Business Ledger again wins international honors

The Daily Herald Business Ledger received two international journalism awards through the Alliance of Area Business Publishers.

The Business Ledger received the Gold Award for Best Newspaper: Small Tabloids at the organization's summer conference in Des Moines, Iowa.

This is the second consecutive year the Business Ledger, a sister publication of the Daily Herald, has earned the top award.

"It is gratifying to win this prestigious award for two years," Editor Kim Mikus said. "It reaffirms what our readers and advertisers already know: That we are the voice of the suburban business community."

Specifically honored on the award are Mikus; Rich Klicki, director of content development and designer Rick Kirby.

"In addition to writing strong stories, this publication adds interesting and relevant facts via helpful infographics," the judges said in earning the honor. "Each page is well designed and allows the eye to move easily through the sections. The publication also does a good job of showing the city's diversity with faces and stories within each issue."

Meanwhile, Business Writer Anna Marie Kukec and Mikus received a silver award in the Best Personality Profile category for the cover story, "Elk Grove's Pinball Wizard."

"You thought pinball machines had gone the way of vinyl records? That's correct, if you include recent comebacks in the story," the judges said. "Gary Stern, president of Stern Pinball, is leading the next generation of the iconic silver-ball games. A story about a man, and an industry, that won't give up."

More than 600 entries from 46 business publications in the U.S., Canada and Australia participated in the contest, which was judged by faculty members of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Andrew Zielonka, manager of sales and operations for the Ledger, accepted the awards over the weekend at the AABP conference in Des Moines, Iowa.