Greater Baton Rouge Business Report was named “Best of Show: Most Improved Business Publication” by the Alliance of Area Business Publishers at its national Editorial Excellence Awards last weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. Additionally, the magazine won gold recognition for its investigative reporting and feature writing and was noted for having the best business magazine design in the nation.
In all, the publication brought home seven awards, competing against more than 600 entries from 40 publications in the U.S., Canada and Australia that includes some of the nation’s largest business periodicals, including Crain’s Chicago Business, Crain’s New York Business, Florida Trend and the Los Angeles Business Journal. Entries were judged by the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
In recognizing Business Report as “Most Improved Publication,” the judges wrote that the magazine “has always been an attractive publication, but a recent renovation has taken it to a new level. … From front to back, the magazine has made substantial improvements with the reader in mind.” Business Report changed the dimensions of its publication and revamped its content and design in October 2013, an effort lead by Executive Editor Penny Font along with Art Director Hoa Vu and Senior Graphic Designer Carolyn Blakley.
Business Report Editor Stephanie Riegel won the gold for investigative reporting for her story “Shifting Foundations,” which examined the inner workings of the LSU Alumni Association, the Tiger Athletic Foundation and the LSU Foundation. The judges noted that Riegel’s writing “pulls no punches.” Business Report contributor David Jacobs was also recognized with gold honors in magazine feature writing for his piece “We’re Not Ready,” a story that examined the workforce and infrastructure challenges Louisiana faces with the multibillion-dollar industrial boom.
The publication also won three bronze awards, for best magazine cover design, best special section design and best recurring feature.
Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister said, “[President/COO] Julio Melara and I are very proud of our entire team and so pleased with this national recognition for the work they do. We are blessed to work every day with such talented and dedicated people.” He added, “It is also an honor to represent Baton Rouge and share this success with our community, which has supported us for 33 years. We are grateful and will continue our commitment to excellence.”
