Therese Tucker, CEO and Founder of BlackLine Systems, won the Stevie® Award for Executive of the Year  in The 2011 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. Therese will chair the committee for final judging of the management awards categories in The 2012 American Business Awards. (The final entry deadline for the 2012 ABAs is April 25, request your entry kit now.)

We asked Therese to share some tips with us on how managers can improve their end of year financial close processes.

What are your top 3 tips for senior managers looking to improve and streamline their account reconciliation and financial close processes?

1. Technology can automate repetitive, boring job functions and give your accounting staff more time to analyze and focus on strategic initiatives. 

2. Get organized: The best of tools won’t clean up a mess for you. 

3. Get executive sponsorship/buy-in early: Make sure that your CFO supports the initiative by understanding that a better process will give him/her confidence in the results. This will help garner the necessary time and resources to make meaningful changes and improvements.

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?
Another plane crash, in Siberia.  Regulations can be onerous, but as a frequent traveler I’m thankful that I mostly take the safety of flying for granted!

Do you have a favorite app?
The Sudoku app on my iPad.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?
I would be either a yoga teacher or a chef.

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?
Honesty, intelligence, and heart.

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?
As the business keeps growing, the job keeps changing.  Being CEO of a company with five people is very different than having 105 employees and almost 500 customers. It stays interesting!

About Therese Tucker, CEO and Founder, BlackLine Systems:
After 25 years at SunGard Treasury Systems where she served as Chief Technology Officer and head of development for SunGuard's Global Trader system, Therese Tucker was ready for a new business venture using emerging technology. Wanting to combine her two talents, technology innovation and finance, Therese started BlackLine in 2001 to address the technology needs of financial organizations. Therese successfully launched BlackLine by developing an automated solution for account reconciliations which tapped into a previously un-served market. In recent years, Therese has led the company’s shift to a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) business model which has allowed to company to experience revenue growth of more than 50% in 2009, 2010, and 2011. In addition to her automated solution, Therese has developed other software including Tax Answer Scenarios, a tax planning product that has been marketed to over 1,000 tax preparers and CPAs annually since 1998.

About BlackLine Systems:
Founded in 2001, BlackLine Systems was the first to develop and offer a commercially available Balance Sheet Account Reconciliation solution.  BlackLine provides quick-to-implement, scalable, and easy-to-use applications that automate the entire financial close process to help improve financial controls for companies of all sizes.  BlackLine software applications complement existing Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. BlackLine offers clients its enterprise-class software in a simple and secure OnDemand/SaaS platform.  With a proven track record and a commitment to customer success, BlackLine seeks to reduce the burden the financial close places on accounting and finance professionals.  For more information, please visit www.blackline.com.

Today is the entry deadline for The 2012 (10th Annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. If you haven't yet entered this year, the web site will be open all night to accept your entries. Request your entry kit here and you will receive it right away. Can't make today's deadline? Don't worry, we'll continue to accept entries through April 25 with a late fee of $35.00 per entry.

The American Business Awards honors all facets of workplace, our award categories include: app awards, company / organization awards, customer service awards, HR awards, IT awards, management awards, marketing awards, new product awards, PR awards, and website awards. See all of our business award categories.

All ABA entries are submitted directly online through your account. You can begin by registering here.

If you have any questions regarding the submission process, we have several helpful resources including a step-by-step video on how to submit entries,  past winners' entries for your review, and  7 tips on submitting winning entries to help you make the most out of your entries.

As always, don't hesitate to contact us with your questions about how to prepare and submit entries. You can reach us at + 1 703-547-8389 or email us at help@stevieawards.com and we'll get back to you right away.

The entry deadline for The 2012 (10th Annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 28, 2012.

The submission process is easy. To start, you should:

1. Request an entry kit. The entry kit will have all of the information you need regarding entry preparation and submission.

2. Review the 2012 ABA categories. The ABAs have several categories that honor organizations, departments, teams, individuals and much more. Our awards categories include:

• App Awards
• Company / Organization Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• HR Awards
• IT Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• PR Awards
• Web Site Awards

See all business award categories.

3. Submit your entries. Select your categories, write your submissions according to the instructions, and submit your entries.

If you have any trouble selecting categories or submitting entries, you can contact us at + 1 703-547-8389 or email us at help@stevieawards.com.

Late entries will still be accepted through the final entry deadline of April 25 with a late fee of $35.00 per entry. 2012 Finalists will be announced in early May and 2012 ABA winners will be announced at one of our two awards ceremonies. Our traditional banquet will be held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on June 18th and our second ceremony where we will honor our tech awards winners will be held in San Francisco at the Julia Morgan Ballroom on September 17th. Click here to see the ABA calendar.

March 28 is the entry deadline for The 2012 (10th annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the U.S.A. 

If you haven't downloaded the 2012 entry kit, you can find it online here. We also recommend that you watch the video How to Enter The 2012 American Business Awards for step-by-step instructions on how to successfully submit entries.

The ABAs have categories to recognize achievement in all facets of the American workplace, including awards for individuals, teams, departments, and organizations. Types of award categories include:

• App Awards
• Company / Organization Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• HR Awards 
• IT Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• PR Awards
• Web Site Awards

See all ABA categories here.

Entries submitted after March 28, through the final deadline of April 25, will be assessed a late fee in addition to any entry fee. 2012 Finalists will be announced in early May and the 10th Annual business awards winners will be announced at one of our two awards ceremonies. We will hold our traditional banquet at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on June 18th and have a second ceremony in San Francisco at the Julia Morgan Ballroom on September 17th where we will announce our tech awards winners. Click here to see the ABA calendar.

Need help answering  your ABA submission questions?  Email us at help@stevieawards.com  or call us at + 1 703-547-8389 and we'll get back to you right away.

The entry deadline for The 10th Annual American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., is quickly approaching – it’s Wednesday, March 28, 2012. You can start submitting your entries today here.

How the submission process works:

1. Request your entry kit. 
   Once emailed to you, the kit will be your guide on everything you'll need to know about how to prepare and submit your entries.
2. Review the 2012 ABA categories.
   Pick who you would like to recognize and why they should be recognized. We have categories highlighting organizations, teams, departments, and individuals, as well as:

• App Awards
• Company / Organization Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• HR Awards 
• IT Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• PR Awards
• Web Site Awards

3. Submit your entries.
   Select your categories, write your submissions according to the instructions, and submit your entries.

Benefits of submitting a business award entry:

1. More chances to win
   All Finalists in the Best New Product or Service categories will automatically be included in the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, a public vote that will commence in July. The People's Choice Winners will be honored at the new tech awards ceremony in San Francisco on September 17. Finalists in the Best New Product or Service categories will have an opportunity to win two awards: a Stevie® Award, as voted by your peers, and a crystal People's Choice Stevie Award, as voted by your customers.
2. New award distinctions
   The American Business Awards banquets will showcase our three levels of award distinction: Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards. You can learn more about the new awards here.
3. Multiple awards banquets
   The 10th Annual corporate awards will have two awards ceremonies. We will hold our traditional banquet at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on June 18th and have a second ceremony in San Francisco at the Julia Morgan Ballroom on September 17th where we will announce our tech award winners.

Helpful resources to make your submission process easier:

1. Step-by-step video on how to submit entries
   Watch our helpful video tutorial on how to successfully enter submissions.
2. Review past winners' entries here.
   They're great models for how you should write your entries.
3. 7 tips on submitting winning entries
   Read our tips on how to submit winning entries.

If you have any questions regarding your ABA submissions, call us at + 1 703-547-8389 or email us at help@stevieawards.com and we'll get back to you right away.

Not going to make the March 28th deadline? Don't worry, you can still submit entries through April 25 with a $35.00 late fee.   Click here to see the ABA's calendar.  

For First Time, Nation’s Top Business Awards to  Be Presented at Ceremonies in Both New York and San Francisco

The Stevie® Awards today issued the call for entries for The 10th Annual American Business Awards, the USA’s only all-encompassing business awards program, and invited all organizations nationwide to publicly recognize the achievements of their executives and employees by nominating them for a Stevie.

The entry deadline is March 28. Late entries will be accepted through April 25 with a late fee.  All individuals and organizations in the U.S. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.   The 2012 awards will honor work since the beginning of 2011.   Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA. 

Nominations are now being accepted in various category groups for  management awards, public relations awards, marketing awards, new product awards, human resources awards, information technology awards,  web site awards, and more. There are many new categories for 2012, including 18 new categories for smartphone and tablet apps, as well as the Best of the ABA Awards, five best-of-competition prizes that will awarded to the organizations that submit the best overall body of work to the competition.

For the first time, The American Business Awards will feature two awards banquets.  The first will take place on June 18 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City and will honor Stevie Award winners in traditional categories.  The second, a new event, will be held on September 17 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco, California and will honor Stevie Award winners in all tech-related categories.

Also new in 2012, Stevie Awards will be conferred in three levels of distinction: Gold, Silver and Bronze.  To date, only overall category winners have been recognized as Stevie winners.

“We are excited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The American Business Awards and the Stevie Awards movement at a time when the American economy is rebounding,” said Michael Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards. “Whether they’re multinational corporations and top executives or local businesses and hourly employees, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to be publicly honored for their hard work and achievements.”

The 2012 American Business Awards will include the Fourth Annual People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, in which the general public will vote for their favorite new products and services of the year. Each new product or service nominated in The American Business Awards’ new product awards categories will automatically be included in people’s choice voting.  Voting will open in early July and winners will be announced at the San Francisco ceremony on September 17.

The American Business Awards’ June event will be the culmination of the inaugural America Means Business, a celebration of entrepreneurship that will take place June 13-15 in New York City.  Created by the Stevie Awards to educate people about how to start and grow a business, America Means Business will feature inspirational keynotes, “How I Did It” case studies, one-to-one mentoring, an exhibition, and more.  America Means Business is now accepting proposals from speakers and attendee registrations at www.AmericaMeansBusiness-NYC.com.

2011 Stevie Awards were presented last June in The Ninth Annual American Business Awards to a diverse group of organizations including American Express OPEN,  Blackboard, EmpowHER Media, ESPN, Hewlett-Packard, Kwittken & Company, Millennial Media,  Overstock.com, Red Frog Events, and Tesla Motors, among others. 

To enter The 2012 American Business Awards, visit www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

About the Stevie® Awards

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

Sponsors and partners of The 2012 American Business Awards include American Support, Business TalkRadio Network, Citrix Online, Dynamics Research Corporation, iolo technologies, John Hancock Funds, LifeLock, PetRays, Primus Telecommunications Group, SoftPro, SDL and VerticalResponse.

We've published an 11-minute video about how to enter the 10th edition of the U.S.A.'s top business awards program, The American Business Awards.

Now in their 10th year, The American Business Awards are the premier business awards program in the U.S.A, with award categories including management awards, marketing awards, PR awards, HR awards, IT awards, web site awards, video awards, app awards, new product awards, and more. The entry deadline is March 28.

The short video covers:

• What the ABAs are, and their history
• The schedule for the 2012 ABAs
• How to review and select categories
• How to prepare and submit entries
• What’s new & different in 2012
• How the judging process works
• Best practices

If you plan to enter The 2012 American Business Awards, we highly recommend that you get and review the online entry kit in addition to watching this video which offers many helpful insights about the process of the awards program.

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.

Tom Crowley, CEO of MBX in Wauconda, Illinois, USA won the Stevie Award for Executive of the Year in Computer Hardware in The 2011 American Business Awards. He is the driving force behind MBX’s expansion in 2010, and for the previous fifteen consecutive years of growth.

What are your top 3 tips for keeping up business growth during a downturn?

My advice is simple:

1. Constant customer communication;
2. Diligent business development;
3. Keep marketing!
   

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?

Jim Hendry, the Chicago Cubs (baseball team) General Manager, just got fired.  They should have given him another chance! Why did this catch my eye? Because I love the Cubs.

Do you have a favorite business app?

Signal, a homegrown app that our developers created to allow the company to operate at maximum efficiency. It has personalized dashboards that allow each employee to have instant access to just what they need. It’s awesome!

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

Musician.

(Before entering the business world, Tom Crowley was a musician whose band, Idle Tears, released an album on the MCA label and opened for the Beach Boys in 1984.)

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

Honesty, integrity, creativity, and guts.

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

My worst habit is that I am easily distracted. I know that if I could kick that, my job would be much easier.

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

I don’t think that I could be considered at the “top of my profession." There are so many others out there who do what I do much better. Not to sound corny, but I think of my occupation as a journey—more of a road than a climb.

Besides my wonderful family, what makes me hit the ground running and inspires me is the fact that my job always changes. The road is never straight or flat. I do have consistent duties and requirements to help keep us going, but the challenges of the job are always in flux, which makes it fun and inspirational. Plus I have the best team of people in the world to work with, and I want to make sure that I can always provide them with the tools they need to be successful. We are all in this together.

About Tom Crowley

Tom Crowley is the CEO of MBX Systems. He founded the company in 1995 as a mail-order supplier of hard drives and, later, computer components. By 2003 he had transitioned MBX to focus exclusively on the server appliance market, providing software developers with the option to deliver their applications on hardware optimized for trouble-free customer deployment. He previously had a successful business-development career at Telecom Corporation.

About MBX Systems

MBX Systems specializes in the configuration, manufacturing, and deployment of server appliances and optimized systems for software application developers and service providers. MBX combines turnkey hardware programs with value-added services including platform configuration, hardware branding, inventory management, global logistics, product support, and system warranties.

Michelle King Robson, Founder, Chairperson, and CEO of EmpowHER Media in Scottsdale, Arizona USA, was named Chairman of the Year in the management awards categories of The 2011 American Business Awards, the top awards program in America recognizing achievements in the workplace.  (Entries for the 2012 edition of the ABAs will open in October - join the mailing list.)

What do you see as the top 3 changes/innovations in health care for women around the world?

1. Technology is making it far easier for women to take charge of their health and to be better informed through sites such as EmpowHER.com and many others.

2. Because of this technology, more women are voicing their health concerns or making their own decisions.  For too long women have suffered silently—maybe it’s something in our DNA—but now we need to take charge of everything that affects our health.

3. Women are physically different from men (surprise) so we shouldn’t have to rely on drug trials that are based on results in men only.  Currently only 37% of clinical trials target women’s health issues, and we have to change this.

There’s still so much that needs to change, but technology is a real game changer. Now women anywhere can get the information they need to make informed decisions.  This will have a positive impact globally.

What items of news recently caught your eye and why?

The biggest story in health care recently has been what’s going on in the field of biotechnology, and not just for women.  There is a story coming out about something called DRACO being tested by researchers at MIT.  It is possible that we will soon have a cure for the common cold, flu, and all kinds of viral infections.  This could be as big as the discovery of penicillin.

I was also powerfully moved by the story of Diana Nyad, a 61-year-old- woman, who—even though she didn’t make it from Cuba to the Florida Keys—managed to swim 103 miles. Not too shabby!  (And she might have completed the swim with the aid of DRACO …)   Nyad said: “60 is the new 40,” and at EmpowHER we truly believe that you can accomplish anything, regardless of age. Nyad is an inspiration to all women.

One final story I have to mention is that, after all these years, women in the U.S.A. will finally be getting free birth control.  Viagra had been covered by insurance for some time, but not birth control.  It’s about time!

Do you have a favorite business app?

I am a news junky for anything to do with health care, so I have lots of apps that will channel breaking news to my iPad, including Flipboard.

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

I would have loved to have attended medical school and studied to be a doctor.  As you can guess, health has always been my passion.  When I was a girl there was not a lot of emphasis on higher education for women, but times have changed, and I am making sure that my own daughter receives a degree.  Nonetheless, I don’t feel hampered by not having done this myself, and it hasn’t stopped me from achieving what I wanted.  My mother always told me:  “You can be whatever you want.”  And she was right.

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

The team at EmpowHER Media has great passion for what they do: they work tirelessly to support my vision. They are dedicated to innovation, challenging the norm, and on finding new ideas or new ways to do things better.  I always try to hire people who are smarter than I am and who can execute my vision. We now have an amazing team here in Scottsdale, Arizona.

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

Settling for second best. I have no patience for mediocrity. “No, we can’t” is not an acceptable answer in my office.

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

Women have been short-changed in health care because no one has stood up for them. I believe that anything to do with our bodies should be the individual’s choice.  Fortunately I have been able to make my voice heard and have been able to act as an advocate for women in health matters. I feel honored and privileged to be making a difference for women’s lives In the U.S. and around the world.

About Michelle King Robson
As Founder, Chairperson, and CEO of EmpowHER Media, Michelle King Robson has combined a successful track record as a business woman and entrepreneur with nearly two decades of civic and community leadership to lead what is today one of the fastest-growing digital-media companies in the world, focused on her passion for improving women's health. Michelle started the company following her personal struggle with a debilitating health issue. A tireless voice for women and the visionary behind EmpowHER, Michelle, a nationally recognized women’s health advocate, travels the world talking to women's groups, health care organizations, political leaders, regulatory bodies, and the media about women's health and wellness issues, and about the importance of women advocating for themselves and their loved ones. Her goal is to drive innovation and change in health care for women around the world.

About EmpowHER
EmpowHER Media is an award-winning, HON-certified health media company for women. The Company's flagship and Top 5 women's health and wellness site—EmpowHER.com—is an online community for female health consumers. We call them Chief Health and Wellness Officers of the Home. EmpowHER.com provides visitors access to one of the largest women's health and wellness content libraries on the Web, as well as one of the most active online communities of women discussing their health and wellness issues. Health care professionals, health and wellness marketers, and agency professionals rely on EmpowHER Media for reaching the most influential health and wellness buyer on the Internet: women. Millions of women visit EmpowHER.com every year, making it one of the largest and fastest-growing resources dedicated exclusively to women's health and wellness.