Sep. 23, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan honored recipients of its 2009 Excellence in Best Practices Awards, at three banquets held Monday through Wednesday, September 14-16, 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

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The Best Practices Awards are presented each year to companies that are predicted to encourage significant growth in their industries, have identified emerging trends before they became the standard in the marketplace, and have created advanced technologies that will catalyze and transform industries in the near future.

Joe Herring, Chairman and CEO of Covance, received the 2009 Frost & Sullivan CEO of the Year Award in the North American Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology market. The Award recognizes the contributions of Mr. Herring in sustaining the leadership of his company in the highly competitive field of contract drug development services. Mr. Herring also delivered the keynote speech at Monday night's banquet.

The Awards Banquets were sponsored by SalesElement, a leader in proposal automation systems. SalesElement products support sales teams by standardizing around best practices and helping them allocate more time to sales and customer service.

The 2009 Excellence in Best Practices Awards were co-located with the firm's Growth Innovation & Leadership (GIL): A Global Congress on Corporate Growth, held September 13-16, 2009 at the same venue, The Hyatt Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, in Scottsdale, Arizona.