Menomonie, WI - On September 14, 2000, the annual "Excellence in Advertising" awards banquet sponsored by the Western Wisconsin Ad Club took place at the Eau Claire Golf and Country Club. The Western Wisconsin Ad Club exists to provide a forum of information (in the form of seminars and events) and recognition (in the form of its annual competition) for superior work produced in the Western Wisconsin region.

This year's banquet honored the work of several firms, most notably DBD International located in the Stout Technology Park in Menomonie. Through August 2000, DBD had received three silver awards (all for companies in Menomonie) from the annual 2000 Summit Creative Awards plus recognition from Mobius Awards, Applied Arts Magazine (Toronto), Golden Screen Awards 2000, Print Magazine, and Sappi Paper (Best in Midwest Region). Additionally, the work of the firm has been selected for publication in three separate books (two national and one in Japan) displaying DBD's design and identity work. To add to this already impressive list of industry recognition, DBD was awarded with 15 (fifteen) industry awards recognizing work for DBD's local and national clients, and marking the third consecutive year DBD was awarded Best of Show in the Print category. Of considerable interest was the recognition given the work produced for the local clients, namely 24-7 Telcom, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Legend Studios and West Wind Graphics-three of which are in Menomonie with Legend Studios being based out of Eau Claire.

While print work represents the majority of the awards DBD received, the firm also garnered awards for their radio work, highly featured in the two campaigns (winning 1st and 2nd place in the "Campaign" category) produced for 24-7 Telcom. The only awards issued at the Annual Banquet are 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners judged by professionals operating outside the West Wisconsin area: The awards presented were:

Logo Design, First Place, Client: Portofino International Bank, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Logo Design, Second Place, Client: Minnesota Applied Study Technology, Minneapolis, MN Logo Design, Third Place, Client: Design Fanatic, Clearwater, FL Specialty Advertising, First Place, Client: Trade Only Design Library, Clearwater, FL Specialty Advertising, Second Place, Client: DBD International (Self-promo), Menomonie, WI Specialty Advertising, Third Place, Client: SuperBoost/Sunbelt Software, Clearwater, FL Radio-Image "Operation Overkill," First Place, Client: 24-7 Telcom, Menomonie, WI Brochure Design-Less than 4-Color, First Place, Client: Legend Studios, Eau Claire, WI Brochure Design-More than 4-Color, First Place, Client: West Wind Graphics, Eau Claire, WI Direct Mail, First Place, Client: 24-7 Telcom, Menomonie, WI Print Miscellaneous, First Place, Client: U.W. Stout-CEC Newsletter, Menomonie, WI Print Miscellaneous, Second Place, Client: U.W. Stout-CEC News Poster, Menomonie, WI Complete Campaign, First Place, Client: 24-7 Telcom-1st Quarter Campaign, Menomonie, WI Complete Campaign, Second Place, Client: 24-7 Telcom-2nd Quarter Campaign, Menomonie, WI Best of Show (Print Category), Client: U.W. Stout-CEC Newsletter, Menomonie, WI

The Best of Show was awarded to the inaugural issue of CEC News, a newsletter whose cover was conceived and illustrated by David Brier, Creative Director and President of DBD International, Ltd.. The image was designed to convey the simplicity of "knowledge as the end product, easily accessible to anyone, represented here by the thick book on the chair that this department provides to vocational rehab professionals nationwide."

The 24-7 campaigns consist of direct mail, print promotions and radio advertisements which DBD has been doing since the fall of 1999. Winning four top place awards was 24-7 Telcom. Melanie Sahs, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at 24-7 Telcom, states, "DBD International provided 24-7 Telcom with an identity that positions us in the competitive telephone marketplace against a well-established incumbent provider. That identity, linked with an award-winning marketing campaign composed of radio, newspaper, outdoor and direct mail advertising, has proven very successful for us in a very competitive marketplace. So much so, that our return on our marketing efforts is well-above industry standards, helping us establish a whole new level of expectations. Thanks to DBD International, 24-7 Telcom is now perceived as a high-tech, local telecommunications company offering services you would normally expect to get from one of those 'big telcos' as our billboard so clearly states."

DBD International specializes in corporate and brand identity, corporate literature, packaging, promotional literature, and online applications to enable companies to reach their full potential in the marketplace. DBD International is located in the Stout Technology Park at 406 Technology Drive West, Menomonie, WI, 54751. Phone: 715- 235-9040; Fax: 715-235-9323; Email: info@dbdintl.com

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