Cisco Systems Names 21^st Century Group

Runner-Up in Cisco Growing with Technology Awards Ceremony

(Kihei, HI  October 22, 2002)  21^st Century Group was named a RUNNER-UP in the Sales & Marketing category of the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards.  Winners were announced during a ceremony at the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel yesterday.

21^st Century Group was recognized for using the internet and networking technology to overcome the geographic location and time zone barriers which many Hawaii based companies face when trying to expand beyond Hawaii’s shores.  Since implementing this technology, the company is now able to operate anywhere in the world with little regard for time and location. 

The Cisco Growing with Technology Awards program is designed to recognize small and medium-sized businesses that demonstrate how networking technology solutions can effectively address business challenges and drive growth and profitability.  The winners of the program serve as role models and best practices for other businesses that want to use technology to fuel growth and compete more effectively.  A panel of seven judges selected 12 winners in four categories from more than 300 applications. 

“We are absolutely thrilled to be recognized by Cisco Systems for our efforts,” said Brian DiMartino, company president.  “21^st Century Group started as a company focused solely on Hawaii but this technology has enabled us to grow in ways that we only dreamed about in our early days.  Just two months ago, we opened an office in Phoenix, AZ and that office is connected into our Hawaii office utilizing a high-speed virtual private network.  Most importantly, all of the technology we have integrated into our operation is relatively inexpensive and readily available to anyone,” he concluded.

The panel of judges is composed of a diverse, cross-section of small and medium business representatives. Members include: Joe Diodati, Cisco Systems; Josh Hyatt, executive editor, FSB: Fortune Small Business magazine; Geri Spieler, research director, Gartner/G2; Heather Alter, editor-in-chief, iQ magazine; Ray Boggs, vice president of small business and home office research, IDC; Dr. Christian Dussart, senior lecturer, Sloan school of management, MIT; and Mark Quinn, district director, Small Business Administration.

“Selecting winners for the Cisco Growing with Technology Award was a challenging process for our judging panel because we received so many quality applications from companies who have dramatically improved their business through the use of technology,” said Joe Diodati, director of market development/field marketing for Cisco’s Worldwide Commercial Market Segment, and judge for the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards. “21^st Century Group was selected because their company stood out as a company that used networking technology to create sustainable, competitive differentiation, while improving operational efficiencies and effectiveness, resulting in increased revenues and higher profitability.”

21^st Century Group is a hotel site selection company specializing in Hawaii and other well known destinations throughout the world.  The company also maintains an expansive database that it uses to support group marketing efforts of hotels, destinations and other entities interested in reaching the group markets.

Contact:        Bobbi Lempert

Phone:          808-875-6920