Comerica Bank Arizona "Companies to Watch" Call for Nominations

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE COMERICA BANK ARIZONA COMPANIES
TO WATCH AWARDS CELEBRATION – DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS IS JULY 9, 2010

PHOENIX, AZ (Tuesday, June 8, 2010) – The Arizona Small Business Association (asba) in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation will be joining with Comerica Bank for the third year to host the Comerica Bank Arizona Companies to Watch Award Program.

asba is now accepting nominations for 2010 award honorees. Together, asba and Comerica Bank will spotlight Arizona-based, second-stage companies that are succeeding and sustaining their business growth. The program seeks companies from a wide range of industries from across the state. To qualify, companies must be privately owned, second-stage companies. Second-stage companies employ between 6 and 100 full-time equivalent employees with $750,000 to $100 million in revenue, while creating jobs and growing sales through innovative products, services and practices. Publicly-traded firms and nonprofits are not eligible.

The deadline to submit nominations is July 9, 2010. From these nominations, deserving companies will be selected for recognition. Qualifying companies may be nominated by members of the business community, including service providers such as, attorneys, bankers, accountant, public relations representatives, economic development offices etc., or companies may self-nominate. Nominees will receive an email with instructions to complete an online application by July 19. Online forms and more information are available at www.azcompaniestowatch.org. The awards ceremony will be held on Friday, November 5, 2010 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ.

Donna Davis, CEO of asba will participate in the selection process along with executives from Comerica Bank, the Edward Lowe Foundation and other local business leaders.

Following the celebration, the companies selected as Companies to Watch will join with the 187 past winners from 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 in the Comerica Bank Arizona Companies to Watch Alliance, which supports companies in their continued growth.

About asba – For nearly 40 years, asba has been creating opportunities for businesses to make money, save money and achieve amAZing results. With a membership of almost 5,000 businesses representing over 300,000 employees, asba is the second largest trade association in the state and the only statewide association dedicated to serving small businesses. From outstanding value to an extensive range of support and services, asba is committed to making Arizona the best place for launching and growing your business. For more information or sponsorship opportunities, please call 602-306-4000, or visit www.asba.com. Join asba! Be amAZed®.

About the Edward Lowe Foundation – National presenter of Companies to Watch, the Edward Lowe Foundation created this awards program to celebrate second-stage entrepreneurs and their companies. The Edward Lowe Foundation is a Michigan-based, private, not-for-profit foundation whose mission is to "champion the entrepreneurial spirit." The foundation believes growing, second-stage companies deserve significant recognition as a critical, but often overlooked, driver of the state's economy. For more information, visit www.edwardlowe.org.

About Comerica Bank in Arizona – Comerica Incorporated is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Business Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth & Institutional Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful. In addition to Texas, Comerica Bank has offices in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, as well as in Canada, and Mexico. In Arizona, Comerica has grown from one office in 2004 to 16 locations, with plans to open another banking center by the end of 2010. Comerica Inc. reported total assets of $57.1 billion at March 31, 2010. For more information, visit www.comerica.com/newsalerts.

###