2003 American Business Awards(SM) Announce Finalists For First-Ever National Business Awards

The Stevies(TM) Will Be Presented on April 30th in New York City

NEW YORK, April 3 -- Providing a powerful testament to the strength of American business following a wave of corporate scandals, companies as diverse as Burger King Corporation, Fannie Mae, IBM, and Muzak are among those with multiple finalists vying for the first-ever American Business Awards.

Hailed as "the business world's own Oscars" by the New York Post (September 22, 2002), The American Business Awards are the first national, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performances in the workplace.

Nicknamed the Stevies(TM) for the Greek word "crowned," the awards will be presented at a nationally broadcast show on Wednesday, April 30, at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City. The ceremony will be hosted by Charles Osgood, host of CBS News Sunday Morning and commentator for the CBS Radio Network, and will be broadcast nationwide on radio, and worldwide via the Internet, by BusinessTalkRadio.

The elegant Stevie trophy was designed by R. S. Owens, the same company that makes the Oscar and the Emmy.

Almost 500 nominations from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in more than 40 categories, including Best Overall Company, Best Executive, Best New Product or Service, and Best Salesperson.

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, Bruce Nelson, chairman & CEO of Office Depot, marketing gurus Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Anthony Robbins, chairman & CEO of The Anthony Robbins Companies, Drew Schutte, publisher of Wired Magazine, Jeffrey Tarr, chairman & CEO of Hoover's Inc., and Donald Trump, chairman, president and CEO of The Trump Organization.

"We began The American Business Awards last year when the public perception of companies and business people was at a low point," said Stevie Awards president and founder Michael Gallagher. "Our goal was to create a showcase for the best of American business, where the people and companies who don't get enough recognition for their good work can be singled out and celebrated. We are so pleased that so many companies, large and small, participated in our first year and we look forward to honoring those who make American business the envy of the world."

Leading the list of companies with more than one finalist are: Memphis Light, Gas and Water, the Memphis, Tennessee utility; Nextel Communications, the Reston, Virginia wireless phone company; and PACCAR Inc., the Bellevue, Washington truck manufacturer, with three each. (Nextel spin-off NII Holdings is also a Finalist for CEO Steven Shindler.)

Among the companies with two finalists are Burger King Corporation, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Connect Public Relations, Countrywide Financial Corp., DOAR Communications, Fannie Mae, FedEx Corporation, Global Crossing, Harrah's Entertainment, I-many, IBM Corp., Infonet Services Corp., InSight Health Services, Joseph's Lite Cookies, KB Home, McLeodUSA Inc., Muzak LLC, Oracle Corp., Pharmacia Corp., SAVVIS Communications, The Guild Group, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Ultimate Software, ViewSonic Corp., Weber Shandwick Worldwide, and Xerox Corp.

Nominations were rated by business professionals nationwide during a five-week round of preliminary judging in February and March, and their average scores determined the finalists. A complete list of finalists and a full list of categories are available on the awards web site at www.americanbusinessawards.com.

About The American Business Awards(SM)

A celebration of great performances in the workplace, The American Business Awards are the first national, all-encompassing business awards program. Honoring companies of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Awards recognize outstanding leadership, innovation, perseverance, creativity, teamwork, and integrity through more than 40 categories. The first American Business Awards -- nicknamed The Stevies(TM) from the Greek word for "crowned" -- will be presented at an awards show in New York City on April 30. The program is overseen by a Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors, which includes leading business executives, authors, and academics. Sponsors of the 2003 American Business Awards include BusinessTalkRadio, DHR International, Empire Media, Forbes, Hoover's Online, Inc. Magazine, Miller Heiman, Selling Power Magazine, and Wired Magazine.