Company: MWW Group, East Rutherford, NJ
Company Description: MWW Group is a full-service public relations and marketing communications firm headquartered in East Rutherford, NJ, with offices 11 offices worldwide. Known for its results-driven approach to public relations and one of the nation’s top ten public relations firms, MWW Group was named Agency of the Year by TheHolmes Report and Midsize Agency of the Year by PR News.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Communications Executive

Nomination Title: Michael W. Kempner - CEO of MWW Group

1. Tell the story about what this nominee achieved in the past year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

“If you want to analyze a corporation, read its financial statements. If you
want to plumb its soul, talk to its CEO.” — Fortune

To see into the soul of MWW Group, you needn't look any further than Michael W.
Kempner, president and CEO. Even with the responsibilities of leading five
companies—MWW Group, The Financial Relations Board, Stone America Licensing,
Amplify Sports and Entertainment, and Mediamixx—he's on the front lines every
day working with and mentoring his team. He lends insights and opinions on
their projects, leads new business pitches, chimes in on brainstorming
sessions and regularly interacts with clients to make sure MWW Group is
exceeding their expectations.

As a result of his efforts, 2006 was a banner year for MWW Group. We were named
Agency of the Year by the Holmes Report, Midsize Agency of the Year by PR News
and among the "Best Places to Work in N.J." by NJ BIZ magazine. Our employee
retention rate remains among the highest in the industry, and with 95 top-tier
new clients added to our roster, MWW Group experienced a 12 percent increase in
top line growth and record net revenues of nearly $43 million. Major account
wins included Samsung, Volkswagen of America, Ball Park Franks, Jimmy Dean,
Gardenburger, The Motley Fool, ING Direct and many more. New business wins
enabled the opening of three additional offices in Irvine,Calif., London, and
Dallas.

Kempner continually innovates how MWW Group approaches business through diverse
service offerings; in 2006 alone, he launched new practices specializing in
education, content creation, sustainable technology and Web 2.0 press release
optimization to add to our already comprehensive list of service offerings.

MWW Group celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, and in honor of that
achievement, Kempner has stepped up his commitment to being an active community
partner. In addition to continuing MWW Group's Community Works volunteering
initative, he pledged $1 million in services to the Clinton Global Initiative
in support of organizations that help fight poverty, disease and global
warming. In the same spirit, he also made MWW Group an environmentally
conscious and carbon-netural organization through our MWW Group Green
initiative. 

Kempner's business savvy and strategy has been lauded by business professionals
across several industries, and he was a featured speaker at the 2006 New York
Times Business Summit, discussing how to creatively position yourself and your
company to gain attention in a cluttered marketplace. "We set out to be a big
fish in a small pond," he explained. "By locating in New Jersey, we were among
the state's biggest agencies within a few years. In Manhattan we would have
been a little agency. We got noticed in New Jersey."

Kempner has built MWW Group from a one-office start-up with one employee and
one client into the fastest-growing firm in public relations history. It's
through his leadership that MWW Group sets the bar for outstanding performance
within the PR industry higher each year.

2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

Michael Kempner in the News:

PRWeek article highlighting MWW Group, CEO and President, Michael Kempner
http://video.mww.com/StevieAwardsBestCommsExec/PRWeek_7.10.06.doc

Wall Street Journal feature on Michael Kempner’s Top 5 Books About PR
http://video.mww.com/StevieAwardsBestCommsExec/Wall_Street_Journal_11.25.06.doc

Michael quoted in PRWeek feature on Client Relationships
http://video.mww.com/StevieAwardsBestCommsExec/Client_Relationships.doc

Speaking engagements Michael participated in
http://video.mww.com/StevieAwardsBestCommsExec/MWK_Speaking_Engagements.doc

Michael quoted on Odwyers.com regarding PA issues
http://video.mww.com/StevieAwardsBestCommsExec/Odwyerpr.com_2.1.2007.doc

PRWeek Lead by Example feature
http://video.mww.com/StevieAwardsBestCommsExec/Lead_by_Example_PRWeek.doc

MWW Group Named Mid-Sized Agency of the Year by PRNews
http://video.mww.com/StevieAwardsBestCommsExec/PRNEWS_Awards_-_FINAL_11.7.06.doc

MWW Group Named Agency of the Year by the Holmes Report
http://video.mww.com/StevieAwardsBestCommsExec/The_Holmes_Report_Agency_of_the_Year
_-_Final_3.13.06.doc

3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:

Michael W. Kempner is the founder, president and CEO of MWW Group, one of the
top 10 public relations firms. Prior to its sale to the Interpublic Group,
Kempner built MWW Group into the nation’s 4th largest PR firm. A recognized
authority on communications, Kempner's expertise includes consumer marketing,
public affairs and crisis communications for global brands, including
Continental Airlines, Oxford Health Plans and Sun Microsystems. He has been
honored with PRNews' Lifetime Achievement Award and PRSA's PR Professional of
the Year. He is Chairman of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and an active
participant in the Clinton Global Initiative.