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AFSMI Announces S-Business Award Winners for 2007

Excellence in services recognized at AFSMI’s 37th S-Business World Conference and Expo

SAN DIEGO, CA – October 2, 2007 -- The Association for Services Management International (AFSMI), the services industry source for best practices, thought leadership, trends, and information, announced the 2007 recipients of its prestigious George O. Harmon Award, the Tom Evans Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2007 inductees into the esteemed AFSMI President’s Club at its 37th S-Business World Conference and Expo held September 16-18 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. Also honored were recipients of the AFSMI Writer’s Awards, as well as winners of Chapter of the Year, Innovative Chapter, and Circle of Excellence Awards.

“Throughout our 32-year history, AFSMI has been the catalyst for bringing services and support professionals together to meet our collective goals,” said John Schoenewald, executive director of AFSMI. “The S-Business Awards are about celebrating excellence in services. These executives lead by example and demonstrate how important leadership is to this business we all share. Recognizing this fine group of services veterans is an honor that we can all be proud of.”

George O. Harmon Award

Tom Schlick, COO, XATA Corporation
Honors an individual in the s-business industry who has made important contributions to his or her company, the industry, and AFSMI. Tom is a well-respected services industry veteran who has played an active role in AFSMI since 1988.

Tom Evans Lifetime Achievement Award

Masafumi Kohmoto, President, Service Strategies, Inc.
Presented in recognition of a lifetime of accomplishment in the services management arena. Masafumi previously had a long and distinguished career at Hitachi. He has been a member of AFSM International since 1985, co-founded the Samurai Chapter in 1989, and currently serves as its president.

AFSMI Writer’s Awards (three categories)

Steven Wu, Global Planning Manager, Services Business, Emerson Network Power, and Charles O’Donnell, Vice President, Professional Services, Services Business, Emerson Network Power (Services/Support Management Category)
Thomas Lah, Cofounder and Executive Director, Technology Professional Services Association (TPSA) (Special Discipline Category)
Laurie Young, Author and Industry Veteran (Professional Writers and Consultants Category)
AFSMI Writer’s Awards honor writing excellence in the Sbusiness journal, the services industry’s most highly respected publication.

AFSMI Chapter Awards (three categories)

Chapter of the Year Award
Switzerland Chapter
Presented in recognition of its tremendous support of AFSMI’s S-Business Europe Services Leadership Conference held in Zurich in April of this year.
Innovative Chapter Award
Finger Lakes Chapter
Honored for its innovative and creative ideas in chapter operations, including a unique and information-rich electronic newsletter.
Circle of Excellence Award
Gary Ross, AFSMI Ohio Chapter President
Honors an AFSMI chapter president who has excelled in his or her role as president. Under Gary’s leadership, the chapter has flourished with a very active, enthusiastic, and expanding membership base.

AFSMI President’s Club

This prestigious club is made up of a growing cast of AFSMI members who have contributed their time and energy to the Association by their participation, promotion, and commitment to the industry and AFSMI over a period of years. The 2007 inductees are:

Nancy Alm, Vice President, Compucom
Gary Ross, President, Cott Systems
Bill Pollock, President, Strategies For Growth
Chris Farnath, Senior Director, Customer Support Europe & Africa, Aspect Software
Bob McKeon, Liaison, MIS
Roy Steele, President, Roshar Associates, LLC
Mike Shelor, President, Shelor Consulting, Inc.

This year’s conference continued the long-standing tradition of providing conference attendees with world-class keynote headliners, thought-provoking speakers, in-depth case studies, extensive networking, and an expansive technology showcase of solutions for the services and support industry.

About AFSMI

Founded in 1975, the Association for Services Management International (AFSMI) is the global leader in helping service professionals and field services organizations deliver more value for their customers. AFSMI members range from major Global 2000 companies to smaller, regional players and individual service professionals. AFSMI is internationally recognized for its 30 years of experience delivering service industry research, training and education programs, and industry events. For more information, or to join AFSMI, visit www.afsmi.com.

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Media Contact:

Diane Brundage, SVP Marketing & Volume Operations
TPSA
(408) 354-7136
dbrundage@tpsaonline.com