Company: VerticalResponse
Company Description: VerticalResponse Inc. provides a full suite of self-service marketing solutions for small businesses including email marketing, social media marketing, event marketing, direct mail marketing and online surveys. Its mission is to empower small businesses and non-profit organizations to easily and affordably create, manage and analyze their own marketing campaigns.
Nomination Category: Management Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Executive of the Year - Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations

Nomination Title: Janine Popick, CEO/Founder

Tell the story about what this nominee 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:

Janine Popick launched VerticalResponse in 2001 with a mission to provide an affordable, self-service online tool that enabled any small business, regardless of technical expertise, to get up and running fast with email marketing.

As the Internet has evolved, so has VerticalResponse under Janine’s guidance. The company has helped more than 100,000 small businesses and non-profits succeed with not just award-winning email marketing, but a full suite of affordable, easy to use online marketing tools including social media marketing, event marketing, online surveys and direct mail postcards.

The business world continues to take note, and last year the company was named Blue Ribbon Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among many other accolades. Additionally, VerticalResponse has been ranked on the Inc. 500|5000 list every year since 2006, and the Deloitte Fast 500 list every year since 2007.

Part of VerticalResponse’s continued leadership in its category can be credited to Janine’s entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to small business. A few of her award accomplishments in 2011 and 2012 include:

• 2012 Small Business Technology Award from San Francisco Small Business Network
• 2012 Genius Power Move by AG Beat (for leading the acquisition of Roost.com, a social media marketing platform)
• 2011 Stevie Award for Women in Business: Entrepreneur of the Year
• 2011 Small Business Influencer Champion from Small Biz Trends

Janine’s key achievements from January 2011 to present include:

• Led the successful acquisition of Roost, a leading social media marketing technology platform designed specifically for small businesses to schedule, manage and publish content to their social networks from one interface. This acquisition – the first in VerticalResponse history – attracted major attention, with press coverage in TechCrunch, Inc. magazine, Wall Street Journal, Information Week and Direct Marketing News, among others. Work is in progress to fully integrate Roost’s social media technology with the VerticalResponse platform.

• Launched VerticalResponse Event Marketing in September 2011, a new tool for businesses and non- profits to easily create a Web page for their events, sell tickets and/or collect donations online, track sales, and promote their events via email marketing and social media. Nearly 3,000 customers have already used the tool so far.

• Established a successful partnership with Startup Weekend, a series of events where participants develop, test and pitch their Internet-based start-up business ideas to a panel of judges – all within 54 hours. We dispatched one of our marketing specialists to events across the country to be an on-site mentor, and Janine also helped judge and select the winners.

Beyond the tech tools, Janine offers her expertise to customers and non-customers alike on the award- winning Marketing Blog for Small Businesses. She also has a column with Inc. magazine, is a featured blogger on The Huffington Post Small Business section, and blogs at American Express OPEN Forum.

With more than 20 years of experience, Janine exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit, and serves as an inspirational role model for fellow leaders in business.

Upload a collection of supporting files and web addresses to our server to provide more background information to the judges. You may upload any number of attachments and URLs through the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above. (Do NOT list your URLs below.)

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:

Janine Popick is the CEO and founder of VerticalResponse. She won the Women in Business Stevie Award for Best Entrepreneur of the Year every year since 2008, and was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist from 2006 to 2009. Most recently, Janine won the U.S. Small Business Administration award for Small Business Person of the Year and was named a Small Biz Influencer Champion by Small Biz Trends. Janine brings over 20 years of experience leading direct and Internet marketing programs for some of the biggest brands in technology and entertainment.