Washington, D.C. – On November 17, 2006, several public policy professionals came together for Capitol Advantage Customer Day at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. This year's event was exceedingly spectacular - it included a packed schedule of presentations from community and Hill experts, opportunities for colleagues to build and share new ideas, and the first annual Civie Awards ceremony.

"Customer Day was a tremendous success! We're proud to serve as a leading source in government relations, supplying our clients and their constituents with beneficial knowledge to help improve citizens' roles in molding democracy for the future," Sherry Stanley Whitworth, CEO of Capitol Advantage, remarked.

Capitol Advantage's annual conference is dedicated to all of our customers. It provides them with expert knowledge and showcases our latest online technologies to help them develop their outreach programs. With a wide array of products and services, the Capitol Advantage family of companies gives government relations professionals the resources they need to keep up with the ongoing demands in driving their organizations' legislative agendas. Customer Day is a beneficial experience provided to customers that enables them to use smarter strategies to eventually raise public awareness and grow effectual advocates for their issues.

Dr. Jeff Mackie, motivational speaker of 20 years, was the featured guest speaker, and he brought a large dose of humor and wisdom on how to conquer obstacles in our personal and professional lives. His interactive and inspirational presentation entitled, "Leading Your Community: Leading Change Starts on the Inside," gave participants a fresh new look at how they could become better leaders. The first session of the day featured Carole Baskin, CEO and Founder of Big Cat Rescue, and Leann Fox, Director of Federal Advocacy of the American Osteopathic Association - experts within the community who shared how they captured their members' compassion for the issues to influence legislative policies.

Other guest speakers included: Tim Hysom, Assistant Director for Communications and Technology Services, Congressional Management Foundation; Alan Bruce, Systems Administrator, Office of Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL); Alan Knapp, Legislative Director, Office of Representative Ted Poe (R-TX); Brad Minnick, Executive Director, American Council of Young Political Leaders; Thaddeus Ferber, Program Director, Forum for Youth Involvement; Swathi Veeravalli, Legislative and Special Projects Coordinator, Sister Cities International; and David Dworkin, CEO and Founder, Affinity Network Strategies.

An awards reception was held at the end of the program to present the 2006 Civie Awards to four congressional offices and four organizations for their remarkable efforts in using online technologies to help constituents connect with their elected officials. The following organizations received the 2006 Civie Award for Outstanding Use of Technology for Civic Participation: the St. Joseph Health System, Youth Policy Action Center, American Osteopathic Association, and Association of International Educators. The 2006 Civie Award for Outstanding e-Constituent Relations was presented to the congressional offices of Representative Adam Schiff, Representative Lynn Woolsey, Senator Saxby Chambliss, and Senator Patrick Leahy.