The ESOP Association Honors Members for Excellence in Employee Ownership Communications

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - May 06, 2015) - The ESOP Association is pleased to announce the 2015 winners of the Annual Awards for Communications Excellence (AACE). The AACE Awards are sponsored each year by the Association to recognize the outstanding communications and educational programs of its members. The awards will be presented to companies who have excelled in communicating the ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) and its meaning to employee owners at the Association's 24^th Annual Awards Ceremony as part of the 38^th Annual Conference in Washington, DC.

AACE Award winners are chosen by a panel of five judges made up of both management and non-management employee owners, each of whom has demonstrated active experience and interest in the field of ESOPs and employee ownership communications. Awards are based on: overall quality and quantity of employee owner education, contributions of employee owners, integration of the ESOP into company culture, frequency of ownership communications, involvement and/or response of employee owners, encouragement of ownership attitudes, clear explanations, creative ideas, graphic design, and technical quality.

The 2015 AACE Award winners are:

Total Communications, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: Mid South Building Supply, Inc., Springfield, Virginia
Runner-Up: BL Companies, Inc., Meriden, Connecticut

Total Communications, Over 250 Employees
Winner: Recology, San Francisco, California
Runner-Up: Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, Missouri

Presentation Videos, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: PERRY ProTECH, Lima, Ohio
Runner-Up: Webb Landscape, Inc., Bellevue, Idaho

Presentation Videos, Over 250 Employees
Winner: Big G Express, Inc., Shelbyville, Tennessee
Runner-Up: Van Meter Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Printed Materials, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: BL Companies, Inc., Meriden, Connecticut
Runner-Up: Sentry Equipment Corp., Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

Printed Materials, Over 250 Employees
Winner: Van Meter Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Runner-Up: Eagle Communications, Inc., Hays, Kansas

Intranets, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: Sentry Equipment Corp., Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

Intranets, Over 250 Employees
Winner: Acadian Ambulance Service, Inc., Lafayette, Louisiana
Runner-Up: Chemonics International Inc., Washington, DC

ESOP Advertising/Ownership Marketing, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: Carl Warren & Company, Placentia, California
Runner-Up: Mid South Building Supply, Inc., Springfield, Virginia

ESOP Advertising/Ownership Marketing, Over 250 Employees
Winner: Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, Missouri
Runner-Up: Recology, San Francisco, California

Special Events & Promotions - One Outstanding Event, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: ComSonics, Inc., Harrisonburg, Virginia
Runner-Up: Fabric Services, Bristol, Indiana

Special Events & Promotions - One Outstanding Event, Over 250 Employees
Winner: HISCO, Inc., Houston, Texas
Runner-Up: Glatfelter Insurance Group, York, Pennsylvania

Special Events & Promotions - Series of Events, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: Technomics, Inc., Arlington Virginia
Runner-Up: Wiley|Wilson, Lynchburg, Virginia

Special Events & Promotions - Series of Events, Over 250 Employees
Winner: Glatfelter Insurance Group, York, Pennsylvania
Runner-Up: Eagle Communications, Inc., Hays, Kansas

For additional information about the AACE Awards, please visit: http://www.esopassociation.org/about-the-association/esop-awards/aace-awards.

The ESOP Association is the national trade association for companies with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and the leading voice in America for employee ownership. The core cause of The ESOP Association is the belief that employee ownership will improve American competitiveness, increase productivity through greater employee participation, and strengthen our free enterprise economy. More information: website - www.esopassociation.org and blog - www.esopassociationblog.org.

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