Press Release
Story Group Named 2026 IABE International Excellence Award Winner
Story Group has been named a 2026 IABE International Excellence Award Winner, receiving the highest level of recognition issued by the International Association for Business Excellence for exceptional strategic communications and high-stakes reputation expertise.
Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States, 16th Sep 2026 — Story Group, the Charlottesville, Virginia-based strategic communications firm serving enterprise organizations, executives, public figures, and mission-driven organizations, has been named a 2026 IABE International Excellence Award Winner by the International Association for Business Excellence.
The International Excellence Award represents the highest level of recognition issued by the International Association for Business Excellence, recognizing organizations that demonstrate exceptional standards of professionalism, customer excellence, operational integrity, industry experience, and digital presence on an international scale.
View Story Group’s official 2026 IABE International Excellence Award recipient profile.
Story Group has established a distinguished reputation in strategic communications for high-stakes moments, with expertise spanning crisis communications, public relations, executive communications, reputation management, public affairs, strategic visibility, premium video production, litigation and regulatory communications, and major corporate launches and transitions.
The firm’s positioning is direct: Protect enterprise value. Shape the narrative.
Visit Story Group to learn more about its strategic communications capabilities and work with organizations operating in some of the most consequential environments in business and public life.
Story Group Recognized at IABE’s Highest International Level
The 2026 IABE International Excellence Award places Story Group at the highest recognition level within the International Association for Business Excellence’s award framework.
IABE’s recognition program evaluates organizations across five core Excellence Standards:
- Digital Presence
- Customer Reputation
- Operational Standing
- Industry Tenure
- Professional Integrity
Story Group met the requirements for the International Excellence distinction during the 2026 evaluation period.
The recognition reflects the firm’s established presence in the strategic communications industry and its ability to deliver sophisticated communications solutions for organizations and leaders facing complex, high-stakes circumstances.
The International Association for Business Excellence describes International Excellence as its highest level of recognition, representing organizations operating at an exceptional global standard.
Learn more about the International Association for Business Excellence.
A Strategic Communications Firm Built for High-Stakes Moments
Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, Story Group has developed a premium strategic communications model built around senior-level expertise, integrated strategy, creative execution, and measurable outcomes.
According to Story Group, the firm advises Fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits, high-profile individuals, and mission-critical causes.
Its team brings experience across media, corporate leadership, marketing, entertainment, public affairs, and strategic communications.
Story Group operates as a remote-first organization with senior professionals serving clients across major markets and time zones.
The firm’s philosophy is that consequential organizations need strategic partners rather than conventional vendors. That philosophy brings strategy, creativity, and execution together around the issues that matter most to an organization’s reputation and enterprise value.
Story Group’s capabilities include crisis communications, public relations, public affairs, executive communications, reputation management, strategic visibility, premium video production, brand development, media placement, and communications surrounding litigation, regulatory exposure, launches, transitions, and other high-stakes situations.
Crisis Communications and Reputation Protection
Story Group’s crisis communications practice is designed for organizations that need experienced strategic counsel when circumstances move quickly.
The firm’s crisis response capabilities include immediate crisis response, situation assessment, risk mapping, holding statements, real-time messaging, media inquiry management, spokesperson preparation, internal communications, and employee messaging.
Story Group states that its active crisis response operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a 15-minute response SLA.
The firm has positioned crisis communications as a discipline that goes far beyond responding to reporters. Its approach encompasses the strategic decisions that can influence an organization’s reputation, stakeholders, employees, customers, investors, and long-term enterprise value.
That expertise is complemented by Story Group’s reputation recovery capabilities, which address organizations seeking to rebuild trust, reshape narratives, strengthen digital reputation, re-engage stakeholders, and establish a new chapter following a major reputational event.
Executive Communications and Reputation
Story Group also specializes in communications for CEOs, founders, C-suite leaders, and other high-profile executives.
Its executive communications work includes thought leadership development, media training, personal brand strategy, executive communications, reputation defense, board and investor communications, media management, and proactive narrative development.
The firm’s work recognizes the growing connection between executive reputation and organizational reputation.
For highly visible leaders, communications can influence relationships with employees, customers, investors, boards, journalists, partners, and other stakeholders.
Story Group brings senior-level communications strategy to those environments, helping executives build authority proactively while preparing for moments of scrutiny when they arise.
Strategic Visibility and National Media
Story Group’s work also includes strategic visibility and media positioning.
The firm works with executives, founders, enterprise brands, authors, thought leaders, nonprofits, and organizations seeking greater recognition and authority.
Its capabilities include national media booking strategy, thought leadership, op-ed development and placement, book tour strategy, speaking engagement strategy, podcast and digital media opportunities, executive highlight reels, and recognition submissions.
The firm’s broader public relations capabilities include media relations, press releases, interview preparation, thought leadership, and national media booking.
Story Group’s website identifies media exposure across prominent U.S. and international outlets and positions the firm as a strategic partner for organizations seeking meaningful visibility rather than publicity for its own sake.
Strategic Communications With Measurable Business Outcomes
Story Group’s public portfolio demonstrates the breadth of situations in which the firm applies its strategic communications expertise.
Its published work includes communications campaigns involving healthcare organizations, Fortune 500 companies, technology companies, financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, nonprofits, manufacturers, energy organizations, professional services firms, private equity, defense technology, and high-profile individuals.
Examples published by Story Group include a federal policy and regulatory campaign associated with $12 billion in protected revenue and three bills passed; a cybersecurity SaaS launch generating 22 million impressions and an $18 million pipeline; a regional bank regulatory investigation associated with 97.2% customer retention; and a healthcare market-entry campaign reporting 22% first-year market share.
The firm’s case studies also highlight executive positioning, reputation recovery, national visibility, thought leadership, litigation communications, corporate transitions, and major launches.
Explore Story Group’s published work and case studies.
These examples demonstrate the firm’s broader philosophy: strategic communications should ultimately contribute to meaningful organizational outcomes.
A Senior-Only Approach
Story Group’s operating model is another defining feature of the firm.
The company describes itself as a senior-only strategic communications firm, emphasizing experienced professionals directly involved in high-value client relationships.
The firm reports that it was founded in 2011 and maintains its headquarters in Charlottesville, Virginia, while operating remotely across multiple major markets.
Story Group also reports an average employee tenure of eight years and an 88% annual employee retention rate, reflecting an emphasis on continuity and long-term relationships.
Its leadership includes Founder and CEO Aaron Evans, who brings more than 20 years of experience in strategic messaging, crisis communications, and reputation management; Chief Operating Officer Brittnie Furuvald, whose background includes enterprise marketing experience with Fox Racing, Lids, and major retail brands; and Vice President Vincent Catalano, who oversees senior client relationships, strategic partnerships, and operational execution.
The result is a communications firm structured around experienced professionals and long-term strategic relationships.
Story Group’s Charlottesville Roots and Global Reach
Story Group’s headquarters are in Charlottesville, Virginia, but the firm’s reach extends well beyond its home market.
The company serves organizations across the United States and internationally, operating a remote-first model designed to support clients across multiple markets and time zones.
Its client profile includes Fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits, high-profile individuals, enterprise brands, executives, public figures, regulated industries, and mission-driven organizations.
That combination of Charlottesville roots and international reach is central to the firm’s identity.
Story Group represents a modern strategic communications organization capable of operating wherever high-stakes communications require senior expertise.
International Excellence for a Globally Oriented Firm
The 2026 IABE International Excellence Award is particularly meaningful because of the global scope of Story Group’s work.
Strategic communications today operates across borders.
A corporate announcement can reach international media within minutes. An executive reputation issue can move across markets instantly. A regulatory event can attract global attention. A product launch can require coordinated communications across multiple regions.
Story Group’s capabilities are designed for precisely this environment.
The firm brings together strategy, public relations, media relations, crisis response, executive communications, reputation management, public affairs, video production, and strategic visibility under one integrated communications model.
The International Excellence designation recognizes that level of professional capability at IABE’s highest recognition tier.
It is an acknowledgment of Story Group as an organization operating at an exceptional global standard within its field.
Story Group Earns a Prestigious 2026 Recognition
The International Association for Business Excellence congratulates Story Group on earning the 2026 IABE International Excellence Award.
The award recognizes a Charlottesville-based firm that has developed an international-caliber strategic communications platform serving organizations and leaders at some of the highest levels of business, media, public affairs, and public life.
Story Group’s expertise in high-stakes communications, crisis response, executive reputation, public relations, strategic visibility, premium video production, and reputation recovery reflects a sophisticated approach to protecting and strengthening organizational reputation.
The firm has built its reputation around situations where communications matter most.
Where enterprise value is at stake.
Where leadership reputation matters.
Where public perception can influence business outcomes.
Where timing matters.
Where strategy matters.
Where execution matters.
And where the quality of communications can have consequences far beyond a single news cycle.
The 2026 IABE International Excellence Award recognizes Story Group at the highest level of the International Association for Business Excellence’s recognition program and places the firm among organizations recognized for exceptional standards on a worldwide scale.
About Story Group
Story Group is a Charlottesville, Virginia-based strategic communications firm specializing in high-stakes communications for enterprise brands, executives, public figures, regulated industries, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations.
Founded in 2011, Story Group provides crisis communications, public relations, public affairs, executive communications, reputation management, strategic visibility, premium video production, brand development, media placement, and communications strategy for major corporate events and sensitive situations.
Contact Story Group for a confidential conversation.
About the International Association for Business Excellence
The International Association for Business Excellence is a global business recognition organization evaluating organizations across five core Excellence Standards: Digital Presence, Customer Reputation, Operational Standing, Industry Tenure, and Professional Integrity.
Its recognition program includes City, Regional, National, and International levels, with International Excellence representing the highest level of recognition issued by the organization.
The International Association for Business Excellence recognizes organizations across industries and countries that demonstrate exceptional standards of business excellence.
Media Contact:
International Association for Business Excellence
2233 Dell Range Blvd., Suite 303
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009
United States
support@internationalbusinessexcellence.com
Award: 2026 IABE International Excellence Award
Recipient: Story Group
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Industry: Public Relations / Video Production
Recognition Level: International Excellence
Media Assets
Official award recognition and recipient information are available through Story Group’s IABE recipient profile.
Story Group — 2026 IABE International Excellence Award Winner
Media Contact
Organization: International Association for Business Excellence LLC
Contact Person: Charles McDonald
Website: https://internationalbusinessexcellence.com
Email: Send Email
Address: 2233 Dell Range Blvd Suite 303 1015 Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009
City: Cheyenne
State: Wyoming
Country: United States
Release id: 49196
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Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
The World’s Best Magazine Releases Issue 16 – October 2026 Edition, Excellence in Action
Australia, 10th Oct 2026, Grand Newswire –
The World’s Best Magazine has released Issue 16, the October 2026 edition, under the theme Excellence in Action: Where Knowledge, Leadership and Human Potential Shape a Better Future.
The edition examines leadership, education, wellness, health and human performance, focusing on how knowledge is applied, how learning approaches evolve and how innovation informs professional practice.
Four cover stories address these subjects. Future-Shaping Excellence examines how approaches to excellence respond to changing circumstances and emerging opportunities. Leaders Turn Expertise Into Action considers the application of professional knowledge in leadership and decision-making.
Rethinking How We Learn explores approaches to learning and the role of adaptation in education and development. On Wellness, Health & Human Performance: Ethical and Effective Innovations examines innovation in health and human performance, including the consideration of ethics and effectiveness.
Across its cover stories and interviews, Issue 16 considers how knowledge, experience and learning inform decisions and practices across different fields. The edition brings these subjects together under the theme of applying expertise and developing human capabilities.
The October 2026 edition forms part of The World’s Best Magazine’s coverage of people, ideas and work across professional and creative fields. More details about this announcement can be found via the website of The World’s Best Magazine.
About The World’s Best Magazine
The World’s Best Magazine is a publication featuring interviews, articles and cover stories about people, ideas, work and developments across a range of fields. Its editorial coverage includes leadership, education, business, health, creativity and human potential. The magazine publishes editions that examine the experiences, practices and ideas shaping professional and creative activities.
Media Contact
Organization: The World’s Best Magazine
Contact
Person: The World’s Best Magazine
Email:
info@theworldsbestmagazine.com
Country:Australia
The post The World’s Best Magazine Releases Issue 16 – October 2026 Edition, Excellence in Action
appeared first on Grand Newswire.
It is provided by a third-party content provider. Grand Newswire makes no
warranties or representations in connection with it.
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
Malmö Project Outlines Business Proposal Development and Project Funds Management Activities in the Netherlands
Netherlands, 10th Oct 2026 — The Malmö Project, presented by Audrius Razma under the Project Funds Manager designation at Ossendrecht Contract, outlines an approach to business project proposal development, investment-related research, and the coordination of professional support services. The initiative is documented on the project’s online platform, where readers can explore its stated objectives and the resources associated with its activities.
The project information is published on the website of Audrius Razma and references Malmö as the focus of its business proposal activities. It describes the use of publicly available company information to develop commercial project proposals that may be presented to businesses for consideration and potential financing.
Business Research and Project Proposal Development
A central element of the Malmö Project is the preparation of business proposals informed by company information. The published material encourages readers to examine lists of businesses identified as potential investment opportunities and use relevant information to develop structured project proposals.
Business proposal development typically involves understanding a company’s activities, identifying potential commercial opportunities, assessing resource requirements, and presenting a clear rationale for a proposed initiative. A well-organized proposal can help prospective business partners evaluate the purpose, feasibility, and expected costs of a project before deciding whether to participate.
The project’s stated approach places emphasis on commercial awareness and the preparation of written material based on available business information. Such work requires careful research, transparent assumptions, and clear documentation of any projected financial outcomes.
Companies and individuals considering a proposal should independently verify the information used, assess the associated risks, and establish the terms of any potential funding arrangement before making financial commitments.
The Role of Project Funds Management
Audrius Razma is identified in the published material as the Project Funds Manager associated with Ossendrecht Contract. The role provides an administrative framework for the project’s discussion of funding proposals, portfolio documentation, and financial coordination.
Project funds management generally involves organizing financial records, documenting proposed allocations, monitoring project-related expenditures, and maintaining information that supports financial reviews. These activities can help stakeholders understand how a project is structured and what resources may be required for its implementation.
Clear documentation is particularly important when proposals involve multiple companies, external service providers, or prospective funding partners. Written agreements, verifiable records, and clearly defined responsibilities can help establish expectations and support informed decision-making.
Professional Support and Documentation
The online material also references professional services relating to legal assessments, translation, accounting reviews, investigative research, and the preparation of supporting reports. These services are presented as potential resources for individuals seeking assistance with complex administrative, financial, or legal matters.
Depending on the circumstances, professional support may help individuals organize documents, understand procedural requirements, review financial information, or prepare materials for consultation with qualified advisers.
Legal matters involving compensation claims, business liabilities, insolvency, or disputes with public authorities require an assessment of the relevant facts and applicable law. Outcomes depend on the evidence, jurisdiction, and individual circumstances. Individuals should therefore seek advice from appropriately qualified professionals before relying on potential compensation estimates or pursuing legal action.
Similarly, investment proposals should be reviewed carefully, with attention to the identity of the parties involved, the source and availability of funds, the proposed terms, and any associated risks.
Accessing Information About the Malmö Project
The project page provides the primary reference for readers interested in reviewing the Malmö Project’s published information. It outlines the proposal-development concept and identifies the associated project-management contact.
The initiative is presented in the context of business research, funding-related documentation, and coordination with professional service providers. Its practical application will depend on the details of individual proposals, the reliability of supporting information, and the terms agreed upon by the relevant parties.
Readers can consult the published page to learn more about the project’s stated approach and determine whether further clarification is required before entering into any business or financial arrangement.
Project Contact Information
Project: Malmö Project
Position: Project Funds Manager
Organization: Ossendrecht Contract Hiroshima Office Press Dansk Systems Syndikat Inc Roosendaal Journaal
Contact Person: Audrius Razma
Email: razmaaudrius@yahoo.com
Country: Netherlands
Website: https://tomashelpiai.blogspot.com/2026/08/niet-40.html
Media Contact
Organization: Ossendrecht Contract Hiroshima Office Press Dansk Systems Syndikat Inc Roosendaal Journaal
Contact Person: Audrius Razma
Website: https://tomashelpiai.blogspot.com/2026/08/niet-40.html
Email: Send Email
Country: Netherlands
Release id: 49837
View source version on King Newswire:
Malmö Project Outlines Business Proposal Development and Project Funds Management Activities in the Netherlands
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
Lovering & Partners adds AI role-play for leadership, sales and influence skills with LeaderCoreAI
The Bucharest performance consultancy becomes an authorised LeaderCoreAI partner and reseller for Romania and Central and Eastern Europe
Romania, 10th Oct 2026 – Lovering & Partners, the Bucharest-based business, sales and people performance consultancy, now offers AI role-play for leadership, sales and influence skills through a partnership with Blue Horizon Training, the maker and owner of LeaderCoreAI. Lovering & Partners becomes an authorised LeaderCoreAI partner and reseller for Romania and the wider Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region.
AI role-play simulations for difficult conversations
LeaderCoreAI is an artificial intelligence (AI) simulation platform for leadership development. Participants hold spoken, realistic conversations with AI characters – a resistant team member, a sceptical client, a room of peer managers with competing agendas. Each session ends with scored feedback and concrete recommendations.
Lovering & Partners will embed the platform into three of its own areas of work: leadership coaching and its acceleration programme for emerging leaders and managers, consultative sales training, and its ethical influence programmes. Between workshops and coaching sessions, participants practise the conversations those programmes prepare them for. They can repeat a conversation as often as they want, at five levels of difficulty.
Why practice decides whether training sticks
Pilots train to excellence in flight simulators before they carry passengers. Managers rarely get that chance. Role-play with colleagues offers a few attempts, limited by time and by the discomfort of practising in front of people they work with. So the first real test of a new skill usually comes in a real conversation, with a real person. The partnership brings the simulator into Lovering & Partners’ programmes.
“A workshop gives people the method. It does not give them the repetitions to build new capabilities,” said Colin Lovering, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Lovering & Partners. “Every client asks us the same question: will this training build skills that stick? No trainer can honestly guarantee that. Under pressure, people fall back on old instincts unless the new behaviour has been practised until it becomes the instinct. Now our clients’ people can get that practice, as much as they need.”
“We build the practice ground,” said Frank Basinski, founder of Blue Horizon Training. “We rely on partners who know how to develop people. Colin and his team have spent years doing that work with organisations in Romania and across the region. That is why we wanted them as a partner.”
How a learner experiences an AI role-play session
For the learner, a session feels like the real conversation. They speak, and the characters answer back, disagree and react to how they are treated. Nobody is watching, so people try approaches they would perhaps not dare with a real colleague. The feedback afterwards is theirs alone: what worked, what did not, and what to try next time. Participants can practise in 42 languages, so Lovering & Partners can offer the platform to multinational clients across the region.
Availability
LeaderCoreAI is available through Lovering & Partners with immediate effect, as part of its programmes or alongside them.
About Lovering & Partners
Lovering & Partners is a business, sales and people performance consultancy based in Bucharest, Romania. The firm helps organisations achieve strategic growth in those three areas. Every engagement is tailored to the client and measured by the outcome it delivers. Lovering & Partners is a founding member of the Cialdini Institute and works in English and Romanian. It is a trading name of Achieve International S.R.L. www.loveringpartners.com
About LeaderCoreAI and Blue Horizon Training
LeaderCoreAI is an AI role-play and simulation platform for leadership, sales and influence skills, made and owned by Blue Horizon Training S.R.L. of Bucharest, Romania. Leaders practise difficult conversations with AI characters in 42 languages and receive scored feedback after every session. LeaderCoreAI is sold through authorised partners who embed it into their own development programmes. Blue Horizon Training has designed and run leadership development programmes since 2020. leadercore.ai
Press contacts
Media Contact
Organization: Blue Horizon Training SRL.
Contact Person: Frank Basinski
Website: https://leadercore.ai
Email: Send Email
Country: Romania
Release id: 49826
View source version on King Newswire:
Lovering & Partners adds AI role-play for leadership, sales and influence skills with LeaderCoreAI
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
The World’s Best Magazine Releases Issue 16 – October 2026 Edition, Excellence in Action
Malmö Project Outlines Business Proposal Development and Project Funds Management Activities in the Netherlands
Lovering & Partners adds AI role-play for leadership, sales and influence skills with LeaderCoreAI
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