Jamie Entzminger, CEO of Mach 1 Global Services in Tempe, Arizona, won the Stevie Award for Best Executive in a Service Business with up to 2,500 employees in the 2008 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. She will be on the final judging board for the 2009 awards.

Jamie Entzminger, Chief Executive Officer of Mach 1 Global Services, leads the daily activities of this $90 million domestic and international freight forwarding company, based in Tempe, Arizona. In her ten years at the company she has impacted the organization by optimizing performance in key areas of marketing, sales, and operations.

As one of the largest privately held firms in the state of Arizona, Mach 1 has a client list that includes Coca Cola, Sony, Ford Motor Company, Honeywell and General Motors.

In the current economic climate, however, Entzminger has found that one challenge facing her business is the increasing demand for slower and cheaper freight services. When the economy was stable, many companies preferred quick shipments--a Mach 1 specialty.  But "we're seeing a shift in our customers using time-critical services," she said. "They're now looking to options in lower levels of expedited services."

Entzminger also said fewer of Mach 1's clients are focusing their manufacturing operations in Asian markets and many are favoring “near sourcing” instead.

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Thyme Out of Rockville, Maryland won the Stevie Award for Best New Service of the Year in the 2009 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

With the start of the new school year, “mompreneur” Missy Carr is doing her best to help moms-on-the-go.  Dinnertime can be stressful for working parents these days, and a recent survey by Restaurants & Institutions magazine shows that 68% of Americans wait until 4 p.m. on weekdays to decide “what’s for dinner.”

Thyme Out, Carr’s independent meal-assembly store in Rockville, Maryland, understands the challenge that parents face in getting a healthy, home-cooked dinner on the table every single night.  In February 2008, the company launched “Thyme for School,” a dinner delivery service that offers a contemporary twist on the meal-assembly concept by introducing the ultimate convenience: bringing nutritious family dinners right to moms waiting in the carpool line at school.

After School Pick-Up
The concept is simple. Parents pick up healthful, ready-to-cook family dinners at the same time as they pick up their kids up from school. Moms simply pre-select entrées from Thyme Out’s rotating monthly menu, and Thyme Out delivers the meals to participating schools for pick-up.

And while the economic downturn may worry some potential customers, says Carr: "If you do it regularly…your grocery bills should go down." The balanced meals average $4 per portion—cheaper than take-out or prepared meals from places like Whole Foods, for example.

“Thyme for School” also serves as a school fundraiser. The company donates 10% of sales to each school. In addition, recognizing the important role educators play in children’s lives and knowing how valuable their time is, Thyme Out provides teachers with an “educator’s discount” on meals.

The service is getting national attention. The New York Times called it “the ultimate for moms-on-the-go,” and in addition to  a Stevie Award in 2008, Thyme Out  won a number of awards in the Reader’s Choice Poll in Washington Families magazine, including “Best Quick Dinner.”

Most important, though, is that Thyme Out’s customers appreciate the company’s willingness to go the extra mile, even to the carpool line, in order to make their lives easier.

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Core Spirit of London, England won the Stevie Award for Best New Company of the Year in The 2009 International Business Awards. Founded in 2007, Core Spirit designs, manufactures and distributes high-quality fashion to 20-35 year olds. The company was founded by Nelli Mackenzie, Managing Director and owner. Born in Russia, Nelli is a graduate of Moscow’s Plekhanov University, where she obtained MAs in both Economics and Information Systems in Economics. 

		Read Core Spirit's Stevie Award-winning Entry ...

Blogs, or web logs, are all the rage these days. Each month in this space we'll point you to several blogs that we think might be of interest to you.

Publishing 2.0 : A blog about how technology is transforming media, news, and journalism.
The Broadroom: Sex and the City creator Candace Bushnell's new Web series that takes "a humorous look at women in the workplace addressing everything from breast feeding, to relationships, to male bosses."
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: See Emmy host Neil Patrick Harris's online musical on Hulu.
The Expat Blog: Need a change of scene? Visit this living-abroad guide--by expats, for expats.