PRINCE GEORGE'S (OCT. 6)--Prince George's Suite magazine, the fast growing quality of life magazine launched in January of this year, is now the recipient of the 2005 Excellence in Business Award. The award will be presented today during the Prince George's Chamber of Commerce's 2005 Showcase and Expo at Martin's Crosswinds in Greenbelt, MD.

Prince George's Suite magazine, which presents readers with news, events and profiles of county life and development is being recognized as an example of entrepreneurial spirit. The magazine, affectionately known as "The Suite," successfully blends homespun stories and profiles with a high-end, sophisticated glossy presentation and design. Over a short time, the magazine has captured a following among regional readers and the business and development communities.

"We're especially excited about this award from the Prince George's Chamber of Commerce," says Publisher and Editor Raoul Dennis. "It reflects that our acknowledgement of the enormous business and development opportunities in Prince George's County are on target. We believed in the county by launching the magazine and now the county business community is expressing its belief in itself by acknowledging its premiere lifestyle magazine."

The county's business community is growing. Over 14,500 businesses employ more than 230,000 workers. Prince George's County has nearly a dozen high-technology oriented federal labs and agencies. Almost 900 high-technology companies employ 33,600 highly-trained workers in the county-the second highest number of high-tech companies, as well as the second highest number of defense and aerospace companies, of any jurisdiction in the state.

Kathleen Smith, president and CEO of the Prince George's Chamber of Commerce, says the award recipients reflect the direction of the county's upward business mobility. "These individual entrepreneurs & businesses exemplify the best of the best in every industry and in every category from community service to business leader," Smith says. "Frankly, the county has been under recognized as the driving business force that it is and that it has the potential to be. The extraordinary caliber of these award recipients is the caliber that the county needs, must have, must recruit and must retain in the business community. These companies model the business acumen that we strive to make as the standard in Prince George's County. The Chamber stands ready to work with the county to launch a new effort to recruit high caliber businesses that will continue to transform and brand the county into the pristine business community that we know ourselves to be."

The Chamber of Commerce is leading a more diverse business community since its start in 1924 at the Hyattsville City Armory. The chamber is comprised of 900 businesses and represents over 250,000 employees. This year's expo theme, "Soaring to New Heights" is the key message of the 2005 Business-to-Business Expo, now in its sixth year of creating robust business opportunities. Showcase 2005 will once more bring hundreds of business leaders, elected officials, civic representatives and corporate decision-makers together to break new business ground.

The creators of the new magazine say one of the primary goals of the magazine is to create links between regional and national business, travel and developmnent leaders and the suburban community of Prince George's. "We're on the right track," Dennis says. "In spite of the obstacles, we have already begun to raise the bar in how the county is perceived."

Prince George's Suite, a lifestyle magazine, is committed to serving surrounding communities by publishing stories and images that reflect the best of living in the county. Currently reaching 20,000 readers, The Suite is a premiere quality of life magazine direct mailed to consumers, business and civic leaders in the region and to five cities along the east coast. For more information, visit www.pgsuite.com.