Merit Awards names winners of 2026 Business Merit Awards

The Merit Awards announced the 2026 Business Merit Awards winners in Irvine, California, recognizing organizations and leaders for innovation, measurable impact and operational excellence across business technology, customer experience, leadership, social responsibility and more. The program spotlights companies and professionals setting standards in fields from supply chain to workplace culture.

Why it matters: - The 2026 Business Merit Awards highlight which organizations and leaders are being recognized for turning strategy and innovation into measurable business results. - The winners span technology, leadership, customer experience, social responsibility, workplace culture and supply chain, signaling the breadth of areas where companies are being judged today.

What happened: - The Merit Awards announced the winners of the 2026 Business Merit Awards on June 30, 2026, in Irvine, California. - The independent program recognizes global industries and the markets they serve. - Merit Awards selected winners with a panel of industry experts that evaluated submissions for innovation, measurable impact and advancement in each field. - Marie Zander, executive director of the Merit Awards, said this year’s winners show how organizations can turn innovation into measurable impact.

The details: - Best Places to Work gold went to Planet DDS. - Best Places to Work silver went to Mo Aslani, chief financial officer and HR leader at Ezee Fiber. - Business Innovation gold went to Airia. - Business Innovation silver went to Printify App for ChatGPT. - Business Innovation bronze went to Visionaturolab Inc. - Business Strategy gold went to Tim Weinheimer of The Weinheimer Group. - Business Technology gold went to Checkmarx. - Business Technology silver went to Vonage. - Business Technology bronze went to BigHand for BigHand Business Intelligence. - Business Technology Excellence & Automation gold went to Toshiba America Business Solutions. - Business Technology Excellence & Automation silver went to Hitachi Vantara. - Corporate Social Responsibility gold went to Fujifilm Europe. - Corporate Social Responsibility silver went to Hyundai Motor America. - Customer Experience gold went to Pedro Checo, chief operating officer at Ezee Fiber. - Customer Service and Support gold went to SureCo. - Customer Service and Support silver went to OnSIP. - Customer Service and Support bronze went to Pedro Checo, chief operating officer at Ezee Fiber. - Executive Leadership gold went to Gina Logozar. - Human Resources gold went to NRI North America. - Leadership Excellence gold went to Leadership Development -Corporate Talent Development. - Leadership Excellence silver went to Matt Marino, chief executive officer at Ezee Fiber. - Marketing and Sales gold went to Campus Multimedia. - Non-profit and Philanthropy gold went to Hyundai Hope on Wheels. - Non-profit and Philanthropy silver went to The AlmaLinux OS Foundation. - Supply Chain Excellence gold went to TraceLink. - The awards recognize excellence, innovation and measurable success across business innovation, leadership excellence, customer service and support, supply chain excellence, corporate social responsibility and workplace culture. - The Merit Awards said the program is focused on organizations and individuals that drive meaningful impact in their fields. - More information and the full list of winners are available at Merit Awards.

Between the lines: - The winner list shows a strong emphasis on operational performance and customer-facing functions, not just traditional executive leadership. - Multiple Ezee Fiber leaders appeared across categories, suggesting the company submitted a broad set of entries and was recognized in several areas. - The awards structure favors measurable outcomes, which can make the results more useful as a signal for peers and prospects looking for benchmarks.

What's next: - Merit Awards is expected to continue publishing category winners and using the program to recognize future business performance. - Companies interested in visibility in the awards ecosystem can review the full list of winners and program details on the Merit Awards website.

The bottom line: - The 2026 Business Merit Awards put a wide range of companies and leaders in the spotlight for business results that can be measured, not just promoted.