New York, N.Y.–Business Roundtable’s Partnership for Disaster Response and Edelman, its communications agency of record, were honored with a gold SABRE award in the community relations category for exceptional work in leveraging private sector expertise and resources to create a more effective response to disasters. The SABRE awards, administered by The Holmes Group, recognize communication programs that demonstrate the highest standards of innovation, integrity, and effectiveness. Among the 163 finalists for the gold SABRE awards, 43 were selected to receive an award.
"I am very proud of the achievements of the Partnership for Disaster Response and the private sector’s commitment to helping communities after a crisis," said Johanna Schneider, executive director of external relations at Business Roundtable. "The SABRE awards are among the most competitive in the field. The recognition from this award further validates that Business Roundtable member companies are outstanding corporate citizens.”
Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers from leading U.S. companies, launched Partnership for Disaster Response in 2005 to expand corporate commitment – beyond financial contributions – to more effectively respond to natural disasters. The Partnership for Disaster Response aims to bring together the many resources and capabilities of the private sector to enhance and accelerate on-the-ground relief and recovery following major natural disasters in the United States and abroad. The program works to foster public-private collaborations to prepare for the health, social and economic burdens that disasters can create, and to ensure that the business community’s response efforts address the most critical needs while mobilizing the unique technologies and resources companies have to offer.
Edelman was named Business Roundtable’s Agency of Record in March 2007 and has been working with the organization to develop strategic communications programs across all its initiatives. It is the world’s largest independent public relations firm, with over 3,000 employees in 51 offices worldwide. Edelman was named “2008 Global Agency of the Year” by The Holmes Group, the same organization that awards the SABRE Awards, “Large Agency of the Year” by PRWeek, and a top-10 firm in the Advertising Age “2007 Agency A-List,” the first and only PR firm to receive this recognition. CEO Richard Edelman was honored as “2007 Agency Executive of the Year" by both Advertising Age and PRWeek.
This is Business Roundtable’s first SABRE award with Edelman and its second SABRE award overall. Last year, Business Roundtable won a bronze SABRE award for its creative and thought provoking bipartisan message to Congress in its issues ad campaign “Unfinished Business.”