Two Prominent Chicago Institutions Solicit Entries for "2007 Chicago Executive of the Year"

Business Wire, Feb 8, 2007

Awarded by the National Investor Relations Institute's Chicago Chapter and the Center for Strategy, Execution, and Valuation in the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business of DePaul University

CHICAGO -- The Chicago chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI-Chicago) and its co-sponsor, the Center for Strategy, Execution and Valuation in the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business of DePaul University, today announced they have launched the search for the "2007 Chicago Executive of the Year." The annual award is intended to identify CEOs, CFOs, treasurers, or other executives who have demonstrated an exceptional ability to add value to their Chicago-based public companies through strategic investor relations. Nominations may be submitted until March 30, 2007, and application details are available on NIRI-Chicago's website, www.niri-chicago.org.

The award has received national commendation and is one of NIRI-Chicago's flagship programs. Previous winners are Matthew H. Paull of McDonald's Corp. (2006), James J. Patterson of Schawk, Inc. (2005), John M. Duffey of Dade Behring Holdings, Inc. (2004), George E. Strickler of BorgWarner Inc. (2003), and Brian Anderson of Baxter International (2002).

"NIRI-Chicago is proud to once again sponsor the Chicago Executive of the Year Award," said William D. Chapman, president of NIRI-Chicago. "This award recognizes local executives who have advanced the transparency and accessibility of their company to the investing public. Their leadership provides a vivid example for others to follow."

Nominees will be judged based on their proven ability to add value through the development, support, and execution of strategic investor relations. NIRI defines investor relations as a strategic management responsibility that integrates finance, communication, marketing, and securities law compliance to enable the most effective two-way communication between a company, the financial community, and other constituencies, which ultimately contributes to the fair valuation of a company's securities.

Anyone seeking to nominate a candidate may do so by completing an online application:

* Any executive of a public company in the greater Chicago area may be nominated.

* Nominators do not have to be an employee of the nominee's company or a member of NIRI to submit a nomination.

* Candidates must have been employed by their firms for at least one year before nomination.

The nomination period ends Friday, March 30, 2007. Details and application materials are available at:

http://www.niri-chicago.org/cg/awards/ceya/2007/exec.html

The 2007 award recipient will be recognized at an event scheduled in May 2007.

About NIRI-Chicago

The Chicago chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI-Chicago) works to advance the practice of investor relations and meet the growing professional development needs of those engaged in the field. With more than 200 members, NIRI-Chicago is one of the largest NIRI chapters in the United States and received NIRI's Best Overall Large Chapter Award in 2004. For more information, visit www.niri-chicago.org.

About The Center for Strategy, Execution, and Valuation at DePaul University

The Center for Strategy, Execution, and Valuation in the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business is one the premiere academic programs in the world in studying the connections between strategy, its execution and valuation. Directed by Dr. Mark L. Frigo, DePaul's Eichenbaum Foundation Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Leadership, the center conducts extensive research on high performance companies and focuses on companies that adhere to the first tenet of Return Driven Strategy: "to ethically maximize shareholder wealth." The Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at De Paul University has one of the largest accredited part-time MBA programs in the country and has been ranked in the Top 15 by U.S. News & World Report.