Grass Roots' Mario Cruz Named CIO of the Year by South Florida Business Journal

Grass Roots, the leading provider of global performance improvement solutions for employee, channel and consumers, announced today that Mario Cruz, the company's Chief Technology Officer for the Americas, has been named CIO of the Year by the South Florida Business Journal. The Journal's awards program looked to trendsetting South Florida companies that have led the way with innovations, products and services, to choose their award winners.

As Chief Technology Officer, Cruz focuses on leveraging emerging technologies to develop the innovative solutions that help Grass Roots' clientele achieve their goals. These efforts are demonstrated through the execution of specialized leveragable services in communication, education, measurement, rewards and events targeted to employees, channel partners and customers. He is responsible for global technology, infrastructure and information security with an emphasis on delivery optimization, flexibility and best in breed service excellence.

Cruz began his career 19 years ago when he established himself as a recognized IT professional within the South Florida community. Over the years he has advanced to executive level positions within the information services field. Keenly interested in emerging technologies in the customer engagement arena (with an emphasis on security and privacy protections), Cruz looks for best-in-class solutions that support the global needs of Grass Roots' diverse client base. He leads his team in designing and implementing creative, value added and differentiated performance improvement solutions that are targeted to employees, channel partners and customers.

"The South Florida Business Journal's recognition of Mario is very well-deserved," said Stephen Humphreys, president and CEO of Grass Roots for the Americas. "His commitment to a collaborative management style, his contributions as a member of the executive management team and his ability to leverage global technology to identify creative solutions to address customer needs is truly outstanding. "We recognize the significant contributions Mario is making to our company and our clients and we are delighted that these achievements have also been recognized by the esteemed panel of SFBJ judges."

About Grass Roots

Grass Roots, recognized for its global performance improvement solutions, helps clients achieve their business goals through innovative recognition, incentive and loyalty programs to engage and motivate employees, channel partners and consumers. Founded in 1980, Grass Roots is co-headquartered in Miami, London and Singapore and has an expanding network of offices in 27 worldwide locations with over 1,000 employees and five international customer service call centers. Grass Roots offers unparalleled global customized solutions that have a positive influence on attitudes and behaviors and are proven to drive employee engagement, brand recognition, loyalty, sales and productivity.

Grass Roots currently services more than 60 percent of the Top 100 Global Brands, and counts among its customers BMW, RIM BlackBerry, Barclays Bank, and EMC. For more information, visit www.grassrootsamerica.com