Stevie Awards
Encyclopedia
The Stevie Awards were created in 2002 to honor and generate public recognition of the efforts, accomplishments, and positive contributions of companies and business people worldwide. Beginning with The American Business Awards in 2002, and The International Business Awards in 2003, and The Stevie Awards for Women in Business in 2004, the mission of the Awards is to raise the profile of exemplary companies and individuals among the press, the business community, and the general public.
In September 2002, Paul Tharp of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
called the Stevie's "the business world's own Oscar Awards."
History
Michael P. Gallagher, an American businessman, conceived the idea for the Stevie Awards as a way to recognize good business leaders and "restore public confidence and investor trust" in the wake of the Enron scandalEnron scandal
The Enron scandal, revealed in October 2001, eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, and the dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world...
. Gallagher left his job in 2001 and founded American Business Awards to administer the Stevies. The first Stevies were awarded in 48 categories in April 2003 and judged by a panel including Rich Karlgaard
Rich Karlgaard
Rich Karlgaard is the publisher of Forbes magazine He began as an editor and became the publisher in 1998.A native of Bismarck, North Dakota, Karlgaard graduated from Stanford University, with a B.A...
, the editor of Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine and Richard Klimoski, Dean of the School of Management at George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
.
Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors
The International Business Awards are judged each year by leading figures in business worldwide. Past judges include Donald TrumpDonald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
, Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins
Anthony "Tony" Robbins is an American self-help author and motivational speaker. He became well known through his infomercials and self-help books, Unlimited Power: The New Science Of Personal Achievement and Awaken The Giant Within...
, and Gary Hamel
Gary Hamel
Dr. Gary P. Hamel is an American management expert. He is a founder of Strategos, an international management consulting firm based in Chicago.-Early life:...
, who participate in an evaluation process of nominees that takes approximately three months. Their recommendations for winners in more than 70 corporate and individual award categories are announced and celebrated annually in a Gala Awards Ceremony held in New York City.
Categories
The American Business Awards accept entries in dozens of categories, grouped as follows:- Advertising, Web Sites, Video, & Other Media Categories
Categories that recognize excellence in all forms of advertising, film and video productions, web sites, interactive multimedia, corporate literature,Interface Design (Slingshot, LLC) and live events.
- Management Categories
Categories for executive management including Best Management Team, Best Executive Computer Software (Ron Books, COO, eCommerce Industries, and Best Chairman, among others.
- Company Categories
Categories that recognize the achievements of entire companies and franchisees. Includes Best Overall Company (Energy Control Inc.), Best Environmental Responsibility Program (a new category for 2008), and Best Franchisee, among others.
- Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Includes Best Communications or PR Campaign (Grow Marketing), a new category for 2008, among others.
- Creative Categories
Includes Best Advertising (Ignited), Editorial or Design Agency, a new category for 2008, among others.
- Customer Service Categories
Includes Best Customer Service Team (Constant Contact), among others.
- Human Resources Categories
Includes Best Human Resources Team(DHL Express), among others.
- Marketing Categories
Includes Best Marketing Campaign (Carlson Restaurants Worldwide), among others.
- MIS & IT Categories
Includes Best Technical Professional, among others.
- Products & Product Management Categories
Includes the categories for Best New Product or Service, among others.
- Sales Categories
Includes Best Sales Trainer (Brian Brown, Executive Director and Senior Vice President of SkillStorm - 2008 Winner), among others.
- Support Categories
Includes Best Support Organization/Department(Coverall Cleaning Concepts), among others.
The Stevie
Stevie is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for "crowned."R.S. Owens, the same company that makes the Oscar, Emmy, and Clio Awards, designed the Stevie trophy as a 16 inch tall, hand-cast 24-karat gold statuette, holding aloft a crystal pyramid that represents the hierarchy of human needs, a system developed in the 1960s by psychologist Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow
Abraham Harold Maslow was an American professor of psychology at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research and Columbia University who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs...
, who observed that after their basic needs are met, human beings seek the esteem of their peers.