As if it weren't exciting enough to earn her company's Chairman's Award, Janice Clerkin felt her heart jump when the company president announced her prize: a two-year lease of a new BMW.
Clerkin, a director of data analysis at Merkle, a Lanham, Md. — based database marketing agency, was selected for the honor from more than 750 employees. In the previous year, she had played a key role in starting the company's Marketing Knowledge Centers, an important new service for customers.
Merkle started the BMW incentive five years ago. Each year, senior management selects someone who has made a major contribution to the company's success and growth. That person is honored, along with dozens of other employees, at a ceremony at corporate headquarters. Then the winner drives off in style.