2004 Stevie Award Winners in American Business Awards Announced
Contact: Patrick Kowalcyzk, patrick@mkpr.com
Jill Feldman, jill@mkpr.com
Michael Kaminer Public Relations, 212.627.8098
2nd ANNUAL AMERICAN BUSINESS AWARDS REVEAL
NATION’S FIRST-EVER BEST SUPPORT STAFFER
Sharon Corini of San Jose, CA Named Best Support Staffer;
Nation’s Best Executive and Best Overall Company Also Honored
New York, NY – May 11, 2004 – The unsung heroes of the business world – from support staffers to sales teams – basked in the spotlight last night as The 2nd Annual American Business Awards bestowed honors on more than 100 ordinary Americans for their great performances in the workplace.
The American Business Awards are the first national, all-encompassing business awards program.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the first-ever Best Support Staffer award to Sharon Corini, an executive assistant at Jan Marini Skin Research, Inc in San Jose, California.
The first Best Technician Award was given to David Roomes, Senior Graphics Analyst at PACCAR Inc in Bellevue, Washington.
Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards were presented in two ceremonies at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City. More than 600 people from across the United States attended the gala ceremonies, which were hosted by CNNfn news personalities Rhonda Schaffler and Ali Velshi.
A total of 101 Stevies, designed by R.S. Owens, the same company that makes Emmy and Clio Awards, were presented in over 80 categories. More than 800 nominations from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration.
A complete list of winners in all categories can be found at www.stevieawards.com/aba.
“The American Business Awards are committed to honoring ordinary Americans who are accomplishing extraordinary things in the workplace every day,” said Michael Gallagher, the founder of awards. “The awards are a tribute to the spirit, ingenuity, and creativity of the American worker.”
Several companies won Stevie Awards in more than one category. Dual winners include: Nextel Communications for Best Sales Executive (Mark Angelino) and Best Sales Team; SAS for Best Executive (CEO Dr. Jim Goodnight) and Best Communications Organization; Siemens Corporation for Best New Product or Service for Siemens LifeWorks and Best PR/Communications; and PACCAR for Best Technician and Best Product Development Team.
Other individuals who were also honored for Best Executive:
• Martin A. White, CEO of MDU Resources, Bismarck, North Dakota
• Jim Urie, President, Universal Music & Video Distribution, Universal City, California
Winners in the Best Overall Company category were:
• KB Home, Los Angeles (more than 2,500 employees)
• Blackboard Inc, Washington, D.C. (up to 2,500 employees)
• Provident Corporate Finance, Boston (up to 100 employees)
Members of the Awards' Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and their staffs selected Stevie winners from among the finalists. The Board includes business luminaries such as Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes, marketing gurus Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, best-selling author and business guru Tom Peters, Anthony Robbins, chairman & CEO of The Anthony Robbins Companies, Drew Schutte, publisher of Wired Magazine, and Donald Trump, chairman, president and CEO of The Trump Organization.
The ceremonies were videocast live on the Internet by Digipict, Webcast in a Box, and Speedera Networks. They were also broadcast nationally by BusinessTalk Radio Network.
A portion of each ticket sold for the ceremonies was contributed to LEAD, a national partnership of business and academia that encourages the best and brightest high school students to pursue careers in business. Learn more about LEAD at www.leadnational.org.
About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in two programs: The American Business Awards and The International Business Awards. Honoring companies of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding leadership, innovation, perseverance, creativity, teamwork, and integrity through more than 40 categories. The second annual American Business Awards – nicknamed The SteviesTM from the Greek word for "crowned" - were presented at a nationally broadcast awards ceremonies in New York City on May 10, 2004. The program is overseen by a Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors, which includes leading business executives, authors, and academics. Sponsors of The 2004 American Business Awards include the BusinessTalkRadio Network, Digipict, Hoover's Online, Inc. Magazine, Miller Heiman, the Professional Society for Sales & Marketing Training, Selling Power Magazine, Speedera Networks, Ultimate Software, Webcast in a Box, and Wired Magazine. Learn more about The Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.
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