HAWTHORNE, N.Y., Nov. 9, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- SmartPros Ltd. (AMEX:PED), a leader in the field of accredited professional education and corporate training, today announced the appointment of Joseph W. Higgins as Senior Vice President, Sales. Reporting directly to SmartPros' Chief Executive Officer, Higgins will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of SmartPros' sales and business development activities.
Higgins' resume features nearly three decades of sales experience, including 20+ years at Pitney Bowes. While at Pitney Bowes, Higgins worked his way from branch manager to the executive in charge of Pitney Bowes' national sales force. Higgins was responsible for managing the $400 million-per-year sales organization, driven by as many as a 600+ member sales force in over 80 regionalized offices. Pitney Bowes won several prestigious sales awards during his tenure, including recognition by J.D. Power and Associates in 2003 and 2004 as a top sales force in the country. During his tenure at Pitney Bowes, sales grew from $100 million to $400 million. In 2001, Mr. Higgins was part of the Pitney Bowes management team that spun off certain Pitney Bowes assets into a new venture called Imagistics International, Inc. Mr. Higgins was most recently the Vice President of Sales at Imagistics prior to joining SmartPros.
"Joe brings us an ideal mix of strategic and tactical sales, and marketing skills and a proven track record of building and managing highly effective national sales forces. We are delighted and proud to welcome him to SmartPros' leadership team and fully expect him to play a meaningful role in our Company's future success," stated Allen Greene, Chief Executive Officer of SmartPros.
About SmartPros Ltd.
Founded 1981, SmartPros Ltd. is an industry leader in the field of accredited professional education. Its products and services are primarily focused in the accredited professional areas of corporate accounting, financial management, public accounting, governmental and not-for-profit accounting, engineering, and ethics and compliance. SmartPros' customers include over half of Fortune 500 companies, as well as the major firms and associations in each of its professional markets. SmartPros provides education and content publishing and development services in a variety of media including Web, CD-ROM and video. Our subscription libraries feature hundreds of course titles and 1,000+ hours of accredited education. SmartPros' proprietary Professional Education Center (PEC) Learning Management System (LMS) offers enterprise distribution and administration of education content and information. In addition, SmartPros produces a popular news and information portal for accounting and finance professionals that services 300,000+ visitors and 100,000+ subscribers per month. Visit: www.smartpros.com.
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