Sage North America Announces Customer Awards Program Finalists

Sage North America Announces Customer Awards Program Finalists

Atlanta , GA - Nov 03, 2009 - Sage North America, whose business management software and services are used by more than 2.9 million small and midsize businesses in the United States and Canada, announced today the finalists in its second annual Customer Awards Program. Seventeen companies in six categories are recognized as award finalists, with the winners being announced during the Sage Summit conference in Atlanta, GA on November 9th.p>

Each finalist achieved extraordinary results for its business with the use of Sage North America products. For example, SAC International Steel, Inc., an international leading distributor and exporter of prime, excess, and secondary metal products, had tremendous difficulty integrating their global offices. After implementing Sage SalesLogix and Sage MAS 200 ERP, the company experienced a 140% increase in revenue as a result of an automated matching and system generated communications program, customized within SalesLogix to match buyers and sellers of SAC International Steel’s products.

Another company, Creation Entertainment, premier event promoter for over 40 years, was searching for a completely integrated system that could handle their unique industry requirements for both front-end (website event information, ticketing ordering mechanism and online merchandise cart) and back-end customer service (order tracking, ticketing delivery system and event merchandise inventory). With Sage MAS 200 ERP, the company established a comprehensive system that has helped them decrease their variable costs by over 40%, while doubling their company’s revenue.p>

The seventeen finalists fall into the following categories:

Best Use of Customization
The Best Use of Customization Award will be given to a Sage customer who has customized their product to meet an industry-specific or business-specific need leading to a sustained competitive advantage. The 2009 finalists are:

• Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS), Rockville, MD, using Sage MAS 500 ERP
• SAC International Steel, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, using Sage SalesLogix and Sage MAS 200 ERP
• SMS Systems Maintenance Services, Charlotte, NC, using Sage MAS 500 ERP and Sage FAS Fixed Assets

Community Stewardship
The Community Stewardship Award will be given to a Sage customer whose use of a Sage application has helped them make a positive impact on the local, national, or global community to better the lives of the people these organizations serve. The 2009 finalists are:

• Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Tampa, FL, using Sage Accpac ERP and SageCRM
• Teach For America, New York, NY, using Sage SalesLogix
• WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA, Inc., Orlando, FL, using Sage MIP Fund Accounting and Sage FAS Fixed Assets

Best End-to-End Deployment
The Best End-to-End Deployment Award will be given to a Sage customer who has implemented multiple Sage solutions and achieved great success with them, demonstrating the combined benefits that stand-alone implementations could not achieve. The 2009 finalists are:

• Nashville Wire Products, Nashville, TN, using Sage MAS 500 ERP, Sage SalesLogix and Sage Abra HRMS
• Power Curbers, Inc., Salisbury, NC, using Sage MAS 500 ERP, Sage SalesLogix and Sage FAS Fixed Assets

Best Innovation Award
The Best Innovation Award recognizes the extraordinary achievements of an organization that has adopted Sage applications as an enterprise-class solution for their industry. The 2009 finalists are:

• Creation Entertainment, Glendale, CA, using Sage MAS 200 ERP
• Entertainment Lighting Services, Inc., Sun Valley, CA, using Sage MAS 500 ERP
• Pacrim Hospitality Services Inc., Bedford, NS, using Sage Accpac ERP

Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year Award will be given to a first-year Sage customer who has demonstrated immediate business results and a positive impact from their Sage solution. The 2009 finalists are:

• Coilhose Pneumatics, East Brunswick, NJ, using Sage MAS 500 ERP
• Richmond Olympic Oval Corporation, Richmond, BC, using Sage Accpac ERP and Sage FAS Fixed Assets
• Triangle Suspension Systems, Inc., DuBois, PA, using Sage MAS 500 ERP and Sage SalesLogix

Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to a Sage customer who has demonstrated tremendous success with a Sage product for more than 10 years. The 2009 finalists are:

• Amix Salvage & Sales Ltd., Surrey, BC, Sage Accpac ERP and SageCRM
• ATTIC Correctional Services, Madison, WI, Sage Accpac ERP
• Genzyme, Framingham, MA, Sage SalesLogix

All nominations for awards were made by Sage business partners, certified consultants, and Sage customers themselves. The winners will be chosen by an independent panel of judges, including: Denis Pombriant, founder and managing principal of Beagle Research; Paul Clolery, vice president and editorial director of NPT Publishing Group, and editor-in-chief of The NonProfit Times, and; Ramon Ray, editor and technology evangelist of Smallbiztechnology.com and a contributing editor for New York Enterprise Report.

For more information on the Sage Customer Awards Program please visit: http://www.sagenorthamerica.com/customer_resources/customer_awards_program
To learn more about Sage Summit and to register for the conference please visit: http://www.sagesummit.com/

About Sage North America
Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs more than 4,100 people and supports nearly 2.9 million small and medium-size business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 14,500 people and supports 5.8 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.sagenorthamerica.com.