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Corkcicle

Gold Stevie Award Winner 2012, Click to Enter The 2013 American Business Awards

Company: Corkcicle, Orlando FL
Company Description: Corkcicle is the manufacturer of beautifully designed products used to keep beverages chilled to their optimal temperature. The original Corkcicle has swept the globe with its success as a replacement for the ice bucket in keeping wine at the ideal temperature to maximize its intricate flavors.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: New Company of the Year

Nomination Title: Corkcicle

Tell the story about what this nominated organization achieved since January 1 2011 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Corkcicle’s journey in 2011 is one of the great American dream business stories….

Led by a group of 3 entrepreneurs with no direct experience in manufacturing or retail, Corkcicle went from idea to concept to top selling product for many small retailers around the country, all in the span of 2011.

With the first product not shipped until mid-September 2011, Corkcicle picked up scores of independent retailers and had product stocked in over 2,000 stores before the end of 2011…only a 3 months time span! That number grew to 4,000 by March 2012 (This doesn’t include any mass retailers with hundreds of locations, but rather primarily focused on single location specialty retailers).

All in all, over 500,000 units of Corkcicle’s were sold between September 2011 and March 2012.

From the start, Corkcicle implemented cutting edge technology solutions to manage its customer base to provide customer service and efficiency in the delivery of its product, far surpassing quality levels and speed of organizations in the industry for years.

Corkcicle grew this quickly and continues to operate its enterprise level, international operation with a staff of only 3. This is achieved thru both leading edge technology and the careful selection of expert partners to manage various components of the business (shipping, service, accounting, etc).

Corkcicle achieved profitability within the first 3 months of operation, with no debt.

Corkcicle attracted huge numbers of “fans” to its brand with an award winning website, and multiple campaigns (social & print) targeted around educating consumers on the “inadequacies” of chilling wine with an ice bucket, an “assumed” tradition in the wine world. This re-education created excitement for a better way to ensure perfect wine.

Corkcicle achieved massive brand recognition internationally with exposure across media outlets including:

• TV: The Today Show (twice), The Martha Stewart Show, The Early Show, The Daily Buzz, Good Morning LA, and many others.

• Editorial: Real Simple, InStyle, Parade Magazine, Epicurious, New York Magazine, The Huffington Post, Gizmodo, Wired, New York Times, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Wine Spectator, along with hundreds of other blogs, gift guides, and smaller publications.

Corkcicle was recognized by trade professionals as a groundbreaking product for the wine industry with several important awards.

•Hostess Gift of the Year – Gifts.com
•Best New Product at Gourmet Housewares / NYIGF Show – Aug 2011
• Best Tabletop Product AND Best in Show at the iHMRS (International Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Show) – Nov 2011

Corkcicle is well qualified as the Company of The Year based on all these factors above. 2011 encompassed everything from the execution required to build a beautiful and effective product, to creating a compelling brand image, to selling with incredible effectiveness and speed, to servicing customers with incredible efficiency, to becoming “the” success item for small retailers across the country to have profitable Q4’s, and to still do all this while managing to remain debt free and keep overhead very low. This is what a company dreams to be….

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Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated organization:

Corkcicle is led by the trio of Ben Hewitt, Eric Miller, and Stephen Bruner. The original inventor of the Corkcicle, Ben leads the organizations operations and finances. Ben's background is in the HR Outsourcing Industry, where he was President of CoAdvantage, a Professional Employer Organization for a number of years prior to creating Corkcicle. Eric Miller is a former VP of sales in the Medical device industry and puts his veteran skills to work to lead international sales & distribution. Finally, creator of the brand name Corkcicle, Stephen Bruner heads Marketing & Design with an award winning background in branding, marketing & technology.