ECCO Select Wins Contract to Support Department of Defense Information Technology Initiatives           VIEW ARTICLE USHCC Appoints Jeanette Prenger to Vice Chair Position           VIEW ARTICLE ECCO Select Supports the win/win Initiative to Increase the Number of Women on Boards and in Executive Roles           VIEW ARTICLE Jeanette Prenger is Small Business Champion of the Year           ECCO Select President Jeanette Prenger is the 2010 Small Business Administration's Region VII Minority Small Business Champion of the Year. This award is given to an individual who has fulfilled a commitment to support minority entrepreneurship. Criteria for winning this award includes: Volunteer efforts beyond business/professional responsibilities to advance minority small business interests within the community, state and/or nation. Demonstrated efforts to improve conditions in the minority small business community as a whole, not solely for individual personal advancement. Volunteer efforts to provide professional services to the minority small business community in a legal, legislative, managerial or financial capacity. Demonstrated accomplishments in advising minority small business groups of opportunities within the overall business community. Other accomplishments demonstrating the nominee’s merit as an effective advocate for minority small business interests. Ms. Prenger was selected for this award after competing with other individuals throughout the states of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Ms. Prenger was nominated by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City. Jeanette Prenger Named CEO of the Year           ECCO Select’s Jeanette Hernandez Prenger to be Honored with Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association Chief Executive Officer of the Year 2009 Award Kansas City, MO- December 8, 2009 – Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA) today presented Jeanette Hernandez Prenger, President of the Kansas City-based consulting firm ECCO Select, with the 2009 LISTA Chief Executive Officer of the Year Award. Ms. Prenger earned the honor for her long-standing commitment to the advancement of youth and the Kansas City Latino community in addition to her service on the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board in Washington, D.C. This is the first time that the award recipient is a Latina. As President of ECCO Select, Ms. Prenger has spearheaded the company’s business and financial strategy, helping propel ECCO Select to one of the 500 Fastest-Growing Hispanic-Owned Businesses in the Nation, according to HispanicBusiness.com. Outside of ECCO Select, Ms. Prenger’s contributions to business and the community are widely recognized. Recent awards include this year’s “Rising Stars of Philanthropy Award” from the Greater Kansas City Nonprofit Connect, a 2008 United States Hispanic Advocacy Association (USHAA) “Bravo Award for Best Practices” and in 2007, she received the AFLAC Civic Award for Hispanic Small Business. The Small Business Administration presented her with the 2006 SBA Kansas City District’s Small Business Person of the Year Award. Ms. Prenger also received the 2006 Dialog on Diversity Entrepreneurial Excellence Technology Mentor Award. Hispanic Trends recognized her as one of the Top 20 Most Influential Latinas in the United States in 2006. She was awarded the 2003 Carlos F. Cortes Humanitarian Award by the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Prenger serves on eleven boards that promote business, education and the arts. In addition, she funds scholarships through the KC Foundation and the greater Kansas City Hispanic Collaborative. “It is truly an honor to receive this recognition,” said Jeanette Prenger. “The core business of ECCO Select has always been information technology and an award from this organization affirms that the strategies and leadership have been recognized in creating high-performance organizations.   The Value of Women- and Minority-Owned Business Certification           ECCO Select President Jeanette Prenger recognizes how MBE/WBE certifications can open doors to create business. Read the full article.   ECCO Select President Jeanette Prenger is "Leading from the Front"           Kansas City Business profiles Jeanette Prenger and other individuals who are leading efforts to redefine the roles of women and minorities in business. Read the full article.   ECCO Select Honored with Center for Spirit at Work Award           Overland Park, KAN (October 5, 2009) - The Center for Spirit at Work has selected honorees for their first annual “Center for Spirit at Work Award,” according to Vince Sabia, Board Chair. They include ECCO Select, a consulting and resource management corporation founded by Jeanette Hernandez Prenger in 1995. The award recognizes businesses that have demonstrated integration of spirit into the workplace and have made a difference in productivity, health and ethical behavior for others. The Center for Spirit at Work’s mission is focused on the spiritual, ethical and social issues confronting today’s worker. The Center offers people of all beliefs the opportunity to explore this desire through a variety of programs including community leaders in business, labor, government, education and religion describe their aspirations, conduct and approach to daily challenges.   USHAA Press Release           USHAA ANNOUNCES 2009 NATIONAL BUSINESS COUNCIL FELLOWS 16 New Jersey Minority & Women Fellows Will Discuss Partnerships with Reps from Leading Construction Firm Washington, D.C. — The United States Hispanic Advisory Association, Inc. (USHAA) is pleased to announce the selection of its 2009 National Business Council (NBC) Fellows. The 25 female and minority Fellows have been chosen for their commitment to supplier diversity best practices and represent more than 10 industries in seven states and nearly $1 billion in annual revenue. The Fellows will gather for the first time on March 26, 2009, to meet with top sourcing representatives from Skanska USA Building Inc., at a Construction Industry Roundtable during a private function to be held in Roselle Park, New Jersey.   "Skanska prides itself on having one of the industry's most proactive diversity programs. Throughout the construction of the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, we have awarded $150 million in minority contracts," said Michael Sexton, Vice President of Business Development for Skanska, the Parsippany, NJ-based company building the New Meadowlands Stadium for the Jets and Giants. "Our goal in every project is to have the highest possible percentage of minority participation. USHAA has a stellar concept: to vet and prepare leading minority vendors who have the potential to become great partners for our future projects." The goal of the year-long NBC program is to generate a minimum of $10 million in incremental business opportunities for these minority and woman suppliers by introducing them to leading decision-makers in five key industries and various agencies in New York and New Jersey. USHAA tracks and reports on all new contracts facilitated by the program. “We’ve been working in the commercial and residential markets for more than ten years so we’re really looking forward to working with a company of such magnitude as Skanska, which has been very effective in creating jobs for minorities, ” said John Quinones, 2009 Fellow and president of All Action Architectural Metals & Glass, based in South Plainfield, NJ.   The 2009 Fellows work in diverse industries, including accounting, communications, law, diversity hiring, and interior decorating and supplies, with the majority of them concentrated in infrastructure/construction, healthcare, information technologies, energy and financial services.   “These are the industries we at USHAA feel will benefit most from federal economic stimulus programs, and in turn, contribute most meaningfully in the short term to the progress of our nation,” said USHAA’s Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Alex Garcia.   Because UHSAA’s guiding principles, as outlined in its 2009 Green Agenda, seek to promote capacity-building, accountability and partnering across the spectrum of minority and majority businesses, its Fellows are women and minorities of all backgrounds.   “As a woman who owns a business in the male-dominated world of technology, I'm thrilled at the opportunity to gain exposure to companies that boast solid histories of seeking out female contractors, companies that will value my firm's experience, professionalism and technical expertise,” said Graciela Diaz, owner of Omni Solutions International, LLC, a Warren, NJ, company that provides enterprise solutions to corporations and government agencies.   “I thank the US Hispanic Advocacy Association for reaching across racial lines to include entrepreneurs of all ethnicities. As we, the business community, endeavor to emerge from this economy stronger than we were before, it behooves us all - white, black, Hispanic, Asian, female - to work together. It is only by partnering with entities that make us more effective that we can most successfully forge our economic future,” said Fellow Richard Levychin, who is African-American and a Partner at KBL Eisner, LLC, a CPA and advisory firm in New York City.   The National Business Council is a highly competitive, year-long program led by USHAA that screens and selects 25 top minority suppliers from diverse communities.   The NBC 2009 Fellows are as follows:   Mr. John Quinones, President, All Action Architectural Metals & Glass, South Plainfield, NJ Ms. Alwine Schooff, President, American Interior Resources, Inc., Union, NJ Ms. Beatriz Manetta, President & CEO, Argent Associates, Inc., Edison, NJ Mr. Rafael Fabre, President & CEO, AUDITRe, LLC, Cranford, NJ Mr. Jesus Linares, President, BRS Relocations Services, Inc., Secaucus, NJ Ms. Luz Cárdenas, Founding Partner, CardenasGrant Communications, LLC, Philadelphia, PA Mr. Alex Garcia, RA, AICP, LEED® AP, Managing Director, Ceiba Design Group, LLC, Newark, NJ Mr. Daniel Quiles, Vice President, Circle Janitorial Supplies, Inc., Paterson, NJ Ms. Aida Desoto, President, Concept Office Furnishings, Inc., Teterboro, NJ Mr. Jorge Gomez, President & CEO, Colonial Press International Inc., Miami, FL Ms. Jeanette Prenger, President, ECCO Select Corporation, Kansas City, Missouri Mr. Juan G. Espinosa, Esq, Managing Partner, Espinosa & Espinosa, LLP, Weehawken, New Jersey Mr. Jose Mendez, President, EXCEL, New York, NY Mr. Jose Bermudez, President, Freixo Painting, LLC, North Bergen, NJ Mr. Luis J. Diaz, Esq, Director & Chief Diversity Officer, Gibbons, PC, Newark, NJ Mr. Gregory Switzer, AIA, NCARB, President, GSA PC, New York, NY Mr. Jack Pires, President, Highland Port Development Corporation, Newark, NJ Mr. Richard Levychin, CPA, Partner, KBL Eisner, LLP, New York, NY Ms. Leticia C. Rojas, President / CEO, Leticia, Inc., Hillside, NJ Mr. David Hernandez, Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Power, Fort Lauderdale, FL Mr. Belarmino A. Suarez, CPA, Partner, Mendonca & Suarez, LLC, Union, NJ Mr. Rolando E. Acosta, Esq, Executive Vice President, Northeast Remsco Construction, Inc. & Caldwell Marine International, LLC., Farmingdale, NJ Ms. Graciela Diaz, President, Omni Solutions International, LLC, Warren, NJ Ms. Nina G. Vaca, Chief Executive Officer, Pinnacle Technical Resources, Inc., Dallas, TX Ms. Nadine Cino, CEO & Co-Inventor, Tyga-Box Systems, Inc., New York, NY Mr. David Segura, Chief Executive Officer, VisionIT, Inc., Detroit, MI    USHAA is also pleased to recognize its NBC 2009 Green Partners: Mr. Ernest C. Williams, Director, Office of Business Diversity Programs, NJ TRANSIT, Newark, NJ Ms. Hope Gillard, Contract Specialist Procurement Department, NJ TRANSIT, Newark, NJ Mr. Michael H. Jones-Bey, Director, Division of Minority &Women's Business Development, New York State Department Of Economic Development, New York, NY About USHAA: The United States Hispanic Advocacy Association ("USHAA") is the premier economic advocacy non-profit leveraging Hispanic purchasing power to provide effective advocacy, meaningful benefits and education programs to its members. USHAA helps to ensure that Latinos and other minorities receive economic benefits commensurate with their contributions to the American economy.   USHAA developed the Green Agenda because green is the color of hope, self-sustainability and non-partisanship in politics. USHAA believes that in order for Latinos to succeed, they first must focus on this common Green Agenda irrespective of race, cultural or ethnic affinity.  According to USHAA, Hispanics must work together with Corporate America and government to leverage their purchasing power to require equitable reciprocity by corporate and governmental entities. The reason for this is not because it is the right thing to do, but simply because it is good business. The leverage available to enforce the Green Agenda is the burgeoning purchasing power of Hispanic consumers and businesses. For more information on USHAA and the Green Agenda summit, please visit the website: http://www.ushaa.com/        About Skanska: Skanska USA Building Inc.  is a leading national and local provider of construction, pre-construction consulting, general contracting and design-build services to a broad range of U.S. industries including science and technology, healthcare, education, high-tech, aviation, transportation and sports and entertainment.  Skanska USA Building also provides pharmaceutical validation services to clients.  The company, part of the Skanska AB global group of companies, is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, and has approximately 4,700 employees.   Skanska is one of the world’s leading project development and construction groups with expertise in construction, development of commercial and residential projects and public-private partnerships.  The Group currently has 60,000 employees in selected home markets in Europe, in the US and Latin America. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, Skanska's sales in 2007 totaled SEK 139 billion. Rising Stars of Philanthropy Kansas City's Nonprofit Future   Inaugural Class Will Debut at 25th Anniversary Philanthropy Awards Luncheon   Kansas City, MO – Nonprofit Connect (formerly the Council on Philanthropy) and The Independent Magazine will shine a spotlight on eleven Rising Stars of Philanthropy at Nonprofit Connect’s 25th Anniversary Philanthropy Awards Luncheon on May 8, 2009, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Bartle Hall Grand Ballroom.   What makes this new award special? The Rising Stars of Philanthropy represent the next generation of volunteer leadership in Kansas City. They embody the best of our philanthropic traditions and the promise of a bright future for Kansas City.   The criteria for choosing our Rising Stars included being new to advanced nonprofit service (i.e., 10 years or less), exhibiting a solid record of volunteerism, displaying leadership actions in addition to board service, leading philanthropy in new directions, and creatively addressing the needs of the next generation.   The individuals selected for the inaugural class of men and women making a profound difference in our community are as follows:   Kate Ferrell Banks * Jamie Montgomery Helzberg * Abby Mayer and Alex Wendel *  Chris Mounts * Dan Nilsen * Jeanette Hernandez Prenger * Gwyn Prentice *  Ryan Reid * Kimberlee Ried * Jean-Paul Wong   The Independent Magazine will also introduce these Rising Stars to the community in its May 9, 2009, edition distributed to guests at the Philanthropy Awards Luncheon and in more detailed profiles that will run in the magazine between June 2009 and May 2010.     Friends, family and colleagues are invited to post congratulatory messages to our Rising Stars at www.npconnect.org. Go to the Signature Events tab and click Philanthropy Awards Luncheon.    Nonprofit Connect has presented the Philanthropy Awards Luncheon honoring a philanthropist, business philanthropist, volunteer and nonprofit professional for the last 25 years. Since 1999, The Independent Magazine has joined with Nonprofit Connect to recognize these heroes of our nonprofit community. Honorees at the 25th anniversary of the event, joining nearly 100 Honorees Emeriti since 1985, include:   The Gary Dickinson Family – Philanthropists of the Year   Richard Carrothers and Dennis D. Hennessy, New Theatre Restaurant  – Business Philanthropist of the Year   Anita B. Gorman – Volunteer of the Year   Barbara G. Head and Mark L. Litzler – Nonprofit Professionals of the Year   Tickets for the Philanthropy Awards Luncheon start at $50. Sponsorship opportunities begin at $100 for individuals and $750 for companies and nonprofit organizations. Detailed ticket information is available at www.npconnect.org under the Signature Events tab.   Nonprofit Connect links the nonprofit community to education, resources and networking so organizations can more effectively achieve their missions.   The Independent Magazine, established in 1899, is Kansas City's most comprehensive source for readers on news about their community. Covering the myriad of balls, galas and nonprofit events that happen in Our Town every year, along with news about its readers’ lives, The Independent Magazine continually strives to enhance relationships between nonprofits and the community.  Its pages are filled with photos of the people who participate in our community through their support of the arts, area cultural institutions, local and national nonprofit organizations, and fundraising events. They are the people who leave their mark on the city through their volunteer efforts and their philanthropic support. They give our city its heart and soul.   Together through the Philanthropy Awards Luncheon, now including the Rising Stars of Philanthropy, Nonprofit Connect and The Independent Magazine honor those people and accomplishments.   ECCO Select Corporation Honored with Bravo Award for Best Practices ECCO Select Corporation, a Kansas City-based premiere consulting and resource management company, is the recipient of the first "Bravo Award" for best practices presented by the United States Hispanic Advocacy Association. The award honors companies for best practices in workplace diversity, supplier diversity, cultural competence in provisioning goods and services and minority leadership. The Bravo Award recognizes companies that illustrate that it is possible to do extremely well while doing good and not resorting to unscrupulous and predatory business practices targeted at Hispanic and minority consumers. Other Award recipients include Abbott Laboratories, State Farm Insurance and The Coca Cola Company. "It is an honor to be recognized by the USHAA and I am humbled to be included in the same category as the other successful and prestigious companies that received this award," said President Jeanette Prenger. "The bar has been set on expectations to not only grow our companies, but do it in a manner that is inclusive and with attention to diversity." ECCO Select is also the 2008 recipient of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Top 10 Small Business Award, the USHAA Top 3 Hispanic Businesses Award, the Hispanic Business Top 500 Hispanic-Owned Businesses in the United States and 100 Fastest-Growing Companies Awards, the Inc. 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies Award and MidAmerica Minority Business Development Council awards for technological innovation, diversity training and client service. The United States Hispanic Advocacy Association (USHAA) is the premier economic advocacy non-profit leveraging Hispanic purchasing power to provide effective advocacy, meaningful benefits and education programs to its members. USHAA helps to ensure that Latinos and other minorities receive economic benefits commensurate with their contributions to the American economy. A MILESTONE IN THE MAKING By Jeanette Hernandez Prenger, for Kansas City Small Business Monthly            ECCO Select’s first million dollars came five years after we launched. I started the business off slowly in 1995 as an independence consultant, and began executing a business plan created for a simple business model. I refined and enhanced my simple business model for project-based services by purchasing a direct hire agency in 1998. The companies that this agency had agreements with allowed me to diversify my client base. This led to my ability to diversify my services and make my first $1 million in 2000. There are a lot of companies similar to mine, but I knew we were doing things right by constantly looking at where the biggest needs were and sincerely trying to help those who partnered with us. THE MILLIONTH – A MILESTONE             We never officially celebrated ECCO’s first million. Over the years we’ve had parties with our staff, consultants and clients, celebrating the company’s many achievements. Each year we’ve been honored with industry awards and we take time to celebrate with the people who have worked so hard to make our company successful. HOW WE SUCCEEDED             By quickly impressing the management at Trans World Airlines (TWA) with an innate ability to match the right candidate with the right project time and time again, and providing consultants of exemplary quality, ECCO became a trusted source for staffing. As ECCO’s reputation for quality grew, corporations such as Aquila, Sprint, H & R Block and others, soon became the foundation of our client base.             The Y2K business challenge provided ECCO Select with a high volume of requests for information technology professionals. We formulated a strategic plan with a realistic view of what the marker would demand after the Y2K rush ended, allowing ECCO to continue on a growth pattern while other information consulting service companies floundered due to lack of demand. Building trust and reliability with our clients was paramount in ECCO’s early success. DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSITY             Recently, we expanded our office space to accommodate a growing number of recruiters and sales staff. Each individual staffer is responsible for a particular area of expertise, which has provided us an opportunity to develop and diversify candidate offerings.             Hiring a business development manager with knowledge, experience and contacts is sure to expand ECCO’s revenue streams within the public sector (i.e., federal, state and local governments). A direct result of this has been our opening a Washington, D.C. office in the past couple of years. We are excited about expansion within this market and look forward to the challenge of developing relationships and generating more business across the United States.

ECCO Select Among Top 10 Small Businesses in Kansas City The judges of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce have identified ECCO Select as one of The Chamber’s 2008 Top 10 Small Businesses. The announcement came as part of the 2008 Small Business Celebration activities. 151 companies were nominated for the honor of being named leaders in the Kansas City Small Business Community. Nominations for Greater Kansas City's outstanding small businesses open in October, with three months of activities from March through May. The year's Top 10 Small Businesses are named in April; one of those 10 is presented the Mr. K Award as the Small Business of the Year at a May celebration finale. The Mr. K Award is named after famed Kansas City entrepreneur Ewing Kauffman. ECCO Select Awarded City of Kansas City, MO Diversity Training Initiative The City of Kansas City, MO, Human Resources Department and a panel of City staff have selected Kansas City-based ECCO Select to conduct a comprehensive training initiative on diversity in the workplace. "I appreciate the hard work of the selection committee and was pleased that the group reached a clear consensus on the vendor selection," said City Manager Wayne A. Cauthen. "The organization will work with our Human Resources Department to develop a highly-effective training program that will help City employees deal with these critical issues." ECCO Select President Jeanette Hernandez Prenger applauded the City’s diversity training initiative. “Businesses need to seek out and keep employees who can work effectively with each other, their subordinates and their supervisors in order to grow and remain competitive. Issues of difference encompass a dual focus. Workplaces have a responsibility to make changes to enhance working relationships, demonstrate commitment to valuing diversity and foster inclusion of people. At the same time, organizations are made up of people and the organization can not change unless the people within it become aware and make the appropriate changes.” Training session curriculum development will begin immediately. As part of the project development, the ECCO Select will conduct a preliminary cultural audit/survey to determine training design methods. The classes will serve the City's 3,800 employees and will include a web-based e-learning tool to train new employees who are hired after the initial classroom training and as a refresher tool for existing employees.

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