SCORE Small Business Video Contest Sponsored by Brother International Corporation Launched to Help Small Businesses Increase Productivity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SCORE, mentors to America's small business, with the sponsorship of Brother International Corporation, a leading provider of office technology products, has launched "BizClips: The Small Business Productivity Makeover Video Contest" at www.bizclips.score.org. All qualifying U.S. small businesses are invited to make a short video telling how their business can benefit from a productivity makeover and SCORE advice. Valuable prizes will be awarded, including Brother™ products and services, a professional promotional video and national media exposure through the 2014 SCORE Awards. The BizClips contest is part of SCORE's 50^th anniversary celebrating the 10 million small businesses SCORE has assisted since 1964.

With approximately 27 million small businesses across our country, SCORE is focused on boosting a huge segment of the U.S. economy. According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses make up over 99 percent of all U.S. employer firms, 49 percent of private-sector employment, and 46 percent of private sector output. Even during the recent recession, small businesses accounted for 67 percent of net new private-sector jobs. Improvements in equipment, software, processes, and human resources can lead to significant productivity gains for existing businesses. Brother supports SCORE's aim to help small businesses achieve these gains every day, and specifically through this contest.

The contest gives small businesses a national platform for showing how they can be made better and stronger. Videos can be simple or more complex, and must be 30-60 seconds in length and submitted by midnight on February 25, 2014. The public will have a chance to vote on their favorite businesses during a public voting round in April 2014, during which SCORE and contestants will actively promote voting on all eligible videos. A panel of small business experts will select a grand prize winner, taking into account the number of votes each video receives. The top 25 finalists will also receive a Brother P-Touch® prize. The winner will receive $2,500 in Brother products and services, and will be flown to Washington, D.C. for special national announcement at the SCORE Awards Gala in September 2014. Complete details are on the Contest website at www.bizclips.score.org.

"This is a chance for small businesses to showcase themselves in front of a national audience. Not only is it a chance for the winner to become more productive through the makeover, but SCORE wants to help all small businesses access resources and information to help them be more successful" said Ken Yancey, SCORE CEO. "We're pleased and honored to have Brother International Corporation as a sponsor of the BizClips Contest."

"Brother is excited to be part of this celebration of SCORE's great work. We encourage small businesses all across America to enter," said John Wandishin, Vice President of Marketing for Brother International Corporation. "We welcome the opportunity, through our support of SCORE, to help small businesses grow."

About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE "Mentors to America's Small Business" has helped more than 10 million aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners through mentoring and business workshops. More than 11,000 volunteer business mentors in more than 340 chapters serve their communities through entrepreneur education dedicated to the formation, growth and success of small businesses. For more information about starting or operating a small business, call 1-800/634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you. Visit SCORE at www.score.org.

About Brother
Brother International Corporation is one of the premier providers of products for the home, home office and office. The U.S. corporate office in Bridgewater, N. J., was established on April 21, 1954 and currently markets many industrial products, home appliances and business products manufactured by its parent company, Brother Industries, Ltd. of Nagoya, Japan.

These products include an award-winning line of Multi-Function Center^® machines and printers. Brother also provides the number-one line of facsimile machines in the U.S. and is the leader in electronic labeling, with its full line of P-touch^® Electronic Labeling Systems. For more information you can visit the website at www.brother.com.

SCORE Contact:
Bridget Weston Pollack
Vice President, Marketing
(800)634-0245
[email protected]

SOURCE SCORE Association