PlayTime Inc. Wins The 2003 Better Business Bureau Innovative Business Practice Award!

Seattle, WA - "And the winner is…", said the MC from the podium as he wrestled with the stickers on the envelope, "…PlayTime Inc. and John Chen!" A table of 10 supporters erupted into cheers as John Chen rushed the stage with an ice axe in one hand and a GPS in another. As John accepted the award, he was surprised as the opportunity to address the audience of over 350 people, including Bill Ayer, CEO of Alaska Airlines at the Better Business Bureau's largest event of the year.

The Better Business Bureau and US Bank sponsor the Business of the Year contest each year . With this year's theme of "Celebrating Excellence in the Marketplace", the BBB seeks to honor companies with Excellent Customer Service, Commitment to Community, Innovative Business Practices, and the Business of the Year. From a pool of over 150 entries, PlayTime Inc. was chosen as one of the 24 finalists. After a 45 minute oral interview with all of the judges, only 9 companies would be chosen to receive awards today.

PlayTime Inc. creates Life-Changing Adventures, infusing team and leadership skills through technology and adventure. This company creates innovative training programs to create human change. Their most popular product is Geoteaming, based on the recreational sport Geocaching http://www.geocaching.com, this high-tech treasure hunt with GPS units is customized to bring out work situations and work styles in a short amount of time. Their most extreme product is The Journey where 24 leaders attempt to summit 14,410 ft. Mt. Rainier as part of a 9 month leadership program that transforms the leadership body, mind and soul regardless if they reach the summit or not.

Holding his ice axe high above his head, John pronounced, "This has been a 5 year journey since I've started this company. I carried this ice axe with me to the top of 14,410 ft. Mt. Rainier on my first Journey program. This award…is a summit of totally different kind! I'd like to thank my supporters, partners, especially the Geocaching guys, clients and co-workers, without all of you this award would be impossible. Most of all, I'd like to thank my lovely wife, Whittnee, and my family. Without their support, none of this would be possible!"

PlayTime Inc. has applied their innovative business practices to projects such as Boeing's Transition to Management 1 which was redesigned to use interactive multimedia, international teleconferencing and a webboard to help 1,500 Boeing managers a year to learn about the transition from front line worker to first time manager to using Geoteaming with Microsoft, Adobe, Motorola, and REI to learn about the balance of competition and cooperation to maximize their teams' results.

John walked back to his support crew which included Rodney Bryan (Microsoft Exchange), Jeremy Irish and Elias Alvord (Geocaching.com), Shana Lloyd (Once in a Blue Moon Farm), Christina Bruning (The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Jim Humphries (The Master's Experience), Seth Leary and Heidi Hudlow (PlayTime Inc. contractors), Mark Shimada (Boeing and Digital StoryTelling) and his wife Whittnee Chen, who were all stunned and surprised. John Curley of Seattle's Evening Magazine continued to poke fun with comments such as "OK, only finalists who win can rush the stage with an ice axe!" and "All the finalists will win an Alaska Airlines round trip ticket. John Chen of PlayTime Inc., we advise you to leave the ice axe at home!"

John and Whittnee completed this incredible lunch by having their photo taken with the President of U.S. Bank. Who would have thunk that a metal ice axe and a handheld GPS receiver would have the power to change people's lives? Well today it definitely changed the life of one John Chen, CEO & The Big Kid of PlayTime Inc.