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PRESS RELEASE
Cisco Systems Names 21st Century
Group
Runner-Up in Cisco Growing with Technology Award
Ceremony
(Kihei, HI October 22, 2002) 21st
Century Group was named RUNNER-UP in the Sales & Marketing category of the
Cisco Growing with Technology Awards. Winners were announced during a
ceremony at the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel yesterday.
21st Century Group
was recognized for using the internet and networking technology to overcome the
geographic location and time zone barriers which many Hawaii based companies
face when trying to expand beyond Hawaii’s shores. Since implementing this
technology, the company is now able to operate anywhere in the world with little
regard for time and location.
The Cisco Growing with
Technology Awards program is designed to recognize small and medium-sized
businesses that demonstrate how networking technology solutions can effectively
address business challenges and drive growth and profitability. The winners of
the program serve as role models and best practices for other
businesses that want to use technology to fuel growth and compete
more effectively. A panel of seven judges selected 12 winners in four
categories from more than 300 applications.
“We are absolutely thrilled to
be recognized by Cisco Systems for our efforts,” said Brian DiMartino, company
president. “21st Century Group started as a company focused solely
on Hawaii but this technology has enabled us to grow in ways that we only
dreamed about in our early days. Just two months ago, we opened an office in
Phoenix, AZ and that office is connected into our Hawaii office utilizing a
high-speed virtual private network. Most importantly, all of the technology we
have integrated into our operation is relatively inexpensive and readily
available to anyone,” he concluded.
The panel of judges is composed
of a diverse, cross-section of small and medium business representatives.
Members include: Joe Diodati, Cisco Systems; Josh Hyatt, executive editor, FSB:
Fortune Small Business magazine; Geri Spieler, research director, Gartner/G2;
Heather Alter, editor-in-chief, iQ magazine; Ray Boggs, vice president of
small business and home office research, IDC; Dr. Christian Dussart, senior
lecturer, Sloan school of management, MIT; and Mark Quinn, district director,
Small Business Administration.
“Selecting winners for the
Cisco Growing with Technology Award was a challenging process for our
judging panel because we received so many quality applications from companies
who have dramatically improved their business through the use of technology,”
said Joe Diodati, director of market development/field marketing for Cisco’s
Worldwide Commercial Market Segment, and judge for the Cisco Growing with
Technology Awards. “21st Century Group was selected because their
company stood out as a company that used networking technology to
create sustainable, competitive differentiation, while improving operational
efficiencies and effectiveness, resulting in increased revenues and higher
profitability.”
21st Century Group
is a hotel site selection company specializing in Hawaii and other well known
destinations throughout the world. The company also maintains an expansive
database that it uses to support group marketing efforts of hotels, destinations
and other entities interested in reaching the group markets.
Contact: Bobbi
Lempert
Phone: 808-875-6920
E-mail:
bobbi@21stcenturygroup.com
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