Nominate Your Workplace as One of Atlanta's 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For

/PRNewswire/ -- The search is on for Atlanta's Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For the first time ever, Atlanta, GA will host the 101 awards event that identifies and honors organizations that display a commitment to excellence in their human resource practices and employee enrichment.

The event will honor 101 companies and present 11 elite awards at the first annual "Atlanta's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" symposium and awards celebration on June 20, 2011 at the Atlanta Marriott Century Center. The event will feature best practice workshop sessions that precede an awards brunch hosted by Monica Pearson of WSB TV 2.

An independent research firm will evaluate each company's entry based on its communication, community initiatives, compensation and benefits, diversity and multiculturalism, employee education and development, employee engagement and commitment, recognition and retention, recruitment and selection, small business and work-life balance. A basic assessment of each nominated company's overall ranking in each category will be provided.

Nominations are being accepted online at www.101bestandbrightest.com. Anyone can complete the online entry form. Nomination forms are also available by calling 866-321-1822. The nomination deadline is Dec. 1, 2010.

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New World Home Achieves Two Historic Green Milestones

/PRNewswire/ -- New World Home has been awarded LEED(R) for Homes Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for outstanding achievement in green homebuilding, representing the first factory-built home in the state of Georgia to earn this designation. In addition, the New World Home project is the first home of any type in Georgia to earn the prestigious Platinum rating without the need for any costly renewable energy sources, such as solar panels, wind turbines or geothermal systems.

The New World Home project, located in East Cobb County, also earned EarthCraft Gold certification as well as National Green Building Certification Gold, which is administered by the NAHB Research Center.

"This home brings green living to its highest level," says Mark Jupiter, co-founder and President of the Product Division for New World Home. "It also reflects our mission to provide traditional-style houses that incorporate a 'whole systems' design approach that results in a minimum 50 percent energy savings annually, reduces water consumption by thousands of gallons a year, provides a non-toxic indoor environment for the occupants and will save homeowners thousands of dollars a year in maintenance costs starting from day one."

Mr. Jupiter adds, "We believe people should be able to live in a home that meets or exceeds the highest green standards in the industry without requiring an array of solar panels on the roof or a wind turbine spinning in the backyard."

The company's trademarked New Old Green Modular(R) (NOGM(R)) design platform incorporates a holistic approach to historically inspired green building. The NOGM process results in homes built to exacting standards in less than 100 days, provides a healthier indoor environment and saves homeowners significant money with ongoing electricity, water, maintenance, heating and cooling expenses. The homes are constructed with lumber from sustainably harvested forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and include ultra efficient HVAC systems and low or no-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, adhesives and finishes. Other base features of the NOGM homes include:

-- Spray foam insulated walls and rafters creating an air-tight thermal
envelope
-- Watersense fixtures, home-run plumbing and a tankless water heater
that reduces annual water usage by 40 percent
-- Low-E, argon-filled, dual pane, energy efficient windows that reduce
air leakage
-- Pre-cast, insulated, moisture resistant concrete foundation that
reduces the potential for mold and mildew growth
-- Advanced framing techniques that significantly reduce waste as well as
thermal bridging energy loss
-- Maintenance-free fiber cement exterior siding that will not rot or
warp and is flame and insect resistant
-- Non-Added Formaldehyde cabinets, floors and trim
-- ENERGY STAR(R) rated doors, windows, roof, ceiling fans and appliances
-- And much more ...


All New World Home NOGM designs are LEED(R) for Homes certifiable at a base level. "We want to help homeowners establish a lasting green legacy, a home that they can be proud of and one that will be around and safe for generations to come," says Tyler Schmetterer, the company's co-founder and Chief Operating Officer. "Our turnkey green housing solution is an effective and affordable way for our customers to attain this important life accomplishment."

"Home buyers are eager to embrace energy efficiency - and save money - particularly if they don't need to learn how to use new equipment or monitor expensive technology," says Michael Natbony, the company's Chief Executive Officer. New World Home's commitment to producing environmentally sensitive houses is reflected in the fundamentals of how they're built. "We're offering a sustainable - even transformative - way to design and mass produce the greenest homes on the market that is accessible to as many people as possible," Mr. Natbony said.

The Platinum home in East Cobb showcases one of New World Home's traditional and regionally-derived American designs. According to Mr. Schmetterer, the underlying essence of a New World Home is that it aligns perfectly with the surrounding design vernacular, while simultaneously representing one of the greenest residential structures available in the country today.

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Georgia Power's ENERGY STAR(R) Program Wins National Award for Third Time

/PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have named Georgia Power as a 2009 Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion Award winner for its Lighting and Appliance program. This marks the third consecutive year that Georgia Power has been named an award winner in this category.

"Each year we strengthen our ENERGY STAR program to increase its effectiveness with our customers, so the fact that Georgia Power was selected again for this highly coveted award is both humbling and extremely gratifying," said Lamont Houston, senior vice president of customer service and sales for Georgia Power. "And with the current economic conditions, now more than ever consumers are looking to us to provide ways to be energy efficient and save money. We're honored that EPA and DOE have chosen to recognize Georgia Power's achievement."

An ENERGY STAR partner since 2004, Georgia Power has given away more than 330,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) through its lighting program over the last three years. The company promotes the "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" campaign which encourages consumers to pledge to change at least one standard light bulb in their home to an ENERGY STAR CFL. Georgia Power currently ranks second in the nation for the number of pledges collected.

Georgia Power's Lighting and Appliance program included a multi-media advertising campaign, in-store consumer and awareness events, retail sales associate training, numerous community and corporate outreach events, as well as a refrigerator recycling program. In addition, Georgia Power was selected to host one of only six national stops for the ENERGY STAR Home Tour in October 2008, gaining national exposure for the southeast and escalating our customer outreach efforts.

Lamont Houston and Vicki Nichols will accept the award on behalf of the company at an awards ceremony March 31, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

The Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion Award is given to a variety of organizations to recognize their efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution, resulting in significant cost savings. Award winners are selected from more than 12,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

Georgia Power encourages its customers to practice energy efficiency year-round. Take the "Change the World" pledge online at http://www.georgiapower.com/energystar/home.asp.

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Lockheed Martin's Environmental Focus Earns 'Green' Awards at Company Operations in Texas, Georgia and California

/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) has invested more than $40 million since 2001 in capital improvements to increase energy efficiency and lower emissions from its business operations. As a result, Lockheed Martin saves more than 125 million kilowatt hours of energy annually - enough to power 10,000 homes for a year.

In 2007, the Corporation launched a comprehensive environmental program with the long-term goal of eliminating adverse impact on the environment as a result of its operations. This includes annual carbon, waste, and water use reduction goals and an aggressive 2012 target of an absolute 25 percent reduction in each of those areas.

"At Lockheed Martin, we recognize the value of effective environmental, safety and health programs," said Bob Stevens, Lockheed Martin's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our Energy, Environment, Safety & Health (EESH) team supports our customers' objectives, builds community confidence, promotes employee health and well-being, and helps us to achieve our business goals. Most significantly, delivering environmental and safety excellence is the right thing to do for this and future generations."

The company recently won several awards for environmental stewardship at its operations in Fort Worth, Texas; Marietta, Ga.; and Palmdale, Calif. Some examples of accomplishments follow:

Fort Worth - The North Texas Clean Air Coalition awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics several clean air awards, including the TryParkingIt.com Employer Highest Participation Rate award. In addition, the company also received the Clean Air Champion and Vanpool of the Year award. Company employee Debbie Boles, a data processor, won the TryParkingIt.com Individual award for reducing her community mileage by 14,580 miles in a year.

Marietta - The Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia recognized Lockheed Martin Aeronautics with the Continual Improvement Award. The Partnership presents this award annually to an organization that makes strides toward a more sustainable Georgia.

"Lockheed Martin Aeronautics demonstrated environmental excellence by reducing hazardous waste, improving water quality, saving 27 thousand gallons of fuel, and reducing water use by 62.2 million gallons of water," said Suzanne Burnes, assistant director of P2AD and manager of the Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia. "We look to see other organizations in Georgia follow their lead."

Palmdale - The California Environmental Protection Agency awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics the state's Waste Reduction and Awards Program.

Last year the Palmdale facility diverted 1,094 tons of waste from landfills, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1.8 million pounds of CO2, and earned $156,167 (a total savings of $440,607) from recycling and reuse efforts. The state awarded the Lockheed Martin Palmdale facility with the WRAP award because it has incorporated waste reduction, reuse and recycling efforts into daily business activities and is steering the community along a path towards zero-waste.

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Electrostatic Spraying Systems Wins EMS EXPO 2008 Top Innovation Award

/PRNewswire/ -- Too many people are getting sick, and even dying, from infections and diseases that they are acquiring in places that should be safe...like ambulances, hospitals, schools, restaurants, hotels, athletic facilities, and other public area. The old traditional ways of spraying disinfectants are just not effective any more.

"It's not just what you spray," says Bruce Whiting, owner and President of ESS, "It's how you spray the disinfectants that matters."

Electrostatic Spraying Systems, Inc. (ESS), the world leader in electrostatic spraying technology, recently won the EMS EXPO 2008 Top Innovation Award for its breakthrough electrostatic disinfecting sprayer, the SC-1.

Bruce Whiting said, "We are very proud to receive this honor on behalf of the entire ESS design and production teams. We have a mission to get our sprayers into the hands of the emergency, healthcare and other personnel who are so often exposed to dangerous infectious organisms. By using an SC-1 sprayer, with an effective disinfectant, EMS personnel and the public will be better protected from bacteria, MRSA, Staph and microorganisms - which are causing so many sicknesses and infections. Better spraying of disinfectants will save lives."

Scott Cravens, publisher of EMS Magazine says, "The EMS EXPO 2008 Top Innovation Awards are designed to recognize innovations in products and services for the pre-hospital market." The Top Innovation Awards were chosen from exhibitors at the 2008 EMS EXPO in Las Vegas, and presented at the Texas EMS State Conference in Fort Worth, TX, in November. EMS Magazine will feature the Top 20 Innovation Awards in their January issue.

The ESS SC-1 sprayer is a compact, stand-alone, electrostatic sprayer that allows the user the ability to spray disinfectants in such a way that the chemicals reach around objects and into cracks and crevasses to better control dangerous microorganisms such as MRSA (Multi-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus). The SC-1 sprayer applies a very thin even coating that covers the target and dries quickly.

Built into a poly-resin Pelican case, the SC-1 has wheels and a retractable pull handle. Its small size makes it easy to carry and yet still has the advantage of being a full-powered electrostatic sprayer. ESS manufactures electrostatic sprayers for the agricultural, post-harvest, food processing, disinfection, mold prevention, pest control and restoration markets. More information about ESS sprayers can be found at http://www.maxcharge.com/ and http://www.prevent-staph.com/.

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Lockheed Martin Recognized for Excellence in F-22 Raptor Sustainment

/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT) F-22 Raptor was recognized as the winner of the Contractor-Military Collaboration Of The Year award for F-22 Sustainment at an awards ceremony Dec. 3 at the Defense Logistics 2008 Conference in Arlington, Va.

The F-22 was designed for supportability and self-sufficiency with a focus on reduced logistics costs. The improved reliability resulting from the performance based logistics strategy of the F-22 Raptor is projected to save the taxpayer $14 billion, or more than 35 percent in support costs over the life of the aircraft.

"We have a strong government partnership, built on a foundation of trust, transparency of operations, and collaborative problem solving. We are very proud to receive recognition for this extraordinary team," said Dennis Haines, Lockheed Martin vice president for F-22 Sustainment.

The award follows recent recognition, in September, when Lockheed Martin and the F-22 team received the 2008 Performance Based Logistics System Level award from the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, at the Aerospace Industries Association Fall Product Support Conference.

Defense Logistics is a cross-Service examination of the issues surrounding logistics strategies and support. Running since 1999, the Defense Logistics Conference has become a set date on the calendars of 650+ logisticians and has proven to be the most influential forum of great logistics minds in the U.S.

A total of 183 production Raptors are currently on contract. The F-22 is built by Lockheed Martin in partnership with Boeing and Pratt & Whitney. Parts and subsystems are provided by 1,000 suppliers in 44 states. The F-22 is the only aircraft that blends supercruise speed, super-agility, stealth and sensor fusion into a single air dominance platform.

Raptors are assigned to six U.S. bases: Edwards AFB, Calif., Nellis AFB, Nev., Tyndall AFB, Fla., Langley AFB, Va., Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, and Holloman AFB, N.M. Raptors will also be based at Hickam AFB, Hawaii.

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ING Receives EPA Green Power Leadership Award

PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ING announced today that it has received a 2008 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The annual awards recognize the country's leading green power purchasers for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation's voluntary green power market. EPA presented ING with the award at an event held in conjunction with the 2008 National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference in Denver, Colorado.

ING was one of only nine organizations nationwide to receive a Leadership Award for its green power purchase. The award recognizes EPA Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through purchases of green power from a utility green-pricing program, a competitive green marketer, or a renewable energy certificate (REC) supplier. ING is currently purchasing more than 75 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 100 percent of the organization's purchased electricity use. ING is buying renewable energy certificates from Community Energy.

"We are proud to receive this prestigious award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency," said Rhonda Mims, president of the ING Foundation and senior vice president of ING's Office of Corporate Citizenship and Responsibility. "Purchasing green power helps our organization become more sustainable, while also sending a message to other companies across the U.S. that supporting clean sources of electricity is a sound business decision and an important choice in reducing climate risk."

ING currently ranks No. 42 on EPA's National Top 50 list. Each list highlights EPA Green Power Partners that have completed the largest annual voluntary purchases through October 8, 2008. EPA updates its Top Partner Lists quarterly at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/.

Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources. Green power purchases also support the development of new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.

"Our nation is shifting to a 'green culture,' with more and more Americans understanding that environmental responsibility is everyone's responsibility," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "EPA commends ING for making a long-term commitment to protecting the environment by purchasing green power."

According to the U.S. EPA, ING's current green power purchase of more than 75 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of nearly 10,000 passenger vehicles per year, or is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more than 7,000 average American homes annually.

In addition to its green power purchase, ING is also focusing on ways to reduce its environmental impact through waste reduction and energy efficiency initiatives, the addition of new recycled paper options for all offices, more robust recycling programs and eco-friendly procurement practices. A grass- roots, employee-led team called Orange Goes Green is also helping to build awareness among employees about how they can live "greener" at work and home, including supporting environmental volunteer opportunities.

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Servigistics Wins Stevie(R) Award in 6th Annual American Business Awards(SM)

PRNewswire/ -- Servigistics, the leading strategic service management solution provider, was named a winner in the 2008 American Business Awards for Best Executive. Servigistics CTO and Founder, Mike Landry, earned this recognition in the category of best MIS and IT Executive because of his vision, leadership and expertise in strategic service management.

The awards were presented during ceremonies at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. The ceremonies were hosted by Cheryl Casone of Fox Business Network and broadcast nationwide on radio by the Business TalkRadio Network. Stevie Awards were presented in over 40 categories including Best Overall Company, Best Executive, and Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program. More than 2,600 entries from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration.

Members of the Awards' Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and their staffs selected Stevie winners from among the Finalists. Finalists were chosen by business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April and May.

"Such an honor would not be possible without the support, vision and leadership of our clients, who are leading the drive to invest in post-sales service as a profit lever and competitive differentiator," said Mike Landry, Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Servigistics. "In addition, congratulations go to my colleagues at Servigistics, who strive to consistently deliver above and beyond our client expectations."

State’s New Tourism Web Site Finalist for Coveted “Stevie” Award

The State of Georgia’s new tourism Web site, ExploreGeorgia.org, was recently named a finalist in the American Business Awards.

“I’m pleased that our online strategy has been recognized by the American Business Awards,” said Ken Stewart, commissioner for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “Our team has worked hard to create a customer experience which translates Georgia’s attractions into a terrific visitor experience online.”

Known as the “Stevies,” the American Business Awards are compared to the Oscars in terms of prestige. GDEcD’s interactive agency, Engauge Digital (formerly Spunlogic), submitted the site to the Brand Building/Promotion Web Site category.

ExploreGeorgia.org helps visitors tailor their experience and discover the unexpected in Georgia. The site was recently launched with a number of key features, including:

· Travel planner: An interactive way to find activities, save favorites and plan a trip.
· Faceted Search: A function that narrows results for any search based on selected filtering criteria.
· Experiences: Getaway themes designed to spark travel ideas, such as At the Beach, Romantic Getaway, and Back to Nature.
· Dream Pass Integration: The popular rewards card for Georgia attractions is now integrated with the tourism website.

For more information on the American Business Awards, visit www.stevieawards.com/aba.

AiMA Honors Atlanta's Best Online Marketing Talent

Eight of Atlanta's most talented interactive marketing organizations were recognized by their peers at the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association's AiMA Awards 2008 ceremony held
Thursday, May 1, 2008 at the new W Hotel in Midtown. AiMA Awards 2008
is the area's first awards program dedicated exclusively to interactive marketing.

The sold-out event, hosted by Veronica De La Cruz, Internet correspondent for CNN's flagship morning news program, American Morning, honored campaigns from Definition 6, Avenue A | Razorfish, Sherpa! Web Studios, IQ Interactive, ePrize, Brandmovers, LBi, and Engauge Digital.

"This year's AiMA Awards recipients are testaments to the breadth and scope of campaign work - local, national and global - being done every day by Atlanta-based interactive marketing firms," said AiMA President Laura Spaugh. "We're thrilled at the success of our 2008 awards event and look forward to growing AiMA Awards into a premier interactive industry award program in the coming years."

AiMA Awards 2008 Winners

Most Effective Online Marketing Strategy
Definition 6 for AutoExtra
A comprehensive strategy that leveraged online media, search, website enhancements, and social media to find and engage qualified users online. The program delivered exponential improvements in key metrics like conversion, traffic, and average daily revenues.

Most Effective Integrated / Cross Channel Marketing Campaign
Avenue A | Razorfish for Carnival Cruise Lines - Fun Ship Island
Using display advertising, search, PR, blogging, viral tagging, outdoor billboards, print, and a unique Times Square mobile promotion, this campaign drove over 220 million online impressions and hundreds of thousands of clicks to Carnival's Fun Ship Island Web site.

Most Effective Search Engine Marketing Program
Sherpa! Web Studios for SPANX
This Search engine optimization (SEO) best practices and event-based pay-per-click (PPC) campaign improved SPANX's web site traffic by over 550%, increasing search-driven online sales. Cost-effective SEO campaign reduced cost per visitor.

Most Effective Customer Acquisition or Online Direct Response Program
IQ Interactive for Intercontinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards
This email marketing program used rich media and video to help Priority Club members visualize the once in a lifetime experiences their rewards could give them. The program reached a 10 to 1 ROI in the first two weeks and club members passed the email along to deliver an additional quarter of a million views.

Most Effective Online Brand Experience
ePrize for The Home Depot's Light Up the Neighborhood Community and
Sweepstakes
This campaign allowed users to share unique holiday experiences by uploading and sharing interior and exterior holiday images. Registrants could also share holiday experiences through a live message board to foster a sense of community on the promotion microsite. The campaign
received more than 300 photo entries and allowed visitors to vote for their favorite photo to provide further brand engagement.

Best B2B Campaign - tie
Brandmovers for Agilent Technologies "Summer of Fun" campaign
This interactive scratch-off game promotion drove summer sales of Agilent's vial, lamp and syringe products, generating a 278% increase in revenue; nearly three times the original target.

LBi for EyeWonder Client Testimonial Campaign
This campaign was designed to promote EyeWonder's rich media suite of products and services; it used large scale video in an expandable ad format to capture actual client testimonials of their success with EyeWonder. Interaction rates with the ad topped 52% and interaction times averaged 33 seconds. Both EyeWonder and the agencies featured in
the ad have experienced increased business as a result.

Vanguard Award (Best Use of Emerging Media)
Engauge Digital and IHG for Crowne Plaza's Second Life Island
The Place to Meet Island is currently the only space dedicated to providing secure, private meeting facilities to organizations seeking to leverage the unique communications opportunities in the virtual world Second Life. The campaign has garnered tens of millions of media hits since the island's launch in June 2007.

Best In Show
IQ Interactive for Intercontinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards
Engauge Digital and IHG for Crowne Plaza's Second Life Island

Patrick Foarde
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