Finalists Announced in 2004 American Business Awards
Contact: Patrick Kowalcyzk, patrick@mkpr.com
Jill Feldman, jill@mkpr.com
Michael Kaminer Public Relations, 212.627.8098
2004 AMERICAN BUSINESS AWARDS ANNOUNCE FINALISTS
FOR NATIONAL BUSINESS AWARDS
The Stevies will be presented on May 10 in New York City
New York, NY – April 15, 2004 – Providing a powerful testament to the strength of American business as the economy rebounds, companies as diverse as Administaff, Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Memphis Light Gas & Water, Nextel Communications, and Office Depot are among those with multiple finalists vying for Stevie Awards in The Second Annual American Business Awards.
For the first time ever, The American Business Awards also announced the finalists for America’s Best Support Staffer and Best Technician, two new categories that shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes of the workplace.
The American Business Awards are the first national, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performances in the workplace.
Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented in two ceremonies on Monday, May 10 at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City. CNNfn News personalities Rhonda Schaffler and Ali Velshi will host the ceremonies, which will be videocast live on the Internet by Digipict, Webcast in a Box, and Speedera Networks. The ceremonies will also be broadcast on radio by the BusinessTalk Radio Network. Tickets for the awards dinner and ceremonies are now on sale.
More than 800 nominations from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in more than 40 categories, including Most Innovative Company, Best Marketing Executive, Best New Product or Service, and Best TV Ad Campaign. Complete lists of finalists in all categories were published today at www.stevieawards.com/aba.
Members of the Awards' Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and their staffs will select 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.
Nominations were rated by business professionals nationwide during the preliminary judging period, between January 1 – April 7, and their average scores determined the finalists.
A portion of each ticket sold for the May 10 awards dinner and ceremonies will be 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" - will be 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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