Dell, NFIB Call for Small-Business Execellence Award Entries

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Dell and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) are on the hunt for small businesses using technology in innovative ways for the third annual Small-Business Excellence Award program. The winner will receive a technology makeover with $30,000 in Dell products and services, as well as a lifetime membership to NFIB and a full day with Dell executives, including Chairman Michael Dell, at the company’s headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. In addition, nine finalists will receive a Dell Latitude notebook and a one-year membership to NFIB.

“Technology is a differentiating factor for many small businesses regardless of what they sell or services they provide. That was true for us when we were a small business, and remains so today,” Dell said. “We want to hear from small businesses that are using technology in innovative ways to serve customers and improve productivity, and reward the most exemplary firms for their efforts.”

According to NFIB President and CEO Jack Faris, small businesses represent a key growth area for the U.S. economy. “Greater use of technology is one consistent factor we see among businesses that grow the fastest,” Faris said. “It can make all the difference in how a company expands its capabilities and delivers the best possible experience to its customers.”

A recent study conducted by AMI-Partners found that small businesses strategically using information technology are realizing dramatic increases in revenue and growth. These companies are using IT to help improve employee productivity, achieve parity with larger competitors, better interact with larger suppliers and partners, and meet evolving business needs.

“These innovative companies are proof that even very small firms without the luxury of full-time IT staff can use an integrated IT approach to gain substantial business rewards,” said Laurie McCabe, a vice president at AMI-Partners.
 
Established in 2004, the Dell/NFIB award program honors small businesses that instill the spirit of innovation and apply information technology to help improve customer experience.

Entrants must be a small business with 100 or fewer employees. Each must show how it has used information technology to drive a significant change or develop a competitive advantage in delivering superior customer value and experience. For a complete description of the criteria, rules and regulations, and to get an application, visit www.dell.com/ceaward. Submissions will be accepted online through Feb. 24, 2006. No purchase or entry fee is required.

The winner will be announced in June at the 2006 NFIB National Small-Business Summit in Washington, D.C. Previous winners include Dr. Timothy Kriss (2005), a rural Kentucky neurosurgeon and small-business owner who created a mobile medical office on Dell notebooks, and Donald Gardner Architects (2004), a South Carolina design firm that uses its Web site to sell customized home plans worldwide.