa has been the group's success in the battle against HIV and AIDS, and the opportunity to provide advocacy and support programmes for SMEs, suppliers and retailers alike, as well as assisting communities impacted by HIV and AIDS.

About Mercedes-Benz South Africa
The Mercedes-Benz group of companies in South Africa was established in 1954. Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) manufactures Mercedes-Benz and Mitsubishi vehicles at its plant in East London, Eastern Cape Province. MBSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler AG and is one of the largest automotive groups in South Africa.

Voting Now Open for People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products

Finalists were announced today in The 9th Annual American Business Awards. Companies as diverse as Apple, Groupon, General Electric, Procter & Gamble, and The Walt Disney Company are among those recognized.  Lists of Finalists by category have been published at http://www.stevieawards.com/aba. 

The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. 

This year’s Stevie® Award trophy winners will be announced during the annual gala on June 20 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York.  Tickets are now on sale.  More than six-hundred executives are expected to attend.  The event will benefit Camfed, which fights poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa by educating girls and empowering women to become leaders of change.  The ceremonies will be broadcast nationwide by the Business TalkRadio Network.    

A record number of nominations were submitted this year with more than 2,800 from organizations of all sizes and from virtually every industry.  The ABAs include a wide variety of categories including management awards, new product awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, web site awards, and more.

Members of 10 specialized final judging committees will select Stevie Award winners from among Finalists in judging that will begin next week.  Finalists were chosen by business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April and May.

Voting opened today for the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, a component of The American Business Awards that invites the general public to vote for their favorite new products in a number of categories including Favorite New Smartphone, Favorite New Tablet, Favorite New Consumer Product, and Favorite New Smartphone or Tablet App.  Voting is open through June 3 at http://www.stevieawards.com/FavoriteNewProducts.peopleschoice.

What do you think of the list of this year's Finalists?

 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 Twitter @TheStevieAwards.   

Sponsors and partners of The 2011 American Business Awards include Infogroup, IBM Netezza, American Support, Citrix Online, Epic Media Group, High Performance Technologies Inc., iolo technologies, LifeLock, Merisel, PetRays, SDL, SoftPro, and Vérité, Inc.

With the month-away launch of the call for entries for the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, here's a profile of Debralee L. Goldberg, president and CEO of International Financial Data Services Canada in Toronto, named Best Canadian Executive in the 2010 Stevies for Women in Business.

Since joining IFDS Canada as CEO in 2006, Debralee Goldberg has compiled an impressive record as a female chief executive in the traditionally male- dominated world of financial services. IFDS Canada’s operating income has risen by nearly 300%, and the number of clients has grown by 30%. Three of IFDS Canada’s 10 largest accounts were signed on in 2009–10.

Debralee Goldberg’s impact as CEO extends beyond the usual operating numbers, however, and includes initiatives in technology, the environment, and community giving.

Debralee began her 30-year career as an entry-level call-center employee in a Boston bank’s mutual fund division. Over the next eight years, she earned a number of management-level promotions, took additional courses, and learned the mutual fund business. She then took a five-year break to raise her family.

After her return, she rose to the executive ranks of First Data Investor Services, a spin-off from American Express, and then joined Kansas City-based DST Systems Inc. before being tapped to run IFDS Canada.

Reducing Environmental Impact
Since arriving in Toronto, Debralee’s solid understanding of mutual fund operations has allowed her to contribute as a board member of FundSERV, the Canadian financial-funds network responsible for managing intercompany settlements. Her deep knowledge has also enabled her to identify and champion ideas to improve client relations and operating efficiency, and to reduce the environmental impact of IFDS Canada. For example, new smart-screen technology has eliminated the company’s need to print received forms for data entry. In addition to eliminating paper, this advance increased data entry productivity by 60% and reduced by 70% the number of items requiring quality review.

Similarly, a new touch-screen solution now allows IFDS Canada mailroom associates to distribute incoming documents without printing and attaching paper routing instructions. This innovation has reduced monthly mailroom paper use by 50%.

Debralee is raising environmental awareness in other ways at IFDS Canada. She created a green-initiatives committee, has reduced travel with the use of VOIP and other e-meeting technologies, conducts annual green-awareness campaigns, and has supported distribution of reusable thermal lunch bags, drink bottles, and coffee mugs to all employees. As part of her personal commitment, she walks to work nearly every day.

Improved Technology
Technology improvements introduced under Debralee have reduced IFDS Canada’s carbon footprint and resulted in the deployment of these technologies by IFDS affiliates. They also contributed to IFDS Canada’s two software awards in 2009 and 2010: Best Use of Technology at the Canadian Investment Awards, and Progress Software’s SaaS Excellence Award.

Under Debralee’s leadership, the company continues to seek new ways to improve, spending more than $20 million annually on research and development.

Corporate Giving
Debralee recognizes the importance of giving back. In 2010, IFDS Canada’s charitable giving was on track to rise 350% over 2008. Employee participation in the same period increased nearly 50%.

Today IFDS supports more than 25 charities, including the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, University Settlement, the Hospital for Sick Kids, HopeSpring Cancer Support Centre, and United Way.

Upon receiving her Stevie Award for Best Canadian Executive last November, Goldberg commented: “I am very much honored to be recognized by the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Not only as the rare woman in a male-dominated world of financial services, but also as it reinforces the value of—and our commitment to—increasing customer satisfaction, increasing operational efficiency for our clients, contributing to worthy charities, and reducing our carbon footprint.” 

About Debralee Goldberg
Debralee Goldberg has risen from her first job as a mutual-fund call-center associate to CEO of IFDS Canada, where she demonstrates leadership in business growth and efficiency, R&D, green initiatives, and corporate giving. Prior to IFDS, Debralee spent 25 years in the mutual fund industry with Boston-based banks and services companies First Data Investor Services and DST Systems Inc.

As an alumna of Boston University College of Arts and Sciences, Debralee is an active member of the alumni board, the parents’ council, and the dean’s advisory board at her alma mater. She has been married to Bill Goldberg for 29 years and has two sons, Harrison and Benjamin. Their favorite family activity isskiing. A certified chef, Debralee enjoys cooking and reading in her spare time.  

About IFDS Canada
IFDS Canada is one of Canada’s largest transfer agencies, with over 500 employees and more than 10 million unit holder accounts. It has become a global leader in business process outsourcing and application services. IFDS Canada clients include a mutual fund managers, wealth managers, insurance companies and banks. The company is a joint venture of State Street Corporation and DST Systems Inc.  For more information visit www.ifdsgroup.com.

With the May 11 entry deadline for the 2011 International Business Awards now just a week away, we thought we'd look back at one of last year's International Stevie Award winners.   ITT Corporation of White Plains, New York USA received a Stevie Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year in Asia in the CSR awards categories of the 2010 IBAs.  Here we look at how ITT has secured safe water and sanitation for communities in Asia.

Sustaining the supply and quality of the world’s water is one of the most critical global issues facing us today. Water can be the difference between sickness and
health, the driver of economic development, and a powerful force when it comes to global security; yet, more than 883 million people live without access to
safe drinking water, and 2.5 billion live without basic sanitation.

Launched in 2008 with an initial three-year, $4 million commitment, ITT Watermark addressed this crisis by collaborating with leading nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to implement high-impact, sustainable water solutions in areas of great need.

In its first 3 years, ITT Watermark brought lifesaving water to more than 500,000 people in Asia, South America, and around the world. In September 2010, ITT committed $10.5 million to reach one million more people through ITT Watermark by 2013.

Focus on China
In China, more than 300 million people—one quarter of the total population—lack access to safe drinking water. Here, ITT Watermark focuses on three key initiatives:

• Providing safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education to schools
  

In China, many children suffer from developmental issues and chronic stomach ailments as a result of contaminated water supplies. Recognizing this, ITT partnered with China Women’s Development Foundation (CWDF) to implement a proven best practice of providing safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education in schools. Since 2009, CWDF and 100 local ITT employees have planned, designed, and installed solar-powered safe water pumps, hand washing stations, and latrines for more than 8,000 students and teachers at fifteen schools in the Hebei, Jiangsu, and Yunnan provinces.  ITT employee volunteers enhanced these efforts by teaching the students in these schools about hygiene education. Additionally, ITT employees supported the initiative by conducting local fundraising efforts.

• Proactively securing safe water supplies for people in times of emergency

Building on lessons learned during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, during which ITT deployed financial contributions, water treatment systems, and engineers with UNICEF, ITT Watermark has worked to increase the emergency-response capacity throughout China. Together with Mercy Corps, an international NGO, ITT hosted a disaster risk-reduction training course for NGO staff and ITT employees in 2009, providing education on topics including disaster risk-reduction basics, vulnerability and capacities assessments, and community emergency planning.

• Supporting innovation and action around the preservation of local water resources  

Water pollution and insufficient conservation in recent decades have intensified China's water-access issues and have left 90 percent of Chinese cities with heavily polluted water supplies. To address local water needs, ITT and China’s State Environment Protection Administration sponsor the national Stockholm Junior Water Prize Competition, which encourages local Chinese students to develop water projects and advance water innovation at a local, country and international level.

ITT China employees also take action through local service projects, such as garbage-collection efforts at Dameisha Beach in Shenzhen and tree-planting days in both Shenzhen and Shanghai.

In total, ITT Watermark has improved the lives of more than 200,000 people in China and 500,000 people around the world and continues to create an enduring and positive impact in the communities it serves.

Beyond Water: Minimizing Environmental Impact Worldwide
In addition to its commitment to corporate social responsibility programs such as Watermark, ITT Corporation recently announced that it has made significant steps to minimize its global environmental footprint. By reducing its consumption of natural resources and generation of waste and emissions, ITT is advancing its long-held commitment to sustainability. The company is constantly striving to safeguard the planet's climate, communities, and resources, and has been recognized externally for its significant progress. Over the past five years alone, ITT's global operations have:

• Cut back overall energy consumption intensity by 31 percent.
• Decreased intensity of electricity consumption by 33 percent.
• Reduced generation of hazardous waste by 46 percent.
• Eased water use by more than 27 percent for production processes and employees.
• Lowered the concentration of greenhouse gas intensity by 51 percent, including a 46 percent drop from 2007 to 2009.

"The recent metrics demonstrate that at ITT, sustainable behavior is a key part of our organizational fabric," said Steve Loranger, ITT's chairman, president, and chief executive officer. "We recognize the impact our company and our products have on the environment, and we are committed to using technologies to reduce our ecological footprint and protect our planet."

About ITT
ITT Corporation is a high-technology engineering and manufacturing company operating on all seven continents in three vital markets: water and fluids management, global defense and security, and motion and flow control. With a heritage of innovation, ITT partners with its customers to deliver extraordinary solutions that create more livable environments, provide protection and safety, and connect our world. Headquartered in White Plains, New York, the company reported 2010 revenue of $11 billion.