Twelve Companies Honored at Washington D.C. Ceremony During Small Business Week
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 25, 2000 -- Cisco Systems, Inc., the leader in networking for the Internet today announced the winners for the 2000 Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards Program. The program sponsored by Cisco and Inc. Business Resources, recognizes small and midsized businesses with up to 500 employees that demonstrate how innovative use of networking and the Internet can increase profits and provide a competitive edge.
There are 12 winners in four company categories: Innovators in Sales and Marketing; Innovators in Customer Service; Innovators in the Internal Revolution; and Online Only: 21st Century Revolutionaries. Awards were presented by Ron Willis, vice president of marketing for Cisco's Small/Medium line of business and Brad Ketchum Jr., editorial director of Inc. Business Resources, at an awards reception in Washington D.C.
The Internet is helping small and growing businesses find new ways to develop and maintain lasting relationships with their customers while providing new methods of increasing internal efficiency and productivity. According to a February 2000 report by Cahners In-Stat, a growing number of small businesses are turning to the Internet to expand their businesses. Currently 13% have eBusiness capabilities, Cahners In-Stat expects that number to increase to greater than 50% by 2004.
The Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards program was designed to recognize small and midsized businesses that are using the Internet and technology to succeed in the New Economy. The winners of the program serve as role models for other businesses that want to use technology to fuel growth and compete more effectively.
"We are honored to be working with Inc. magazine to recognize the achievements of these outstanding small businesses," said Ron Willis, vice president of marketing, Cisco Systems small/medium line of business. "The 12 companies we have selected as winners serve as trailblazers for other small businesses looking to expand their business to include use of the Internet. Their use of the Internet has not only helped their businesses be more successful but has created a new crop of role models for their colleagues."
"Selecting winners from the hundreds of applications we received was a difficult task for our judges," said Gary Mirkin, publisher of Inc. "All of the applicants for this year's award demonstrated tremendous business success through use of the Internet, making a difficult job for our judges."
Twelve Winners Leverage Networking Technology to Grow
Winners for the Inc./Cisco Growing with Technology Awards program are as follows:
Innovators in Sales and Marketing
Winners in this category are using the Internet and Networking technologies to expand their markets, take advantage of opportunities to create new products and services, reposition their approaches to the marketplace and compete against traditional and new competitors.
- Grand Prize: ScrubaDub Auto Wash Centers, Natick, MA
- Runners Up: MapQuest.com, Mountville, PA, and KnitMedia/Knitting Factory, New York, NY
The honorees in this category are using the Internet and networking technologies to provide faster and more thorough pre-sales information, post-sales support, and on-going interaction and pro-active service.
- Grand Prize: Corrugated Supplies Corp., Chicago, IL
- Runners Up: Professional Cutlery Direct, North Branford, CT, and BenefitMall.com, Cokeysville, MD
These companies are creatively using the Internet and networking technologies to enhance, simplify, speed-up and streamline their internal operations and business-to-business relations.
- Grand Prize: Parcel Plus, Annapolis, MD
- Runners Up: Absher Construction Co., Puyallup, WA, and C.H. Briggs Hardware Co., Inc., Reading, PA
Online-Only: 21st Century Revolutionaries
These young and online only companies have carved out new models for interacting with customers and competing with established businesses by capitalizing on network technology.
- Grand Prize: epiclearning.com, Atlanta, GA
- Runners Up: eHome.com, San Jose, CA, and iPrint.com, Redwood City, CA
A panel of seven judges reviewed hundreds of entries to pick 50 finalists in the four company categories. Grand prize winners and two runners-up were chosen in each category. Entrants completed a 35-question Web-based entry form at their own pace, signing on to fill in data. Judges looked for companies that used networking and the Internet to:
- Change the way they communicate with employees, partners, customers, and suppliers
- Spike revenues by entering new markets, introducing new products, or reaching new prospects
- Adopt a new business model or reengineer their operations to cut costs or spark growth
- Put new meaning into the terms customer support, customer feedback, supplier relations, or strategic partnership
- Overcome boundaries of size, time, and space
The judging panel was comprised of the following industry experts: Jane Applegate, president of ApplegateWay Inc., Andy Bose, president and CEO of Access Media International; L. Jean Camp, Ph.D, assistant professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government; Phaedra Hise, former Inc. magazine staff writer and author of the Inc. best-seller "301 Great Ideas for Using Technology;" Leon Richter, CEO and cofounder of Justice Telecom Corp.; and Joe Diodati, director of worldwide field marketing Cisco Systems small/medium line of business.
About Inc.
Inc. is the leading magazine written for owners and managers of small-to-midsize, fast-growing companies. Published 18 times a year, Inc. helps its 2.2 million readers by providing expert advice and practical solutions as they face the opportunities, pitfalls, and rewards of growing a company.
