The ESOP Association Honors Members for Excellence in Employee Ownership Communications

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ESOP Association is pleased to announce the 2012 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 were presented at the Association's 35th Annual Conference in Washington, DC to companies who have excelled in communicating the ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) and its meaning to employee owners. 

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 2012 AACE Award winners are:

Category 1-A, Total Communications Program, 100 or Fewer Employees
Winner: The Onyx Group, Alexandria, VA
Runner Up: Priority Sign, Sheboygan, WI

Category 1-B, Total Communications Program, 101 – 500 Employees
Winner: Van Meter Inc., Waterloo, IA
Runner Up: Mid South Building Supply Inc., Springfield, VA

Category 1-C, Total Communications Program, 501 – 1,000 Employees
Winner: Woodward Communications, Inc., Dubuque, IA
Runner Up: Hot Dog on a Stick, Carlsbad, CA

Category 1-D, Total Communications Program, Over 1,000 Employees
Winner: SRC Holdings Corporation, Springfield, MO
Runner Up: Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, MO

Category 2-A, Video, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: Unique Home Solutions, Indianapolis, IN
Runner Up: Sonnax Industries, Bellows Falls, VT

Category 2-B, Video, Over 250 Employees
Winner: The Cianbro Companies, Pittsfield, ME
Runner Up: Acadian Companies, Lafayette, LA

Category 3-A, Printed Materials, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: Cal-Tex Protective Coatings, Schertz, TX
Runner Up: Mid South Building Supply Inc., Springfield, VA

Category 3-B, Printed Materials, Over 250 Employees
Winner: Hot Dog on a Stick, Carlsbad, CA
Runner Up: Forsythe Technology, Inc., Skokie, IL

Category 4-A, Intranet, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: Foldcraft Co., Kenyon MN

Category 4-B, Intranet, Over 250 Employees
Winner: DCS Corporation, Lexington Park, MD
Runner Up: Holden Industries, Inc., Deerfield, IL

Category 5-A, ESOP Advertising – Ownership Marketing - General
Winner: Mid South Building Supply Inc., Springfield, VA
Runner Up: Hot Dog on a Stick, Carlsbad, CA

Category 5B, ESOP Advertising – Ownership Marketing – Web Sites
Winner: Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, MO
Runner Up: Van Meter Inc., Waterloo, IA

Category 6-A, Special Events & Promotions, 1 Outstanding Event, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: Vermeer Equipment of Texas, Irving, TX
Runner Up: ComSonics, Inc., Harrisonburg, VA

Category 6-B, Special Events & Promotions, 1 Outstanding Event, Over 250 Employees
Winner: Acadian Companies, Lafayette, LA
Runner Up: Sleep Train, Rocklin, CA

Category 7-A, Special Events, Promotions, Series, 250 or Fewer Employees
Winner: Apache Hose & Belting Co., Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA
Runner Up: Priority Sign, Sheboygan, WI

Category 7-B, Special Events, Promotions, Series, Over 250 Employees
Winner: Dakota Supply Group, Aberdeen, SD
Runner Up: Glatfelter Insurance Group, York, PA

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.

SOURCE The ESOP Association