By popular demand, the Stevie Awards have announced a general entry deadline extension for the third annual Middle East & North Africa Stevie ® Awards, sponsored by RAK Chamber, UAE. Entries will now be accepted through February 17. 

The Middle East Stevie & North Africa Awards are the region’s only awards to recognize innovation in all its forms through the workplace. The awards are open to all organizations in 17 nations of the MENA region: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Interested in submitting nominations before the extended final entry deadline?

All individuals and organizations - public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small - may submit any number of nominations to any number of the categories.

There are no entry fees in this awards program. Organizations may submit as many nominations as they would like, without cost. Instead, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners can choose to pay a “winners fee” for each successful nomination.

Winners of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards in the competition will be announced on March 24, 2022 and celebrated during a gala event in Ras Al Khaimah at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Friday, May 20.

The competition features two new category groups for 2022. The Video Awards categories recognize innovation in video productions including design, format, production, distribution, and/or interactivity. The Social Media Awards categories recognize innovation in social media content creation, moderation, management, and marketing. Virtual events have been newly added to the Events Categories.

Nominations citing innovative achievements will be accepted and judged in both Arabic and English, in more than 100 categories across the following category groups:

• Apps & Websites
• Achievements
• Annual Reports & Other Publications
• Company/Organization
• Corporate Communications & Public Relations
• COVID-19 Response
• Customer Service
• Human Resources
• Live & Virtual Events
• Management
• Marketing
• New Products & Services
• Social Media
• Technology
• Videos

 

Winners of the 2021 edition of the awards included Al Anwar Medical Hospital, Boehringer Ingelheim, DHL Worldwide Express LLC, Dubai Global Village, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Media Incorporated, Etihad Aviation Group, General Directorate for Traffic - Bahrain, Gulf Marketing Group (GMG), Intisar Foundation, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure - Dubai, Ooredoo Kuwait, RAK Transport Authority, Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF), Stella Stays, VakifBank and many more.

 

The 2022 competition will be judged by more than 150 professionals around the world. Those who wish to apply to participate on one of the juries may do so at https://mena.stevieawards.com/sa-judge/register.

Financial wellness is a luxury that younger demographics seem to have a harder time achieving. Stevie-winner John Hancock is an insurance company refining its approach to develop financial solutions for the modern generation of consumers.

With the ongoing economic impacts of the Great Recession, astronomical student debt, rising housing costs, and myriad other financial factors, retirement looks a lot different today than it used to. Gone are the days of getting into a job, working for 40 years, and retiring with a handshake and a gold watch. Pensions and 401(k)s are increasingly hard to come by. Plus, with often insurmountably expensive real estate costs, fewer people are entering the realty market. As a result, many people don’t have valuable homes to supplement their retirement nest eggs.

Given these kinds of factors, it’s little surprise that the concept of “retirement” has shifted. In this landscape, one thing is clear: If financial services groups want to continue to stay relevant, they will need to change their approaches, advice, and outlook to match what financial wellness means to millennials and members of Generation Z.

Rethinking Retirement Age

In a 2018 study by Bankrate.com, millennials responded that they think 61 is the ideal age to retire. Despite this aspiration of early retirement, however, approximately two-thirds of millennials have nothing saved for retirement.

Because of increased debt and decreased financial opportunities, more people than ever are being forced to reevaluate what’s realistic when it comes to retirement. For many, this means bumping out that expected age of retirement. Some don’t even expect to retire at all, instead considering part-time jobs, second careers, or other money-making opportunities as they get into the later years of their lives.

Increased longevity further complicates the issue. Across the globe, people are living longer than ever, which seriously skews issues related to realistic retirement age, health insurance, and life insurance.

Rethinking Financial Wellness

Companies that provide financial planning and other money-management services are often viewed as symbolic of a bygone era. After all, someone who has nothing saved for retirement, doesn’t own a home, and is working on paying down $50,000 in student debt can feel as if these companies aren’t relevant to their financial realities.

That doesn’t need to be the case, though. These companies can still help younger clientele reach their financial goals; they just have to shift how they think about accomplishing this endeavor. Stevie-winner John Hancock, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one such company successfully refining its approach. 

The people at John Hancock understand it’s time to look beyond outdated concepts like ‘net assets’ and to build financial solutions that fit into customers’ whole lives—with easily accessible products that reflect their values, their approach to wellness, and their holistic well-being. That’s why they’re redefining retirement, insurance, and investing for the modern generation of consumers to address both their health and wealth.

To connect with this modern generation of consumers, one key is reframing the idea of financial wellness as the most important kind of wellness. Financial service providers are finding that the younger generation prizes a more holistic approach to well-being, and providing advice that resonates means tailoring to that mind-set.

John Hancock believes good health and financial wellness are essential ingredients to overall well-being, and they want to help motivate people to make healthier choices—for themselves and their future.

With this goal in mind, the organization has had success especially with one initiative: a partnership with the Vitality Group, which can serve as a template for similar companies looking to connect with younger investors.

In 2015, John Hancock started a new chapter in their 155-year history when they partnered with the Vitality Group to help clients live longer, healthier lives. As the first life insurance company in the United States to offer a wellness-based rewards program, John Hancock life insurance with Vitality gives customers the financial protection they need while also helping them earn savings on their premiums, shopping gift cards, and travel discounts for their everyday healthy habits, such as going for a walk, eating well, and getting a regular health check.

John Hancock was honored with seven Stevie® Awards at The 2019 American Business Awards®, earning the company a Grand Stevie® Award. This designation is reserved for the top 10 most-recognized organizations at the event. The company’s honors included four Gold awards (in the categories of Mobile Site and App, Innovation of the Year, and two in Achievement in Management), two Silver awards (in the categories of Woman of the Year and Financial Services), and two Bronze awards (in the categories of Information Technology Team of the Year and Customer Service Team of the Year).

Interested in entering the next American Business Awards?

RAK SME was established in 2007 by Amiri Decree in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates to support young entrepreneurs with start-up projects. They provide small and medium enterprises with everything from quick and easy steps to simplify their procedures, to market entry resources. Their efforts have enabled the youth in their communities to establish and develop projects to enhance sustainable development in the Emirates. This work led them to win the Bronze Stevie Award for Company of the Year in the Small, Nonprofit or Government Organizations category of The 2017 International Business Awards.

Achieving Sustainable Development

In order to provide an attractive environment for Emirati youth entrepreneurs, RAK SME supports a mission to strengthen the national economy through the Saud Bin Saqr Foundation for the Development of Youth Projects. RAK SME is also an initiative of Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce and Industry by incorporating a wide range of services to the members of their corporation. Rashed Sawaqed is the Business Development Consultant for RAK SME, specifically focusing on Feasibility Studies and Business Development Consultancy which aims to support and develop SME's in Ras Al Khaimah.

“From facilities and exemptions to commercial license fees, industrial and sustainable development, RAK SME makes annual goals for clear and distinctive imprints during the process of promoting and supporting youth enterprises. In addition to encouraging nationals to lead businesses, diversify the economy, and achieve sustainable development.”

RAK SME services provided for its’ members include exemptions from the payment of commercial license fees, economic and legal consultancy, business incubators and business admin services, training and development programs, workshops, discounts on various services (including participation in local and external exhibitions) and free industrial and commercial plots for development.

Playing a Major Role

Saud Bin Saqr Foundation for the Development of Youth Projects is one of the initiatives of the Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Foundation aims at developing the business sector and contributing to the government's policy in the development of youth projects in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, where small and medium enterprises play a major role in the development of the national economy. Sawaqed comments on how winning a Stevie® has made a positive impact on achieving their goals.

“Winning the Stevie Award was an enormous achievement for our organization and continues to prove beneficial to our operations. The awards raised our customers’ confidence in our business and our capabilities.”

RAK SME is now organizing a practical training course entitled "Making Financial Decisions for Your Business Project" for entrepreneurs. Those interested in the business community within the framework of the plan can develop and qualify small and medium enterprises under the umbrella of the Foundation.

Getting new ideas to market is one of the hardest tasks in the innovation process, especially for a completely new idea for a product or service. Failure to launch can stem from a lack of production capacity to an inability to create a demand for the product and everything in between. That’s where gemaker comes in.

gemaker helps Australia’s inventors take their ideas to the world, providing services in research-industry engagement and commercialization to bridge the gap between origination and growth. gemaker was named the winner of three Silver Stevie Awards in the 2017 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards for Innovative Management in Business Product & Service Industries, Excellence in Innovation in Business Product & Service Industries, and Innovation in Business-to-Business Services.

A Benefit for All

Australian research and innovation has potential for huge positive impact in the real world, if innovators can just connect to the right scientific and technical experts. Natalie Chapman, co-founder and Managing Director of gemaker, is a commercialization and marketing expert with more than 15 years of experience turning innovative ideas and technologies into thriving businesses. She comments on Australia’s role in business development.

“Australia is transitioning to greater professionalism in technology transfer. There's a change occurring in attitudes and approaches in research-industry engagement which we're trying to foster.”

She goes on to say that empowering researchers with skills and resources to proactively engage industries with collaborative innovation solves diverse social and environmental problems that boosts the economy and ultimately benefits all Australians.

How They Work

gemaker’s success speaks volumes about how they work and why it’s so effective. Although their research and technology commercialization consultancy company consists of a small core staff, their flexible auxiliary team of about 20 regular contractors understands perseverance, passion and a great team works best when success is measured by the work you do, and not just the time spent doing it.

“gemaker is proudly built around a sustainable, flexible and progressive employment model that is project-based. This means paying people for the work they do, rather than paying them for being in the office for a set period of time.”

This model creates opportunity to tap the skills and expertise of a range of intelligent, qualified and experienced people who do not want rigid jobs, but still seek to make valuable contributions through meaningful careers.

The World is Noticing

There’s often a divide in the understanding and culture between different research organizations, such as universities and commercial companies. Closing the research-industry gap is a win for both sides that also benefits society in general. One way of doing this is with international attention that helps promote what gemaker is doing worldwide. Natalie is particularly proud of the Stevie for Innovation in Business-to-Business Services award they received for their Industry Engagement Training for Researchers.

“The award recognizes the importance and quality of the work we do to help researchers develop effective strategies to form long-term, productive and profitable partnerships with commercial companies.”

Whether it’s helping businesses achieve their optimal commercialization outcome, a spin-off from a research organization, growing sales of products or services, licensing agreements, or the sale of your business, gemaker is helping companies grow and evolve into new markets to reach new heights of success

The 15th annual American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A. which attracts more than 3,000 nominations from organizations nationwide each year, is accepting nominations for the 2017 program. 

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT

The American Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Full entry details are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/aba. The entry deadline is Thursday, February 16 but late entries will be accepted through Wednesday, March 15. 

There are more than 50 categories to recognize management executives and teams. 

All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. 

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories for the 2017 ABAs will include

a. An essay of up to 650 words describing the nominee's accomplishments since January 1 2016

b. In bullet-list form, a brief summary of up to ten (10) of the chief accomplishments of the nominee since January 1 2016

c. Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges

Management Awards categories include:

A39. Management Team of the Year
  a. Business Products Industries
  b. Business Services Industries
  c. Consumer Products Industries
  d. Consumer Services Industries

Executive of the Year (e.g. CEO, President, COO) 
A01. Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations
A02. Aerospace & Defense
A03. Apparel, Beauty & Fashion (a new category for 2017)
A04. Automotive & Transport Equipment
A05. Banking
A06. Business & Professional Services
A07. Chemicals
A08. Computer Hardware
A09. Computer Software
  a. Up to 500 Employees
  b. 500 or More Employees
A10. Computer Services
A11. Conglomerates
A12. Consumer Products - Durables
A13. Consumer Products - Non-Durables
A14. Consumer Services (a new category for 2017)
A15. Diversified Services
A16. Electronics
A17. Energy
A18. Financial Services
A19. Food & Aeverage
A20. Health Products & Services
A21. Hospitality & Leisure
A22. Insurance
A23. Internet/New Media
A24. Legal
A25. Manufacturing
A26. Materials & Construction
A27. Media & Entertainment
A28. Metals & Mining
A29. Non-Profit or Government Organizations
A30. Pharmaceuticals
A31. Real Estate
A32. Retail
A33. Telecommunications
A34. Transportation
A35. Utilities 

A36. Maverick of the Year: recognizing the individual who's affected the most positive change on his or her company and/or industry since the beginning of 2016
  a. Business Products Industries
  b. Business Services Industries
  c. Consumer Products
  d. Consumer Services

A37. Tech Innovator of the Year (recognizing the individual who's contributed most to innovation, within their organization and/or industry, in the U.S.A. since the beginning of 2016)
  a. Hardware/Peripherals
  b. Services
  c. Software
  d. Other

A38. Woman of the Year: recognizing the achievements of women in the workplace since the beginning of 2016
  a. Business Products Industries
  b. Business Services Industries
  c. Consumer Products
  d. Consumer Services

Winners of Management Awards in the 2016 American Business Awards include: 

Management Team of the Year - Business Products or Services Industries
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Black Knight Financial Services, Jacksonville, FL: Black Knight Financial Services Management Team

Management Team of the Year - Consumer Products or Services Industries
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Jeunesse Global, Orlando, FL: The Team Behind the Billion-Dollar Jeunesse Brand

Executive of the Year - Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
97th Floor, Lehi, UT: Chris Bennett, CEO

Executive of the Year - Automotive, Transport Equipment & Transportation
GOLD STEVIE WINNER:
Donlen Fleet Leasing and Management, Northbrook, IL: Tom Callahan, President

...and more. See the full list of 2016 Management Stevie Award-winners here.

High-achieving organizations and executives around the world have been recognized as Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie® Award winners in The 13th 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 Friday, 21 October at the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Rome, Italy. Tickets for the event are on sale now at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners were selected from more than 3,800 nominations received from organizations and individuals in more than 60 nations. All organizations worldwide are eligible to compete in The International Business Awards, and can submit entries in a wide range of categories, including management awards, company of the year awards, marketing awards, public relations awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, new product awards, IT awards, web site awards, and more. 

More than 200 executives worldwide participated in the judging process this year to determine the Stevie winners.

The top Gold Stevie Award winner this year is HS Ad, the South Korean advertising agency, with 13 Gold Stevies in a variety of categories. MSLGROUP worldwide is next with eight Gold Stevie wins, while Dubai Statistics Center, Telkom Indonesia and Weber Shandwick worldwide follow with seven each.  Accenture (USA), DHL Express Worldwide, and Freelancer.com (Australia) are winners of six Gold Stevies. Cisco Systems (USA), Jeunesse Global (USA), and Say Communications (United Kingdom) won five; and ASDA'A Burson Marsteller (United Arab Emirates), CallidusCloud (USA), and Odea Bank A.S. (Turkey) each won four Gold Stevie Awards.

Winners of three Gold Stevie Awards include Insurance Information and Monitoring Center (SBM) (Turkey), KB Kookmin Bank (South Korea), LLORENTE & CUENCA (Spain), Ribose (Hong Kong), PRONET (Turkey), Qonsilus GmbH (Germany), and Vodafone (Turkey and the United Kingdom).

A complete list of all 2016 Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners by category is available at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

“We received a record number of nominations in the IBAs this year, and the judges were awed by the inspiring stories of workplace success from all over the world,” said Stevie Awards founder and president Michael Gallagher.  “We look forward to honoring on stage the Stevie winners who join us in Rome on 21 October, and to sharing their stories with the world over the coming months through our website and social media channels."

During the week of 22 August the winners of the Best of the IBA Awards, five best-of-competition prizes, will be announced.  Winners will be determined by a tally of the total number of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevies won by organizations, and will be presented with Grand Stevie Award trophies in Rome.

For high-resolution photos of the Stevie Award trophy or International Business Awards logo, visit http://stevieawards.com/iba/photos-and-logos. Other information and resources for press are available at http://stevieawards.com/iba/media-inquiries-news-service-list

Winners to be Celebrated in New York on June 20
(see summary of major winners by major MSA below)

The Stevie® Awards, organizers of the world’s premier business awards programs, today announced the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners in The 14th Annual American Business Awards^SM.

All organizations operating in the U.S.A. – large and small, public and private, for-profit and non-profit - are eligible to submit nominations to the ABAs in a wide range of categories, honoring achievement in every aspect of work life, from customer service and management to public relations and product development.  More than 3,400 nominations were reviewed in the judging process this year by more than 250 professionals, whose average scores determined the winners.

2016 Stevie winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during a gala event on Monday, June 20 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York.  Tickets are now on sale.  The presentations will be broadcast live via Livestream.

CallidusCloud (Dublin, CA) is the leader among Stevie Award winners, with 40 wins in a wide range of categories, including six Gold.  CallidusCloud is sure to be among the winners of the Grand Stevie Award trophies, the top overall winners in this year’s ABAs, who will be announced next week.

Winners of four Gold Stevies include CAS (Columbus, OH), Jeunesse Global (Orlando, FL), and MWW (East Rutherford, NJ). 

Notable Stevie winners include:

• 11-year-old Max Ash of MAX'IS Creations (Boston, MA), winner of the Gold Stevie for Product Developer of the Year and the youngest-ever Stevie winner
• TiVo's BOLT, Silver Stevie winner for Best New Consumer Electronics Product. Last week TiVo announced that it would be acquired by Rovi
• Lakeshore Recycling Systems (Morton Grove, IL), winner of 14 Stevies
• TextRecruit (San Jose, CA), winner of three Gold Stevies including B2B Startup of the Year

For a complete list of the Stevie Award winners announced today, visit http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

This is the first year in which Stevie winners in The American Business Awards are announced before the awards gala.  In the ABAs’ first 13 years, finalists were announced in advance of the awards gala, but the Stevie winners weren’t revealed until the night of the presentations.   

Every new product or service nominated in The 2016 American Business Awards will automatically be included in voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, a worldwide public vote. Voting will open tomorrow and conclude on June 3.  People’s Choice Stevie winners will be announced the week of June 6, and will be honored during the June 20 presentations.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and the new Stevie Awards for Great Employers. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. 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.

 

Key Stevie winners in some major metropolitan statistical area include, among others:

Atlanta: Arketi Group, Liaison Technologies (Alpharetta), CATMEDIA, Citi Retail Services, MessageGears, One Vision Productions, LLC (Clarkston), Panasonic Automotive Systems (Peachtree City), and QASymphony

Austin: AgileCraft, Dell (Round Rock), Epicor Software Corp, Magnitude Software, mindWireless, and Workplace Answers

Boston: Centage Corporation (Natick), Curriculum Associates (North Billerica), Enquiron, Fiksu, Fleetmatics (Waltham), Globoforce (Southborough) Harvard Business Publishing, HubSpot (Cambridge), John Hancock, MAX'IS Creations, Inc., PAREXEL International (Waltham), Progress (Bedford), Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Ve Interactive, VirtusaPolaris (Westborough), and ZipCar (Cambridge)

Chicago: Accenture , Applied Systems (University Park), BMO Capital Markets, Empire Today (Northlake), Endurance (Northbrook), Lakeshore Recycling Systems (Morton Grove), Peapod (Skokie), SIM Partners, and Wheels, Inc. (Des Plaines)

Dallas: ACTIVE Network, AT&T, Monitronics Security (Farmers Branch), Omnitracs, LLC, Texas Wesleyan University (Fort Worth), and USHEALTH Advisors (Grapevine)

Denver & Boulder: EffectiveUI (Denver), Level 3 Communications (Broomfield), SolidFire (Boulder), and Theresa Bradley-Banta Real Estate Consultancy (Denver)

Detroit: Critical Signal Technologies (Novi), Farbman Group (Southfield), George P. Johnson (Auburn Hills), Great Expressions Dental Centers (Bloomfield Hills), and Shinola (Detroit)

Houston: Effex Management Solutions, Gorilla Safety, PROS, Inc., Signet Interactive, and TopSpot Internet Marketing

Los Angeles: Christmas in Hollywood (Hollywood), Dollar Shave Club (Venice), Ixia (Calabasas), j2 Global® Cloud Services (Hollywood), PMK*BNC (Los Angeles), and ZipRecruiter (Santa Monica)

Miami: Coastal Risk Consulting (Plantation), DCR Workforce (Boca Raton), Future Energy Solutions (Ft. Lauderdale), Lion Agency (Miami), MONAT Global (Doral), ScribeAmerica (Ft. Lauderdale), and TEAM Enterprises (Ft. Lauderdale)

Minneapolis: Ceridian, Deluxe Corporation (Shoreview), Renters Warehouse (Minnetonka), RiverSource Annuities, and RiverSource Life Insurance Company

New York: Broadstreet, Datapipe, Inc. (Jersey City, NJ), Diligent Corporation, Fidelity Investments (Jersey City, NJ), Hudson Group (East Rutherford, NJ), Kaplan Test Prep, Makovsky & Co, MASS Communications, Momentum Worldwide, MWW (East Rutherford, NJ), ProSight Specialty Insurance (Morristown, NJ), Radware (Mahwah, NJ), Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (Mahwah, NJ), SocialCode, Squarespace, Swiss Post Solutions, Thomson Reuters, TouchBistro, TransPerfect, VertaMedia LLC, and W Magazine

Philadelphia: Broadview Networks (King of Prussia), GetResponse Inc. (Wilmington, DE), Karma Agency, LCG, Ltd. & H.E.L.P.® Legal Plan (Bala Cynwyd), Nutrisystem (Fort Washington), and Worldwide Clinical Trials (King of Prussia)

Phoenix: Allbound (Scottsdale), Beyond20, Casino Arizona (Scottsdale), Digital Air Strike (Scottsdale), Isagenix International (Gilbert), The James Agency (Scottsdale), KEO Marketing Inc., Talking Stick Resort (Scottsdale), and Yeager Marketing

Salt Lake City: 4Life Research (Sandy), 97th Floor (Lehi), IHG, Morinda, Inc. (American Fork), SnappConner PR (South Jordan), and USANA Health Sciences

San Diego: AMN Healthcare, Amobee, The Control Group, PACIFIC, Qualcomm, Red Door Interactive, and RippleNami, Inc. (Cardiff)

San Jose: Cisco Systems, Electric Cloud, EMC, Malwarebytes, PayPal, RiseSmart, TextRecruit, TiVo Inc., and Zoom Video Communications, Inc.

San Francisco: Blueshift Labs, ClearSlide, CoreOS, Demandbase, DocuSign, Godfrey Q, Grow Marketing, Scality, SquareTrade, STRV, Teridion, and Wells Fargo Treasury Management

Seattle: Avalara, Capital One Investing, Microsoft Corporation (Redmond), Talking Rain Beverage Company, and T-Mobile US, Inc. (Bellevue)

Silicon Valley: Actiontec Electronics (Sunnyvale), BDNA (Mountain View), Clinovo (Sunnyvale), Cloudinary (Palo Alto), Host Analytics (Redwood City), Intuit (Mountain View), Jasper (Santa Clara), Nexenta Systems, Inc., (Santa Clara), RiskSense (Sunnyvale), Robin Systems (Milpitas), Simility (Palo Alto), SnapLogic (San Mateo), Tanis Communications (Mountain View), Tintri (Mountain View), TriNet (San Leandro), Vendavo (Mountain View), and WebAction, Inc. (Palo Alto)

Washington, DC: Applied Predictive Technologies (Arlington, VA), Bloomberg BNA Software (Arlington, VA), Clarabridge (Reston, VA), CSC (Falls Church, VA), Cvent (Tysons Corner, VA), Deltek (Herndon, VA), GTT Communications (McLean, VA), ICMA-RC, Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, MD), Meals on Wheels America (Arlington, VA), Merkle (Columbia, MD), Milk Processor Education Program, Neocate (Rockville, MD), Transurban USA (Alexandria, VA), U.S. Green Building Council, and Vistaprint Digital Services (Silver Spring, MD)

We invite you to meet The 2016 American Business Awards Management Awards judging chair and committee.

Now through the end of April, the professionals listed below will determine the Stevie Award winners in more than 40 categories for executives, management teams, and more. See the full list of categories they will be reviewing at the end of the post.

It's not too late to submit your 2016 American Business Awards nominations - the entry deadline was extended to April 19. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. The 2016 awards honor achievements since the beginning of 2015.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

Meet the judging chair and committee:

Chair:

Jay Starkman, CEO
Engage PEO, Hollywood, Florida, USA

In 2011, after more than two decades marked by substantial achievement within and outside the Professional Employer Organization (PEO) industry, Jay set out to build a new kind of PEO where quality service would be the driving focus of everything. That PEO is Engage. Today, Engage is one of the fastest-growing companies in the country.

Before forming Engage, Jay was president and CEO of AlphaStaff, a PEO, which he grew from a small player to a top-five industry leader. Jay sold the company in 2008 to a private equity group. Prior to AlphaStaff, Jay was president and CEO of OneChem, a software application provider to the chemical industry.  He also was managing partner of his own successful law firm, which specialized, in employment and commercial law. Among his numerous leadership awards, Jay most recently received the Gold Stevie® Award for Executive of the Year in the 2015 American Business Awards, and the Gold Award for Chief Executive Officer of the Year in the 2015 Golden Bridge Awards.

Jay is a previous member of the board of directors of the Employee Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC), the accrediting body for the PEO industry; and the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO).

Committee:

Christine Barney, CEO
rbb Communications, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
Christine Barney is CEO of rbb Communications, a four-time national Agency of the Year winner and Champion of Breakout Brands (TM). Barney develops marketing/communications programs for brands including DHL Express, Hilton, Mrs. Butterworths and Thomson Reuters. Barneys employee-driven workplace philosophy makes the firm a repeated best-place-to-work company.

Dr. Kevin Chen, President & CEO
Business Methods Corporation, Randolph, New Jersey, USA
Dr. Kevin S. Chen is currently the President / CEO of Business Methods Corporation (A Management Consulting and Promotional Marketing/Advertising Specialties firm). Dr. Chen is currently the First Vice-Chair of the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey and a member of several academic business advisory councils. He also teaches Master and Doctoral level courses at several colleges.

Drew Dippolito, President
Active Leadership, LLC, New York, New York, USA
Drew Dippolito is the founder of Active Leadership LLC - a recent start-up focused on leadership development and the acquisition, development and retention of talent. The Management Feedback System is our flagship product. Drew was VP-HR at Deutsche Post DHL - one of the largest 15 employers in the world. Drew has an MBA from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Monica Eaton-Cardone, COO & Co-Founder
Chargebacks911, Clearwater, Florida, USA|Monica Eaton-Cardone is an author, speaker, and international entrepreneur. She specializes in creating agile, innovative products and technology systems to help merchants minimize risk and optimize profitability. Currently, Monica serves as COO of one of her recent business developments, Chargebacks911, a chargeback prevention and friendly fraud remediation firm.

Carlos Hakim, President
CLH Corporation, Miami, Florida, USA
Dr. Carlos Hakim is a neuroscientist and biomedical engineer who is dedicated to the study of the hydraulic aspects of the cranial cavity. He has co-developed micro-implantable devices for the treatment of hydrocephalus and Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a treatable type of dementia, which is frequently misdiagnosed as Alzheimers Disease. His company is presently working towards a better understanding of these medical problems as well as developing more advanced systems for their treatment.

Danita Harn, CEO & Founder
Harn and Associates Back Office Solutions, Woodstock, Georgia, USA
Danita Harn, founder and CEO of Harn And Associates, has many years of experience in business across various market verticals from the gaming industry to SaaS and Commercial Real Estate. She has an extensive portfolio of hands-on experience and expertise in both ongoing operations management and rapid corporate growth. Danita served in executive positions tasked with financial turn-around tactics within a complex professional employer organization and a gaming casino. She was also the owner of 3 small companies simultaneously.

Gilvy Hernandez, Customer Service Training Coordinator
DHL Express Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
+10 years of Customer Service Experience in Retail / Contact Center / Customer Care environments and +5 years experience in staff training. Focused in continuous improvement and also in developing my team so they can unlock their maximum potential and keep growing personal and profesionally. Truly passionate about being centered in our customers and working as one to exceed their expectations.

Jared Kaplan, President & CEO
OppLoans, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Prior to joining Opportunity Financial as President & CEO, Jared was Executive Vice President at Insureon, the leading online agency for small business insurance. As the #2 executive at the company, he has played a number of senior operating roles including the development of its product platform and online marketing initiatives. He has also served as the company's CFO during this rapid growth phase.

Ralph Labarta, Chief Technology Officer
Engage PEO, Tampa, Florida, USA
In his role as Engage PEO’s Chief Technology Officer, Ralph oversees the company’s technology and process innovation, including all customer-facing technology services. Ralph is a highly experienced senior technology executive. He has led technology operations and strategy and major product development initiatives for a national PEO as well as for leading companies in the chemical and energy industries.

Rob Leggat, Senior Vice President
Goddard Gunster, Washington, D.C., USA
Rob Leggat is a senior strategist for Goddard Gunster. Throughout his more than thirty-year career, Rob has managed communication and public policy campaigns for companies like General Motors Asia Pacific, and Walmart International. Prior to joining Goddard Gunster, Rob oversaw all areas of corporate communication, government and public affairs, crisis communication, and strategic philanthropy for Walmart’s fifteen international markets as vice president of Walmart International corporate affairs.

Martha Lera, Principal
Lera Consulting Group, Inc., Miami, Florida, USA
Ms. Lera is the Principal of LCG, Inc., established in 1997. Martha has over twenty years experience of coaching organizations and individuals to reach peak performance and new altitudes. She holds a M.S. HRD, is a certified iPEC coach and served as a faculty member at FIU. Leras clients include but are not limited to Royal Caribbean Cruises, Embraer, Ryder Systems, Master Card, Santander, Marine Harvest, Komatsu, etc.

Stuart Lindeman, President & CEO
Mission Health Communities, Tampa, Florida, USA
Mr. Lindeman is President and Chief Executive Officer of Mission Health. Prior, he was a Senior Vice President for Revera Health Systems, where he was responsible for overall financial, clinical, operational management and direct P&L oversight for the U.S. division of Revera Inc., a 1.2 billion dollar Canadian-owned healthcare company that is a leading provider of senior care and has been in operation for over 50 years. Mr. Lindeman brings 27 years of senior housing experience to Mission.

Lloyd Lofton, President
7 Figure Sales Tools, Marietta, Georgia, USA
Lloyd is a successful business leader with 30+ years of sales experience. He has led large sales distributions that produced $50 million or more a year in sales, and recruiting efforts that resulted in hiring over 2,000 sales professionals in one year. He has trained hundreds of managers, from field sales to executive-level leaders.

Jeremy Moore, Principal, Senior Client Manager
Mercer, Kingwood, Texas, USA
Jeremy Moore is a Principal and Sr. Client Manager for Mercer based in Houston, Texas. His primary role is business development for Mercer by providing clients with solutions to their complex needs. Jeremy brings his experience of over 20 years of sales leadership in the human resource solutions and business process consulting fields.

Judi Niedercorn, CEO
SysTactics, McLean, Virginia, USA
Over 30 years in technical, infrastructure and operations consulting in the Washington DC area to multi-million dollar commercial and Government organizations. Also engaged in rural economic development, consulting, and community organization. Film Producer. Stevie Award in 2001. B.S. degree from Ohio University.

Doug Nyberg, Senior Manager, Sales Excellence
Herman Miller, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
Extensive background is sales and sales leadership with the last decade focused on Sales Process and Sales Productivity.

 

Richard Ramlall, President & Principal
Ramlall Partners LLC, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
Ramlall Partners LLC provides investor relations, financial and regulatory advice & due diligence (including FCPA Compliance & Monitoring), corporate development, and strategic planning services to public and private organizations. Operational Expertise as a former/current C-Level Executive and Board Member and past winner of several ABA national and international awards.

Margaret Roth, CMO, SVP of Performance Technologies
Yet Analytics/EdTechWomen, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
At Yet Analytics, a software company that builds a data analytics platform that puts the power of connected data into the hands of decision makers, Margaret focuses on development and design of connected environments. She is a Johns Hopkins University graduate, working to develop leadership opportunities for women in tech.

Rachel Sapoznik, President & CEO
Sapoznik Insurance, North Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Rachel Sapoznik is the CEO of Sapoznik Insurance, an industry leader in employee benefit and wellness solutions serving clients nationwide since 1987. She is recognized as a leading healthcare reform expert and a voice for corporate wellness. She recently authored a book, A Passion for Wellness, Healthy Employees, Healthy Bottom Line, which was on Amazon's new releases best seller list for four straight weeks.

Steve Scott, President/GM and SVP of Operations
CoAdvantage, Inc., McDonough, Georgia, USA
Steve Scott serves as President/GM Central Region & SVP of Operations for CoAdvantage. His responsibilities include all aspects of operations, inclusive of six sigma methodology and continuous process improvement.Scott holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance, is a Certified Project Manager and is a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt.

Sushrut Shrotri, Managing Partner
Novus Global Solutions, Novus Films, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, USA
Sushrut has over 21 years of consulting experience spread over 4 continents and 12 countries. He specializes in ERP, Analytics' launching successful ventures and reviving sick companies. Sushrut launched Novus Global Solutions in 2010, a unique consulting firm that delivers onsite consulting cheaper than offshore with an operating model that boasts a paperless and plastic free model. Sushrut also launched Novus Films in 2015 which has been nominated for 12 awards for its first documentary Unfathomable Reality.

Denise Stefan, National Account Partner Head, PEO Vertical
Aetna, Tampa, Florida, USA

 

Tiffany Stiller, Vice President Carrier Relations
Management Development Solutions, West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA
Tiffany Stiller has been with the Carrier Relations team at BenefitMall since 1999, and was named Vice President of Carrier Relations in 2004. In her current role, Stiller is responsible for negotiating carrier contracts and maintaining strong relationships with BenefitMall's carrier partners nationwide. She is also heavily involved with new product design and implementation.

Glen Waldman, Founding & Managing Partner
Heller Waldman, P.L., Coconut Grove, Florida, USA
With more than 25 years of experience, Glen Waldman has built his boutique law firm to focus on the trial of complex business, commercial and probate litigation matters in areas such as contracts, fraud, fraudulent transfers, partnership disputes, will contests, construction and real estate, insurance, trademark infringement and banking.

Chris Zoloth, Director, Customer Experience Optimization - Service
IHG, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
I'm accountable for IHG's contact center customer service experience strategy. I lead a team of highly experienced process and curriculum developers, who are responsible for the guest contact process design and training curriculum development. I also direct IHG's Contact Center Quality Assurance Team, Customer Care Executive Liaison Team, Guest Relocation Support Team, Insurance and the Customer Care Hotel Liaison Team.

Management categories include:

A35. Management Team of the Year
  a. Business Products Industries
  b. Business Services Industries
  c. Consumer Products Industries
  d. Consumer Services Industries

Executive of the Year (e.g. CEO, President, COO) 
A01.    Accounting
A02.    Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations
A03.    Aerospace & Defense    
A04.    Automotive & Transport Equipment
A05.    Banking
A06.    Business Services
A07.    Chemicals
A08.    Computer Hardware
A09.    Computer Software
  a. Up to 500 Employees
  b. More Than 500 Employees
A10.    Computer Services
A11.    Conglomerates
A12.    Consumer Products - Durables
A13.    Consumer Products - Non-Durables
A14.    Diversified Services
A15.    Electronics
A16.    Energy
A17.    Financial Services
A18.    Food & Beverage
A19.    Health Products & Services
A20.    Hospitality & Leisure
A21.    Insurance
A22.    Internet/New Media
A23.    Legal
A24.    Manufacturing
A25.    Materials & Construction
A26.    Media & Entertainment
A27.    Metals & Mining
A28.    Non-Profit or Government Organizations
A29.    Real Estate
A30.    Retail
A31.    Pharmaceuticals
A32.    Telecommunications
A33.    Transportation
A34.    Utilities

A36. Maverick of the Year: recognizing the individual who's affected the most positive change on his or her company and/or industry since the beginning of 2015
  a. Business Products Industries
  b. Business Services Industries
  c. Consumer Products
  d. Consumer Services

A37. Tech Innovator of the Year (recognizing the individual who's contributed most to innovation, within their organization and/or industry, in the U.S.A. since the beginning of 2015)

A38. Woman of the Year: recognizing the achievements of women in the workplace since the beginning of 2015

The Stevie® Awards, organizer of The American Business Awards, announced today that the final entry deadline for the 14^th annual ABA competition has been extended to April 19. No additional late fees will be charged. Entries submitted through April 19 will not be penalized in any way in the judging process.

“We’ve received so many requests for individual deadline extensions that we’ve decided to extend the deadline for everyone,” said Stevie Awards president Michael Gallagher. The original final deadline was March 16.

GET THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

The American Business Awards are widely considered to be the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.  The 2016 awards will honor achievements since the beginning of 2015.  Entry details are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

The American Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Categories include:

• Management Awards
• Company of the Year Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• Human Resources Awards
• Information Technology Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• Public Relations Awards
• Website Awards, Smartphone and Tablet Apps, and other Media Awards

New categories in the ABAs this year include Minority-Owned Business of the Year and Veteran-Owned Business of the Year.

Close to 200 executives worldwide will determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners. The judging process has begun.

Stevie winners will be announced on May 2, and the awards will be presented at a gala banquet on June 20 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Attendance is not required to win.

The list of past Stevie Award winners in The American Business Awards reads like a who’s who of innovation and business success in the U.S.A. Explore the list of past winners here.

About The Stevie Awards
The Stevie Awards are conferred in six programs: The American Business Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. A seventh program, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, will debut this spring. 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

Today the Stevie® Awards opened entries for The 13th Annual International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, which attracts nominations from organizations in more than 60 nations and territories each year.

All individuals and organizations worldwide -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small -- may submit nominations to The International Business Awards. The early-bird entry deadline, with reduced entry fees, is 13 April. The final entry deadline is 11 May. Late entries will be accepted through 15 June with payment of a late fee. Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.

An international judging panel of more than 200 executives will determine the Stevie Award winners. Results will be announced in mid-August. Stevie Award winners will be presented their awards at a gala banquet in Rome, Italy on 21 October.

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Categories include:

• Management Awards 
• Company of the Year Awards
• Customer Service Awards 
• Human Resources Awards 
• Information Technology Awards
• Marketing Awards 
• New Product Awards 
• Public Relations Awards 
• Web Site Awards, Smartphone and Tablet App, and other media awards

A variety of new categories are introduced for the 2016 competition including Technology PR Campaign / Program of the Year, and Re-Branding / Brand Renovation of the Year. The 34 Company of the Year categories have each been split into three categories, based on company size (small, medium-size, and large).

Stevie Award winners in the 2015 IBAs included ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller (United Arab Emirates), AT&T Inc. (USA), Bacardi Limited (Bermuda), Bahrain National Gas Company (Bahrain), Bell Helicopter (USA), Calik Energy (Turkey), Coca-Cola Icecek (Turkey) DHL Express (worldwide), Epicor Software Corporation (USA), Freelancer.com (Australia), Girl Scouts of the USA, iFinance Canada, Llorente & Cuenca (Spain), M3 Communications Group (Bulgaria), Ooredoo (Qatar), PR Telekomunikasi (Indonesia), RheinBrücke IT Consulting (Germany). Ribose Inc. (Hong Kong), Roshan (Afghanistan), and WNS Global Services Pvt. Ltd. (India), among others.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in six programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. 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.