9th Annual Leading Edge Awards to be Presented June 17
The College of Southern Marylands Corporate Center is searching for the 2009 Chief Executive Officer of the Year. In its ninth year of recognizing outstanding leadership within Southern Maryland, the Corporate Center awards this top honor at the annual Leading Edge Awards in June.
“Every CEO of the Year award has gone to an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to our community. Not only are these individuals excellent business people but their philanthropic contributions are also admirable. The Leading Edge Awards is an opportunity for our community to thank them again for their success and generosity,” said Alan Kutz, vice president of the Corporate and Community Training Institute.
Located in one of the fastest-growing regions in Maryland, the Southern Maryland business community and its CEOs face a unique set of financial, technological and workforce challenges, according to Kutz, and the Leading Edge Awards offer an opportunity to recognize those individuals responsible for encouraging economic growth and vigor in the region.
Kimberly Oliver of American Electronics, Inc. (Amelex) was recognized as the 2008 CEO of the Year, presented by CSMs Corporate Center. As CEO, Oliver is focused on customer support. A graduate of University of Maryland Baltimore County with a masters degree from the Florida Institute of Technology, Oliver first learned customer service working in the family grocery store. In 2003 Oliver and Dawn Rich bought Amelex where they have established a dynamic company with four core products: engineering services, program management, information technology and facilities management. In just five years, these women entrepreneurs doubled not only the Amelex workforce to more than 100 but also its revenue.
Other CEOs of the Year have been Gore Bolton, Wayne Swann, Luther Grainger, Christine Stefanides, Greg Billups, Joe Yearta, and Lloyd Harrison III.
Nominations for CEOs that deserve recognition for their contribution to the economic vitality of Southern Maryland—CEOs who inspire their organizations, exude success and make a difference in our community—may be submitted through Feb. 13.
CEO nomination criteria and online nomination forms are available at http://www.corporatecenter.csmd.edu. To qualify, nominees must be with a business located within Charles, Calvert or St. Marys counties, be in a position of leadership in a Southern Maryland business (private sector), and be available to attend the ceremony, 6 to 9:30 p.m., June 17, 2009 at the Greater Waldorf Jaycees Community Center.
For information, call 301-934-7585 or 301-870-2309, Ext. 7585 for Charles County; 240-725-5499, Ext. 7585 for St. Marys County or 443-550-6199, Ext. 7585 for Calvert County or visit www.corporatecenter.csmd.edu.