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Lynne Plakidas-Klim Named Advertising Agency Employee of the Year at the 2010 BizMark Awards

Pittsburgh, PA - June 3, 2010

The return of the BizMark Awards hosted by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Business Marketing Association proved to be an exciting evening for two of Brunner’s very own. On Thursday, May 13, account supervisor Lynne Plakidas-Klim was honored as Advertising Agency Employee of the Year for her continued success in helping her clients grow their businesses. The award recognized her role as a superior brand ambassador and collaborator.

Plakidas-Klim has been an account executive at Brunner for more than 12 years. She spent a majority of her time working with client National City Armada Funds, as well as Rockford Memorial Hospital and Saint Vincent Hospital. Recently, her focus has been on her newest account, CONSOL Energy, a Pittsburgh-based producer of coal and natural gas. Tom Hoffman, former CONSOL Energy senior vice president of external affairs, who recently retired, nominated Plakidas-Klim. She commented on her achievement: “It is a huge honor to be selected for this award because of my work ethic and business results, but it is even a greater honor to have my nomination come from a client. That’s when you truly know you’ve made a difference.”

Outside of the office, Plakidas-Klim is actively involved in a variety of volunteer work, most notably through providing her expertise as a public relations committee member at the Ronald McDonald House. She is also involved with Central Catholic High School baseball boosters.

Assistant account executive, Tina Bandzuch, was nominated for Fast Tracker of the Year Award for her outstanding work as well. She began as an intern for Brunner more than three years ago and has since been promoted in 2009 as assistant account executive. Her clients include Phillips Respironics, LaRosa’s Pizzeria, Huffy Bicycles and PPG.

Jeff Maggs, senior vice president and director of account management, was ecstatic about the nominations. Maggs said, “We are proud of both these deserving account management professionals. And rest assured they are pros in every sense of the word.” Maggs also commented on Plakidas-Klim: “Her clients trust, respect and believe in her because they know she will do whatever it takes to make them and their brands successful in the marketplace.”

The BizMark Awards honor excellence in business-to-business marketing each year in categories such as Business-to-Business Marketer of the Year, Business-to-Business Advertiser of the Year, e-Marketer of the Year, Public Relations Practitioner of the Year, Production Supplier of the Year, Fast Tracker of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement Award. At this year’s event, Thomas Sokolowski, director of the Andy Warhol Museum, served as master of ceremonies.

Brunner is a $200 million independent advertising agency with 200 employees and offices in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. The agency provides a broad range of services in research and planning, branding, advertising, digital marketing, direct/one-to-one marketing, public relations, promotion, and design services to clients, such as Cub Cadet, CONSOL Energy, The Dow Chemical Company, GlaxoSmithKline, GNC, Philips Respironics, and Zippo. In addition to being a Top 100 U.S. ad agency, Brunner ranks among the Top 75 digital marketing firms in the country.