Meet the 2005 RAMAES Winners!

The Retailers Association of Massachusetts held it's Annual Meeting and RAMAES Awards Luncheon on Thursday, November 17th, 2005 at the Sheraton Hotel in Newton, Massachusetts. For the eighth consecutive year, we honored retailers for outstanding achievement and creativity in their field. In years past, RAM has been very proud to present the RAM Awards of Excellence (RAMAES) to retailers who have excelled in the areas of Display, Creative Concepts in Retailing, Service to their Community, Advertising or Promotion, Rookie of the Year, and Retailer of the Year. This year we also introducing two new awards: Best Downtown Shopping District, and Best Restaurant.

RAMAES Winners received a beautiful statue, a framed plaque, professional photographs to commemorate the event, and were profiled in the business section of this years major media sponsor, The Boston Herald.

The RAMAES awards were created in 1998 by Rick Segel, a board member of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts and an independent retail trainer and author, as a way to acknowledge excellence throughout the retail industry.

Congratulations to the 2005 Retailers Association of Massachusetts Retail Awards of Excellence Winners!

The 2005 Retailer of the Year Award
was presented to:

The Black Dog
230 Jones Road
Falmouth, MA 02540
www.theblackdog.com

From left to right: RAM President, Jon Hurst; The Black Dog President & CEO, Robert Douglas Jr.; Mrs. Charlene Douglas; The Black Dog Founder, Robert Douglas Sr.; RAMAES Master of Ceremonies, Rick Segel

The Retailer of the Year is awarded to those businesses that have it all and do it all. “Retailer of the Year” worthy businesses are those who continuously go above and beyond to provide their customers with an exceptional product, unparalled service, and demonstrate originality in all that they do.

Congratulations to The Black Dog - RAM's 2005 Retailer of the Year!

The 2005 Retail Hall of Fame Award
was presented to:

Yolanda's
355 Waverly Oaks Road
Waltham, MA 02452
www.yolandas.com

From left to right: RAMAES Master of Ceremonies, Rick Segel;
Yolanda's Founder and Owner, Yolanda Cellucci; RAM President, Jon Hurst

The Retail Hall of Fame award is given to businesses that deserve distinction in their field, for providing the best that the state of Massachusetts has to offer.

Congratulations to Yolanda's - RAM's 2005 Retail Hall of Fame Award Winner!

The 2005 Rookie of the Year Award
was presented to:

Isis Maternity, Inc.
10 Second Avenue
Needham, MA 02494
www.isismaternity.com

From left to right: Steven Schrodel; Isis Maternity Owner Lee Courtemanch;
RAMAES Master of Ceremonies, Rick Segel

The Rookie of the Year is awarded to businesses between 1 year and 4 years old who demonstrate outstanding achievement and creativity in their new business.

Congratulations to Isis Maternity - RAM's 2005 Rookie of the Year!

The 2005 Advertising & Promotion Award
was presented to:

Teddy Bear Pools & Spa
41 East Street
Chicopee, MA 01020
www.teddybearpools.com

Pictured is Jay Hanflig, accepting the RAMAES Award for Advertising & Promotion on
 behalf of Teddy Bear Pools & Spas Owner, Ted Hebert.

The RAMAES Award for Advertising & Promotion is awarded to businesses who demonstrate unparallel creativity in print, radio, and/or television ads of their business

Congratulations to Teddy Bear Pools & Spas - RAM's 2005 Advertising & Promotion RAMAES Winner!

The 2005 Visual Display Award
was presented to:

My Fair Lady
4015 Falmouth Road
Cotuit, MA 02635
www.myfairladyvintageclothing.com

From left to right: My Fair Lady Display Designer Diane Hanna; My Fair Lady Owner Bonnie Silva;
RAM President Jon Hurst; RAMAES Master of Ceremonies Rick Segel

The RAMAES Award for Visual Display is awarded to businesses who continuously create unique and eye-catching displays of store products.

Congratulations to My Fair Lady - RAM's 2005 Visual Display RAMAES Winner!

The 2005 Best Shopping District Award
was presented to:

Mashpee Commons
P.O. Box 1530
Mashpee, MA 02649
www.mashpeecommons.com

From left to right: Mashpee Commons Vice-President John Renz; Mashpee Commons Marketing Assistant Lissa Lindsley; RAM President Jon Hurst

The RAMAES Award for Best Shopping District is a new category in 2005, and is awarded to shopping districts or downtown areas that provide a unique mix of stores, restaurants, products, and experience for both residents and tourists who frequent the area.

Congratulations to Mashpee Commons - RAM's First RAMAES Winner for Best Shopping District!
 

The 2005 Best Restaurant Award
was presented to:

b.good
121 Dartmouth Street
Boston, MA 02116
www.bgood.com

Pictured is Faris "Uncle Faris" Ackel, the unofficial Corporate Spokesman for b.good
accepting the award for Best Restaurant on behalf of owners Anthony and Jon.

The RAMAES Award for Best Restaurant is a new category in 2005 and is given to restaurants who continuously provide their customers with exceptional service, products, and overall experience

Congratulations to b.good - RAM's First RAMAES Winner for Best Restaurant!

The 2005 Community Service Award
was presented to:

Modell's Sporting Goods
210 Westgate Drive
Brocton, MA 02301
www.modells.com

Left to Right: John Ragosa of Modell's; RAM President Jon Hurst; Eric Friedberg
of Cohen-Friedberg Associates

The RAMAES Award for Community Service is awarded to businesses who successfully demonstrate the ability to involve employees and/or customers in unique community involvement efforts

Congratulations to Modell's Sporting Goods - RAM's 2005 RAMAES Winner for Community Service!

The 2005 Creative Concepts in Retailing Award
was presented to:

Spark Craft Studios
50 Grove Street
Somerville, MA 02144
www.sparkcrafts.com

Left to Right: RAM President Jon Hurst; Spark Crafts Founder and CEO Jan Stephenson;
Spark Crafts Founder and COO Amy Applegard; RAMAES Master of Ceremonies Rick Segel
 

The RAMAES Award for Creative Concepts in Retailing is awarded to businesses that meet and serve a niche market, by offering and providing a unique service, product, concept or idea to their customers

Congratulations to Spark Craft Studios - RAM's 2005 RAMAES Winner for Creative Concepts!

The 2005 E-Commerce Initiatives Award
was presented to:

Shoes to Dye For
1 Apple Hill, Ste. 5
Natick, MA 01970
www.shoestodyefor.com

Left to Right: RAM President Jon Hurst; Shoes to Dye For Owners Lisa and Ron Davis;
RAMAES Master of Ceremonies Rick Segel

The RAMAES Award for E-Commerce Initiatives is a new award in 2005 and is given to those businesses who have successful and creative ventures into the world of online retailing.

Congratulations to Shoes to Dye For- RAM's First RAMAES Winner for E-Commerce Initiatives!