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For Immediate Release

Charlene Turczyn named American Express Woman Contractor of the Year 2010

American Express OPEN Recognizes Business Owners for Government Contracting Success with Victory in Procurement (VIP) Awards

OPEN Helps Entrepreneurs with Government Contracting Best Practices at Chicago Event

Chicago, IL – November 5, 2010 – Today at the Government Contracting Procurement and Networking Event in Chicago, American Express OPEN®, the small business division of the financial services company, recognized three small business owners for their exceptional achievements in government contracting with the second iteration of the Victory in Procurement (VIP) Awards.

“Doing business with the government, at any level, is not a simple task. It takes nearly two years of trying to win the first federal contract, according to contractors who participated in OPEN’s VIP survey,” says Karen-Michelle Mirko, Director of Customer Advocacy at American Express OPEN. “For this, we are recognizing three outstanding business owners for their hard work, persistence and success in government contracting. They are proof that small businesses can benefit from working with the world’s largest customer.”

In 2009, the U.S. government spent $96.8 billion on products and services supplied by small businesses, including $33.5 billion with small, disadvantaged firms and $16.4 billion with women-owned small businesses.

At today’s event, hundreds of business owners will have the opportunity to network and learn the tools and strategies around marketing their business to the government, planning for federal contracting as a revenue stream and executing tactics such as teaming and subcontracting to better their chances of securing contracts.

Award winners present at the event are being recognized in the categories of Government Contractor of the Year, Woman Contractor of the Year and Teaming Contractor of the Year.  Nominees for the VIP awards were selected in collaboration with partners, Business Matchmaking (www.businessmatchmaking.com), Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) (www.giveme5.com) and SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" (www.score.org). Candidates provided details about their work and success in government contracting via a detailed application which were then deliberated over by a panel of judges. The winners are:

• Contractor of the Year awarded to Jennifer Bisceglie of McLean, VA-based Interos Solutions, Inc., a supply chain optimization company focusing on business process improvements, commercial technology implementation and risk management. Revenues from government contracting in 2010 are estimated at $3 million.
  

• Woman Contractor of the Year awarded to Charlene Turczyn of Springfield, IL-based CMW and Associates Corporation, a federal consulting firm providing professional services to the federal government in the form of information technology, construction management and e-learnings. Revenues from government contracting in 2010 are estimated at $5.9 million.

• Teaming Contractor of the Year awarded to Judy Sheppard of Vienna, WV-based Professional Services of America Inc., staffing resource company serving the government, medical, educational, industrial and commercial sectors. Revenues from government contracting in 2010 are estimated at $6.6 million.

The VIP awards are part of American Express OPEN’s Victory in Procurement™ (VIP) for Small Business initiative. Launched in 2009, VIP is a national program designed to help small business owners capitalize on the enormous growth opportunity provided through government contracts. By partnering with WIPP, SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" and Teaming USA (www.teamingusa.com), a partnership with Business Matchmaking, the program is helping business owners at every level of contract readiness.

About American Express OPEN
American Express OPEN is the leading payment card issuer for small businesses in the United States and supports business owners with products and services to help them run and grow their businesses. This includes business charge and credit cards that deliver purchasing power, flexibility, rewards, savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners and online tools and services designed to help improve profitability. Learn more at www.OPEN.com and connect with us at www.openforum.com, www.facebook.com/open and www.twitter.com/openforum.

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success.  Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.

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