Avvo Named One of Washington’s Best Workplaces by Puget Sound Business Journal

2011 Finalists honored and winners announced at special event on August 11

Seattle, Wash — Avvo (www.avvo.com) was named as one of the finalists for Washington’s Best Workplaces by the Puget Sound Business Journal.The program was launched in 2007 to identify and recognize best practices in the hiring and retention of great people. After an extensive and rigorous process, which included more than 230 nominees and the completion of surveys by nominee-company employees across the state, workplaces in four different categories have been identified as Washington’s best, based on their various employee benefit offerings, leadership culture and work/life balance philosophies. In total, 85 companies have made the grade as finalists.

Avvo is the largest legal and health Q&A website, where consumers get their questions answered by a community of rated lawyers and doctors and find the professional that best meets their needs.

“The success Avvo has achieved this year is a direct result of an innovative and driven team of talented people. In the past year alone we launched a health Q&A forum as well as profiles and ratings for 90% of the doctors in the United States. On the legal side, our business continued to grow tremendously,” said Mark Britton, founder and CEO of Avvo. “It’s an exciting time to be part of Avvo, and I have the great people that come to work here each day to thank for that.”

“Work-force development has never been more important – or more difficult – than it is in today’s global economy,” said Emory Thomas Jr., publisher of the Business Journal. “We believe the Business Journal, as the Puget Sound area’s top source of business information, has an important role to play in drawing attention to innovations and excellence in the management of our region’s No. 1 resource: its people.”

The finalists – 25 small companies, 25 medium-sized companies, 25 large companies, and 10 extra-largecompanies – will be celebrated at a one-of-a-kind awardsevent at Safeco Field on Aug. 11. Honorees and the public alike are invited to come cheer for the workplace accomplishments ofthese companies from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The celebration will include ballpark food and drink, walking the bases, speed pitching, and an awards presentation. The company with the greatest number of employees present will win a suite at a future Seattle Mariners game.

For more information, visit: www.wabestworkplaces.com

About Avvo
Avvo empowers consumers to handle legal and medical matters with confidence.  Avvo offers a free Question and Answer forum, where consumers can ask questions – anonymously if need be – and receive answers from rated doctors and lawyers.  Avvo offers free ratings and profiles for over 90 percent of the practicing lawyers and doctors in the US, including the industry-leading Avvo Rating, patient and client reviews and peer endorsements.  For each professional, Avvo also researches and displays their education, work experience, industry achievements and disciplinary records.  Launched in 2007, Avvo is privately held, with funding from private investors, Benchmark Capital, Ignition Partners and DAG Ventures. For more information, visit www.avvo.com.

About Puget Sound Business Journal is the region’s premier source of business information, serving an unparalleled audience of business and community leaders. In addition to the weekly newspaper, the Business Journal provides daily updates via its web site and email alerts.  The company also plays a vital role in bringing the area’s leadership community together by hosting a wide variety of events throughout the year, from the annual 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies celebration to the Women of Influence awards event. Puget Sound Business Journal is a unit of American City Business Journals, which operates 40 local business newspapers throughout the United States. Visit Puget Sound Business Journal on the web at www.pugetsoundbusinessjournal.com.