A Celebration of Excellence in Recruiting and Talent Acquisition at the Second Annual ER Excellence Awards Ceremony

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

San Diego, CA. March 15, 2006 — The winners of the 2006 ER Excellence Awards were announced last night at a black-tie gala dinner and ceremony at the ER Expo 2006 Spring Conference and Exhibition, hosted by the Electronic Recruiting Exchange (ERE).

Recognizing excellence in the corporate recruiting function, ER Excellence Awards were given out in eight categories, ranging from Best Employer Brand to Most Innovative Use of Recruitment Technology.

Valero Energy was the big winner of the evening; the company garnered a total of three awards, including the prestigious Recruiter of the Year, awarded to Valero's employment manager, Dan Hilbert. Valero also won the Most Innovative Recruiting Process or Structure and Most Effective Use of Staffing Metrics.

"It was an honor for me to be recognized here tonight by ERE," said Hilbert. "I can't claim all the credit for the success of my recruiting team at Valero, but it truly moved me to receive such a prestigious award in front of so many talent leaders and leading employers."

Other awards presented at the evening ceremony went to Deloitte (for Best Corporate Careers Website), Quicken Loans (for Most Innovative Employee Referral Program), PacifiCare Health Systems (for Best Employer Brand), Whirlpool Corporation (for Best College Recruiting Program), and Hewlett Packard (for Most Strategic Use of Recruitment Technology).

"Our goal is to recognize how closely recruiting and talent management is tied to business results," said David Manaster, president and founder of the Electronic Recruiting Exchange, which organized the awards program. "All the companies here today are the cream of the crop when it comes to recruiting, and it's no surprise they are also some of the most successful companies in the world."

This is the second annual ER Excellence awards program, which happens each year at the ER Expo spring conference, the leading recruitment and talent management event for the industry.

The 2007 awards program will take place next April in San Diego. Employers interested in applying can visit http://www.ereawards.com for more details and to download an application kit.

"I'm glad we won so many awards tonight, " said Hilbert, "but I think the most valuable part of the process for Valero was the application itself. It forced us to take a good hard look at some of our hiring processes, and we actually made some significant changes as a result of applying for these awards."

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About the ER Excellence Awards

The ER Excellence Awards honor and recognize the leading recruiting and staffing departments in the world. Awards are given out in several categories recognizing "best in class" operations across all aspects of the recruiting function. More information can be found at http://www.ereawards.com.

About the Electronic Recruiting Exchange

The Electronic Recruiting Exchange (ERE) is the leading provider of information and networking opportunities for corporate recruiting leaders. ERE provides information to over 40,000 active users through a series of free email newsletters, blogs, and direct networking opportunities. ERE also produces cutting edge research reports, leading industry conferences, and publishes the Journal of Corporate Recruiting Leadership. For more information about ERE visit http://www.ere.net.