JANI-KING INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISEE NAMED "FRANCHISEE OF THE YEAR" AND WINS INTERNATIONAL STEVIE AWARD IN SECOND ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AWARDS

Jani-King International is excited to announce that franchisee Andy Bermudez was recently named Jani-King's Franchisee of the Year. The Franchise owner and his wife, Olga, have also won an International Stevie Award for Best Franchisee in the 2005 International Business Awards. The International Business Awards are the only global, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performances in the workplace. 

Nicknamed the "Stevies" for the Greek word "crowned," the awards will be presented to winners at a gala dinner on Thursday, May 19 in the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City. The ceremonies will be video cast live worldwide by Speedera Networks, and will be broadcast live on radio in the U.S.A by the Business Talk Radio Network.

Recipients of 76 International Stevie Award trophies were selected from more than 600 nominations received from companies and individuals in more than 30 countries. Twenty-one nations have at least one International Stevie winner each, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.A.

Companies from all over the world are eligible to compete in The International Business Awards, and can enter in any of more than 40 categories from Best Multinational Company and Best Franchisee to Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program and Best New Product.

Currently, Andy & Olga Bermudez operate two Jani-King franchises, one in the Tampa, Florida area and other in Las Vegas, NV. While there are Master Franchisees that have purchased rights to open Franchises in multiple areas, no individual Jani-King franchise owner has ever purchased more than one franchise.

Jani-King initiated the Bermudez's purchase of a second franchise to provide service to a new 198,000 sq. ft. medical facility in Las Vegas. Andy and Olga had been Jani-King's Crown Club Award (one of the company's most prestigious awards) winners two of the past three years and were a perfect match to do something that had never been done.

"There is alot of hard work and long hours involved with owning your own franchise and it's true for all those other fellow franchisees around the world," says Bermudez. "Being selected for the Stevie Award is very exciting. We are truly honored and we salute all others for there dedication."

One of Andy's greatest contributions to Jani-King this year has been his involvement in the Jani-King Workplace Awareness Program. Andy's military, law enforcement, and Department of Homeland Security background coupled with his ownership of Jani-King franchises made Andy the perfect choice to help develop content for the training program. Andy gladly accepted the call, developing training material, presenting the material at the initial corporate training, and teaming up with Jani-King president Jerry Crawford to promote the program on a national media tour.

"We are thrilled for Andy and Olga. They have done so much to help grow their business and Jani-King," says, Jerry Crawford, president of Jani-King International. "They look to see what they can do to create success for themselves and for Jani-King and then take action. Their Best Franchisee win in the Stevie Awards further solidifies their excellence."

Members of the Awards' Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and their staffs selected International Stevie winners from among the Finalists, which were determined by volunteer judges around the world during two months of preliminary judging.

"This year we saw a greater international representation among the entries, and this is reflected in the number of countries that are represented in the winners' circle," says Michael Gallagher, founder and president of The Stevie Awards, the organization that runs The International Business Awards. "We congratulate all of the Finalists and International Stevie Awards winners, and we look forward to honoring them for their achievements at our gala awards dinner in New York on May 19."

"When my wife and I bought our franchise we did it because we felt that Jani-King had a proven method and if we worked hard we could be successful," says Bermudez.

"The road has been hard but the rewards have exceeded our expectations and because of all the support systems in place, today we are enjoying the true sense of ownership knowing that Jani-King stands behind us. Being recognized as the Franchisee of the Year as well as Best Franchisee internationally is a crowning moment for us and reminds us that our decision five years ago was the right one."

About Jani-King

Jani-King is the world's largest commercial cleaning company with more than 11,000 franchise owners servicing more than 55,000 customers in 18 countries. Franchise owners have a vested interest in the job they perform and receive continuous support from local and regional support centers nationwide.

Jani-King has set the standard in commercial cleaning for 35 years. Jani-King's expertise covers a vast array of facilities including single tenant offices and multi-tenant complexes, hotels, resorts, casinos, hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools and universities, stadiums, concert and sporting venues, airports, government facilities, and theatres. Organizations such as PepsiCo, Nabisco, Xerox, OfficeMax, Coca-Cola, Verizon Wireless, Marriott Hotels, Buffalo Bills Stadium, American Airlines Center, Texas Motor Speedway, Xavier University, and the 2002 Winter Olympics are all satisfied Jani-King clients.

About The Stevie Awards

Hailed as "the business world's own Oscars" by the New York Post (September 22, 2002), Stevie Awards are conferred in three programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, and The Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs. Honoring companies of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.

Premier sponsors of the 2005 International Business Awards include:

- Factiva® ), a Dow Jones and Reuters Company provides world-class global content, enabling organizations to make better decisions, faster. Factiva is the "Sponsor of Excellence" for companies with more than 2,500 employees worldwide.

- Rogen International, a global consultancy specializing in driving fast, significant and sustainable business results through customized service offerings and persuasive face-to-face communications. Rogen is the "Sponsor of Management Excellence."

- NII Holdings, (formerly known as Nextel International) is a leading provider of mobile communications for business customers in Latin America, with operations in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru. NII is the "Best Latin American Company Sponsor."

- The Institute of Certified Sales Professionals is a specialist sales performance company that increases your sales revenue and sales competency at a company, team and individual level. The iCSP is the "Sponsor of Sales Excellence." Media sponsors of the 2005 awards include the Business Talk Radio Network, Clickmedios, European Business Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, and Semana Economica. The 2005 video cast partner is Speedera Networks.