Administaff - Comm. Org
Company: Administaff, Inc.
Company Description: Administaff, Inc. (NYSE: ASF) is the nation’s leading Professional Employer Organization (PEO), serving as a full-service human resources department that provides small- and medium-sized businesses with administrative relief, big-company benefits, reduced liabilities and a systematic way to improve productivity. The company operates 38 sales offices in 21 major markets.
Nomination Category: Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Communications Organization
Nomination Title: Communicating Administaff’s Role as a Small Business Advocate
1. Tell the story about what this nominated organization/department achieved in the past year (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:
Administaff’s mission is to help the best small- to medium-sized businesses succeed, and this mission is represented by the company’s slogan: “Small business is good for America. Administaff is good for small business.SM” To support this theme and messaging, Administaff’s Corporate Communications team created and implemented a strategic communication plan for 2005 aimed at helping to strengthen the company’s visibility and effectiveness as a national advocate for the small business community.
The plan’s primary objectives were to: • Educate external and internal audiences about the impact of small businesses on the economy and Administaff’s role as a small business advocate.• Recognize small businesses for their achievements and contributions to the U.S. economy.• Position Administaff’s senior management as thought leaders for the small business community.
Key elements and outcomes of the campaign included:• Quarterly business confidence surveys of the company’s clients were conducted to help gauge the business and employment expectations of small business owners. Results were distributed via national news releases – which generated coverage in publications such as USA Today and the Chicago Tribune – and in letters from Administaff’s CEO to its client company owners.• News media interviews – with the CEO providing his perspective on the small business employment outlook – were scheduled to coincide with the U.S. government’s monthly jobs report announcements on programs such as CNBC’s “Morning Call,” “Bloomberg Small Business,” “Entrepreneur Radio Show” and more. Ten television and nine radio interviews aired nationally.• Articles bylined by Administaff’s managers and CEO were pitched and successfully placed in business-related publications in many of the company’s 21 markets, helping to educate readers on the value of small business. • A guest commentary from the CEO recognizing the contributions of U.S. small businesses ran in publications such as the Houston Business Journal, Santa Monica Daily Press and on Entreprenuer.com.• Messages for internal employees featured on the intranet included: A CEO column about how the company is building its brand; a weekly trivia contest about small business, in which nearly 50 percent of employees participated; highlights of media coverage; and forums where employees could share their thoughts on branding and small businesses. • Special communications during National Small Business Week included: A special Internet site message from the CEO, saluting America’s small business community; letters to the editor submitted from Administaff’s regional managers, congratulating small businesses for the role they play in the national economy, and placed in publications such as the Dallas Morning News; and 5,000 “thank you” cards titled “Small Business. Big Impact.” created for use by the sales and service teams. • An Annual Report that highlighted small business facts, featured three Administaff client companies making important contributions to our country and conveyed how Administaff helps its small business clients succeed. Content from the special section highlighting the role of small business was also developed into a separate marketing brochure. • A keynote speech about the importance of the small business community was delivered by Administaff’s president at the Houston Small Business Association Awards luncheon.
2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
Examples of some of the supporting documents available online include:
Broadcast Interviews:
http://www.administaff.com/news_center/brdcst.asp
After clicking on the link above, please view the following clips:
• January 2005: Bloomberg Network, Entrepreneur Radio Show, FOX News
• March 2005: Bloomberg Network
• April 2005: CNBC/Dow Jones
• August 2005: Wall Street Journal Radio, Bloomberg Network (two
interviews), CNBC
• November 2005: Bloomberg Network, CNBC
Articles:
http://www.administaff.com/news_center/articles/PDFs/HBJ%20-%20
Persistent%20Entrepreneurs.pdf
http://www.administaff.com/news_center/articles/PDFs/American-Exe
cutive-0505.pdf
Annual Report:
http://64.26.27.40/interactive/asf2004/md/page_001.php
News Releases:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=105568&p=
irol-newsArticle&ID=660484&highlight
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=105568&p=
irol-newsArticle&ID=700476&highlight
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=105568&p=
irol-newsArticle&ID=739697&highlight
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=105568&p=
irol-newsArticle&ID=778552&highlight
Additional supporting materials for this entry were submitted offline.
3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated organization/department:
As part of an enterprise-wide initiative to help strengthen Administaff’s position as a small business advocate in 2005, Alan Dodd, director of corporate communications led his team's efforts as outlined in this entry. Dodd, who is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America, is responsible for a wide range of communications projects and programs, including news media relations, the annual report to shareholders, employee communications, and support for client communications and marketing communications. Members of his team include Suzanne Haugen, Brian Martin, Stephanie Schneider and Merrisa Turner.