As the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) continues its pursuit of excellence, we are pleased to have been recognized by several national and regional organizations for projects developed through our regional economic development program.

 

The Association of Marketing & Communication Professionals (AMCP) has once again acknowledged BRAC by awarding it with a platinum and gold award in its annual MarCom Awards competition.  The international organization consists of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media production, and free-lance professionals.  MarCom’s prestigious platinum award is presented to those entries judged to be among the most outstanding entries in the competition. BRAC’s 2009 platinum was awarded in the Writing/White Paper category for its white paper, entitled Advancing PBRC to Preeminence: Securing Louisiana’s Knowledge-based Economic Foundation, which details a strategy for elevating Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC) to a hierarchical position of biomedical research institutes.  MarCom’s gold award is presented to those entries judged to exceed the high standards of the industry norm.  BRAC received a gold in the Marketing/Promotion Campaign/Special Events category for its BRAC Impact 2009: Results program.  BRAC Impact is BRAC’s yearly event.

 

Blane, Canada Ltd. recognized the Baton Rouge Area Chamber with a “Critical Business Partner” award for its business retention and expansion program, a top priority in its five-year economic development initiative, The Campaign for a Greater Baton Rouge.  The top honor was granted for BRAC’s positive impact on existing businesses in the Capital Region.  Blane, Canada Ltd. is the industry leader for existing business portfolio management tools.    
 
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) acknowledged BRAC in October 2009 for its multi-year economic development endeavor, The Campaign for a Greater Baton Rouge. BRAC was awarded an Honorable Mention for the multi-year campaign. The IEDC Excellence in Economic Development Awards internationally recognizes the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders. 

 

BRAC has once again been recognized by the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) with the Best of Show award in their Literature and Promotion Awards competition for its 2008 Annual Report.  The competition honors work by organizations in a seventeen-state region.  This is the third time in four years that BRAC took home top honors—receiving the Best of Show recognition for both the 2006 Annual Report in 2007 and The Campaign for a Greater Baton Rouge in 2006.  The prestigious award came with six others, earning BRAC the most awards in the nation.  In addition to winning Best of Show, BRAC’s 2008 Annual Report also received the Best of Class and Superior Award.  Also winning Superior awards were Catalyst, the quarterly publication about The Campaign for a Greater Baton Rouge, and the live newscast program from the BRAC Impact 2009: RESULTS annual event.  Completing the list of awards was BRAC’s Welcome Back to Baton Rouge workforce recruitment campaign website, www.welcomebacktobr.com, which earned an Excellent award, and BRAC’s 2009 Agenda: Geared for Innovation document, which won a Merit award.

 

BRAC has been recognized for the third year in a row by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) with several national awards in their Awards for Communication Excellence (ACE) competition. The ACE program is a competition designed to recognize, honor, reward, and celebrate the achievements of outstanding communication programs, campaigns, and projects, and includes all areas of "communication excellence." Receiving honors were BRAC's 2007 Annual Report; Catalyst, the quarterly report of The Campaign for a Greater Baton Rouge; and the Baton Rouge Area Digital Industries Consortium (BRADIC) Viewfinder direct mail piece. The three winning entries received an Excellence Award, Merit Award, and Honor Award, respectively. All three were designed in partnership with local marketing, public relations, and creative services firm Object 9.

A welcome compliment (and complement) to our national marketing program is recognition for outstanding creative work and design.  BRAC is pleased to announce our 2007 Annual Report and BRADIC "Be Here" Viewfinder both won ADDY awards, a Gold and Silver, respectively, in March.  The prestigious awards were earned by Object 9, the local marketing, public relations, and creative services firm who designed them for BRAC.

 

The 2008 Create Awards presented one gold and two silvers for BRAC's 2007 Annual Report. The gold was included in their Touch & Feel category, while the silvers were designated as part of the Design Collateral and Collateral Advertising categories, respectively. The Create Awards is a top-flight international creative competition. The 2007 Annual Report was developed in partnership with Baton Rouge-based marketing, public relations, and creative services firm, Object 9.

The Association of Marketing & Communication Professionals (AMCP) also recognized BRAC's 2007 Annual Report by awarding it two golds in its MarCom competition. The MarCom Awards is an international competition for marketing and communication professionals involved in the concept, writing, and design of marketing and communication programs and print, visual, and audio materials. The annual report was nominated in both the Annual Report and Annual Report Interior categories. AMCP's MarCom Awards, which is in its thirteenth year, honored BRAC's Catalyst 4th Quarter 2007 magazine with a platinum award, as well as two honorable mentions. The platinum was in the association's Design/Magazine category, while the honorable mentions were for Design/Magazine Cover and Design/Magazine Interior. As was the case with the annual report, the Catalyst issue was created in conjunction with Object 9.

For the third year in a row, BRAC was recognized by the nation's leading economic development research association, The Center for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). BRAC's strategy for transforming LSU into a top-tier public research university, entitled Transforming LSU into a Premier Public Research University: An Investment in Louisiana's Economic Future, was awarded C2ER's Applied Community & Economic Research Award in the category for "a non-profit membership organization representing community and economic development research and analysis."

 

BRAC was also recognized by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) with 8 awards in their Awards for Communication Excellence (ACE) competition. The ACE program is designed to honor, reward, and celebrate the achievements of outstanding communication programs, campaigns, and projects, and includes all areas of "communication excellence." BRAC's 2006 Annual Report and BRAC's Business Development Direct Mail both won grand awards and will compete for Best In Show at ACCE’s 2008 Convention in August. LA Ethics 1 and LIVE! both won excellence awards.  Catalyst the quarterly report on The Campaign for a Greater Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge Area City Guide and BRAC Impact 2007: Live! all won merit awards.  The Baton Rouge Area Canvas Workshop received an honorable mention nod.

BRAC was the recipient of several ADDY Awards in 2008. The collateral for the Canvas Workshop, developed by MESH Design, was recognized with a Gold ADDY. Also winning Gold ADDYs were Catalyst the quarterly report on The Campaign for a Greater Baton Rouge and BRAC’s 2006 Annual Report. The Annual Report also received a Judge’s Award. Both Catalyst and the 2006 Annual Report were produced in partnership with Baton Rouge area design firm Object 9.

 

BRAC's 2006 Annual Report received Second Place in the Annual Report Design category of the American Design Awards. The semi-annual contest recognizes creative excellence in design and business. The 2006 Annual Report was designed in cooperation with local agency Object 9.

 

BRAC was recognized with four awards in the Southern Economic Development Council's 2007 Literature Awards Competition. In addition to winning Best In Show for the 2006 Annual Report, BRAC received the Superior Award. Catalyst , the quarterly publication about The Campaign for a Greater Baton Rouge, received a Superior ranking in the Newsletters and Newspapers Category. BRAC's Business Development Project books were also honored with the Construction Materials book receiving Excellent marks in the Tailored Reports Category.

 

The Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) is the oldest and largest regional economic development association in North America. It has members in 17 states in the American South including: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

 

For the second year in a row, BRAC received the highest overall rated submission from C2ER’s annual conference. BRAC’s research project on public education in the Baton Rouge Area, Perception, Reality, and Reform, was recognized by the Center for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). This Applied Community and Economic Research Award was given for excellence in research that supported collaborative community/regional initiatives. The 5-part research series analyzed 11 public school districts, compared them with similar districts in other states, and then came up with a plan of reforms for the schools. Also awarded by this group were the Dallas Chamber, University of Texas El Paso, and Statewide Business and Economic research centers for Indiana and Missouri.

 

In May, BRAC was recognized by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) with several national awards in their Awards for Communication Excellence (ACE) competition. The ACE program is designed to honor, reward, and celebrate the achievements of outstanding communication programs, campaigns, and projects, and includes all areas of "communication excellence."

 

BRAC won the most awards of any organization in the country. All nine of its entries in the competition received awards.

 

Receiving top honors was Revolution, the documentary about the transformation of BRAC and the future of the regional economy produced for BRAC's 2006 annual event. Revolution received the Grand Award, and ACCE’s Best In Show Award as the best communication piece in the country. The film was produced in partnership with Panoramic Productions and Wish Picture Shows; it featured a host of regional community leaders, local actor Jamie Wax, and musical performances by the LSU Gospel Choir.

Several projects received Excellence Awards. Those included BRAC's annual event BRAC IMPACT 2006: Revolution and its 2005 Annual Report, Welcome to the Revolution. Welcome to the Revolution was designed in partnership with local firm Object 9. Also winning at this level were the 2006 Canvas Workshop to Raleigh-Durham, NC, and the campaign supporting BRAC's extensive research series on public education, Perception, Reality, and Reform.

Receiving Merit Awards were the Baton Rouge City Guide, published in partnership with the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, and Catalyst, the quarterly report for investors in The Campaign for a Greater Baton Rouge.

BRAC Insider, the bi-weekly e-newsletter for BRAC members, and Insights for Action: Baton Rouge Area Economic Forum, the event forecasting the 2006 economy, both received Honorable Mentions from the judges.

BRAC also received a Horizon Award in the nonprofit category for its Web site at www.brac.org and a Summit Award for the 2005 Annual Report Welcome to the Revolution.

BRAC was recognized by the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) with several awards in its Literature and Promotion Awards Competition. In the Medium Division, the BRAC Economic Development Campaign received the Best of Show Award, the Best of Class Award, and the Superior Award. The brochure sent to site selectors nationally outlining federal GO Zone incentives received an Excellent award in addition to the Special Judges Award for Technical Merit. BRAC's annual report, Welcome to the Revolution received the Excellent Award and Revolution, the independent film created for BRAC's annual event, received the Superior Award. BRAC's GO Zone brochure and annual report were designed by local firm Object 9 and Revolution was produced by a creative team put together by GreenScreenTV.

The Applied Community & Economic Research Award was presented to BRAC from the ACCRA -- the national council for community and economic research . The winning submission was Baton Rouge Area Economic Forum 2006: Insights for Action, which gave a post-Katrina economic outlook for the Baton Rouge area. The project was developed in association with The Stanford Group and the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report.

In order to better communicate BRAC's regional focus, a re-branding campaign was developed and launched in late 2005. These efforts earned us an American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) Merit Award. The campaign was created in partnership with local communications firm, Object 9.

For our original documentary film Revolution, BRAC received a coveted Telly Award. The film, which was produced for our annual event, BRAC Impact 2006: Revolution, chronicles BRAC's transformation into a regional economic development organization; it was produced by GreenScreen TV and directed by John Darling Haynes. The award honors outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs.

Stephen Moret, BRAC's President and CEO, was selected as one of 30 individuals nationally to complete a Ford Foundation Regionalism and Sustainable Development Fellowship. The fellowship is an 18-month educational experience for regional leaders working to develop and sustain economic prosperity through regional strategies.