This year Dell announced it was expanding the Small Business Excellence Award internationally, giving small businesses that demonstrate technology innovation to benefit customers a chance to win up to $50,000 in Dell solutions, in addition to being honored by Dell and its world-class partners.
Global award partners include the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), which has a mission to advance entrepreneurship through global knowledge sharing and networking, and Endeavor, a global non-profit supporting emerging market entrepreneurs.
 Entrants represented businesses with 100 or fewer employees and a multitude of industries including information technology solutions, healthcare solutions, business integration technology, digital media advertising and technology, loss prevention and security, and professional services. Each finalist displayed how it represents the spirit of innovation in applying information technology in its business practices to improve the customer experience.
Applications for the competition consisted of three parts; Background Information, Description of Information Technology Innovation, and Customer References. Upon completion, applications were judged and selected by an expert panel specific to each country in order to determine the finalists and ultimately the winner. Applications were accepted online with submission deadlines varying by country. No purchase or entry fee was required. National finalists from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom have been announced and are listed below. The global winner will be announced in the fall of 2008.
Chosen from the national winners, the global 2008 Small Business Excellence Award winner receives:
- $50,000 in technology and services from Dell
- Featured participation in an entrepreneurs summit hosted by Chairman and CEO Michael Dell
- Lifetime membership to ICSB
- Engaging with Endeavor's network of business leaders and high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets worldwide.
Each national winner receives:
- $25,000 in Dell products and services
- A day of best-practice sharing with Dell executives, including Mr. Dell, and partner benefits that will vary by country
- The U.S. winner receives a lifetime NFIB membership.
Nine finalists in each country receive:
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A Dell business-class notebook, and partner benefits that will vary by country
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The U.S. finalists receive a one-year NFIB membership.
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), America's leading small-business advocacy association, and Dell founded the program in 2004, and the two organizations continue to recognize leading U.S. small businesses for using technology to better serve customers.
Each National Finalist was selected by a panel of judges specificto their country. Judges were given a set criterion on which to base their opinions, with the ultimate goal of compiling a top ten list of the best submitted applications. For the United Sates arm of the judging, a team of MBA students from the George Washington University took part in a comprehensive process of selection held in Washington D.C. Each MBA student was asked to contribute their opinion in a group dynamic while also privately scoring each application considered. At the end of the process, 10 of the best applications were chosen and subsequently taken to Texas, where a panel of experts determined the winner. For a complete description of the award's criteria, rules and regulations, award levels, partners and judges, please visit www.dell.com/ceaward.
U.K.
Pat Clarke Total Training, Lincoln, England - providing training, support and consultancy to healthcare and social service businesses
Sandmere Practice, London, England - offering primary healthcare services to its patients
Mantle Panel Ltd, Walton-On-Thames, England - developing energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly building solutions for UK homes
9-20 Recruitment, Glasgow, Scotland - delivering a highly specialised IT recruitment service across all business sectors
Eurotech Monitoring Services, London, England - providing security devices, alarms, patrols and services
Wiggly Wigglers, Hereford, England - creating gardens of the future through combining natural beauty and environmental sustainability
Kids Review, Kent, England - offering a website which enables children to add, edit and share their own reviews of books they have read, within a safe and managed environment
Crown Fitness Club, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales - providing fitness equipment in a friendly surrounding for its members
Labels4Kids, Stirling, Scotland - offering personalised labels for children to attach to a range of clothing and accessories
Masters Traditional Games, St Albans, England - offering high quality traditional board and table games
Italy
Akron Business Technologies, Napoli – specializing in business integration services specific to technological instrumentation, CRM, and consulting in area of marketing strategy and operations
Balmor SnC, Cervia - seaside establishment with activity of bar and catering industry
BBN SrL, Massa Carrara - publishing house that promotes the free spread of the knowledge, safeguards the rights of authors, and extends teaching materials
Blugeco SrL, Arese - operates in longed-for ICT and develops software and services to improve efficiency of small and medium sized businesses
Convergo SrL, Prato - navigator rate that analyzes the fixed consumptions of telephony and finds savings by comparing all the tariffs of the market
Dodotour SrL, Montegrotto Terme – internet travel agency that utilizes online portals to monitor e-commerce transactions and activity
Legatoria Venturini, Cremona - service of bookbinding for graphic businesses and publishers
SeaPress SrL, Civitavecchio - printing agency that publishes and distributes news from the high one Latium, between Rome and Viterbo
Tecnomodel SrL, Porto Sant'Elpidio – creates samplings for footwear
To See SrL, Roma - constructs algorithms based on the most recent artificial technologies of intelligence to extract important information
Spain
Unkasoft, Salamanca – provides technology specialized in inserting advertising in mobile videogames
CICE, S.A., Madrid – professional school of new technologies
Lleida.net, Lleida - first operator of SMS in Spain; services of short and multimedia messages
Kynetia Networks, Madrid - integrates the software of businesses in technological solutions to improve efficiency
iMente Global S.L., Girona - offers real-time digital press monitoring services at more than 400 businesses and Spanish institutions
Inversiones Hosteleras de Galicia S.L., Sanxenxo – tour operator in the province of Pontevedra, who sells tourist packages by telephone and internet
Quota Solutions, Madrid - software-maker of management with a model of innovative distribution; selling directly to the client in unlimited and monthly quotas of users
Planeta Red S.L., Madrid – operates online karaoke as a social network
Art Marketing, Madrid – public relations and communication agency that promotes through mass media
Fundación Universitat Jaume I – Empresa, Castellon – facilitates the communication, knowledge, dialogue and the cooperation between the University and the private, public, and associate-economic environments
France
Decision News Media, Montpellier - Internet Corporation whom edits 18 websites sites bound for the decision-makers of the cosmetic industries, food processing and pharmaceutical.
Pollen Scop – Eclectic, Saint‐Germain en Ardèche - co-operative business of contractors allowing housing, the test and the development of economical activities
Réseau Agence22, Assais - federation of co-operative unions and associates to promote the social initiatives, citizens, NGOs and all actors of the social economy
Association CartONG, Chambéry - furnishes services of cartography and information management for the human body
Actunion, Lyon – provides wage housing, counseling and services to businesses
Crimo France SAS, Ablon sur seine - partner of public and private hospitals in realizing the maintenance of surgical instruments
Sinetis, Marseille – develops innovative technology that assists in management of turnkey operations
Item Centric, Paris – develops software in the domain of the confidentiality of information
Confort Sérénité, Garges‐Lès‐Gonesse - service of assistance and maintenance to residence for elderly and handicapped persons
Asten, Lyon – movable devices for the treatment of the losses and pollution, specifically nuclear and ground decontamination
Germany
42media group GmbH, Niedersachsen - supplier of software solutions and services for audio-visual business communication in Europe
Heyroth & Kürbittz freie Architekten, Hamburg – residential construction agency that provides expert building direction
Deutsche Markenvertriebsgesellschaft mbH, Sarstedt – offers luxury chocolate and customizable products via the internet
Magenta Vertriebsgesellschaft / Europadruck.com, Utting a.A. – provides printing office optimization and online order database.
Konzeptum, Koblenz - software manufacturer for small, middle-class and large service providers of the information technology and telecommunication technology industries
Xocean limited, Waiblingen - offers IT hardware and software, type media, graphics design, web design and media design services
Ingenieur- und Planugsbüro LANGE GbR, Moers – architectural gardening and landscape office
Netucate Systems GmbH, Hessen – online service for virtual classrooms, web conferencing, and remote support
Abiomed Europe GmbH, Aachen - medicine technology business that specializes in heart supporting devices
Geohaus, Mülheim an der Ruhr – provider of shoemakers, publicly ordered surveyors, GPS manufacturers and mobile engineering and control
Mexico
Terra Farma, Distrito Federal – provides consulting and training services to the pharmaceutical and related industries
Tralix Mexico SRL de CV, Queretaro - develops technology of software for email and electronic billing through electronic media and paper less processes
Corporación UNISOL SA de CV, Distrito Federal – provides IP (internet protocol) technologies such as infrastructure, videoconferencing, and phone systems
BIZ PRO DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V, Distrito Federal - develops software and solutions based on BPMS, which is a business efficiency practice technique
Ask Solutions S.A. de C.V., Tlalnepantla,Estado de Mexico– provides electronic protection solutions for children, office equipment, and vehicle entry
GeorcaCinain, S.A. de C.V., San Juan del Río,Querétaro- processing and recovery of sewage, independently of its origin and degree of contamination, including the seawater
Quarksoft, Distrito Federal – develops custom-made software with world quality processes
Grupo Digital Media Technologies S.A. de C.V., General Escobedo,Nuevo Leon – provides products and services in the information technology and communication industries such as the duplication and replication of CDs, DVDs and Blue Ray Disks, in different formats.
Ingenia Group, Distrito Federal - interactive agency that specializes in web applications development and business process automation online
Medical Clinica, Distrito Federal – healthcare services provider working directly with medical specialists, laboratory of clinical analysis and pharmacy in the application of technology
Canada
Britec Computer Systems, Ltd., Calgary, Alberta - implements information solutions, providing support, accounting software and network systems.
Eclipse Awards, Vancouver, British Columbia - is a supplier of personalized crystal recognition awards.
Fifth P Solutions Inc, Mississauga, Ontario - helps clients deliver their brand promise by developing learning solutions that enable their people to provide a superior customer experience.
Global Infobrokers Inc., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - provides entrepreneurial training, development and coaching by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.
Jolera Inc, Toronto, Ontario - is a technology consulting, integration and support firm.
SAFEC Inc., St. Laurent, Quebec - offers businesses a tool that enables them to quickly source information on government and private funding programs.
Speechworks, Winnipeg, Manitoba - works with people of all ages with speech, language, fluency and voice disorders.
2Design Web, Ottawa, Ontario - is a web design company specializing in content management solutions.
Valerie's Extended Wear, Marathon, Ontario - provides retail plus size clothing, men and women's regular sized clothing and consignment goods.
WRI Supply, Kelowna, British Columbia - is a wholesale distributor of sign, digital and awning supplies. |
