initiative paid great dividends, as the company achieved $15 million in revenues for 2005. New contracts are expected to help GPS generate revenues of $27 million in 2006.
BUSINESS INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
This award recognizes companies that have set trends and broken new ground in a particular industry.
Tap It FAME Inc.
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Digital Entertainment. CEO/OWNER: Jonathon Alexander. LOCATION: Los Angeles
What has been missing for independent artists, until now, is a fresh approach to getting their work out to the masses. Jonathon Alexander, CEO of Tap It FAME, an online artist portal, is making this happen by changing the dynamics of the industry. Alexander is the creator of an innovative Internet service that allows emerging artists to showcase their talent without catering to major labels.
Alexander, 41, developed www.tapitfame.com, to provide an outlet for emerging artists by allowing them to upload, display, market, and sell their work. For the service, artists pay $9.95 (for the basic package) plus merchant services fees. Artists set the prices for their work and are able to circumvent the 40% to 70% of gross sales charged by most online music sites, says Alexander. Special site features include a patent-pending Fame Tracker search engine of singers, bands, artists, and designers.
Before launching Tap It FAME (an acronym that stands for fashion, art, music, and entertainment) in August 2005, Alexander spent about 18 months researching the idea, traveling the world, and talking to artists and consumers about online music.
Now that Tap It FAME has completed its beta-testing phase, the company expects to make $700,000 by the end of this year. Alexander, who is on target to list 30,000 artists in his database by mid-2006, is continuing his goal-to revolutionize the way people listen to and buy music.
Life Enhancing Dentistry
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Cosmetic and Neuromuscular Dentistry. FOUNDER, PRESIDENT & CEO: Dr. Lynn D. Locklear, DDS. LOCATION: Washington, D.C.
After Dr. Lynn Locklear completes dental work on her patients, they usually leave with a smile-not because they are pleased with the bill. Many who have undergone Locklear’s state-of-the-art neuromuscular treatment report an increased sense of well-being and comfort.
Locklear, 42, ranks among 1% of dentists trained in the cutting-edge field of neuromuscular dentistry. She has extensive training in this emerging field of dentistry, which is based on establishing the proper alignment of the jaw and facial muscles. When the jaw is misaligned, both hard and soft tissues are affected, which can cause headaches, jaw pain, and neck and shoulder pain. To relieve these symptoms, neuromuscular dentistry can be applied to place the jaw in its optimal position.
Through the application of this unique dental process, Locklear is able to provide her clients with exceptional aesthetic results, while additionally relieving the pain of joint dysfunction, migraine headaches, and numerous other conditions.
Locklear, who has been practicing dentistry in Washington, D.C., since 1992, transformed her traditional practice into Life-Enhancing Dentistry in 2002. Since that time, her practice has