Washington, DC – The Direct Selling Association (DSA) today announced the recipients of its prestigious 2012 ETHOS Awards during the Awards Gala at its annual meeting in Grapevine, Texas. DSA represents more than 200 leading firms that manufacture and distribute goods and services sold directly to consumers.

Honoring the best of direct selling, DSA’s ETHOS Awards recognize member companies with programs that empower independent direct sellers and fuel business processes. This year’s category award winners are:

• Marketing & Sales Campaigns: Rodan + Fields Dermatologists for its Age-O-Meter Facebook application
• Product Innovation: Rodan + Fields Dermatologists for its ANTI-AGE Lip Renewing Serum for the AMP MD Roller
• Salesforce Development: Scentsy for its Spring Sprint
• Technology Innovation: Mary Kay Inc. for its Mobile Virtual Makeover
• Vision for Tomorrow: The Pampered Chef for its Round-up from the Heart
• Rising Star: Viridian Energy
• Partnership: Iacono Production Services

“DSA congratulates all 2012 ETHOS Award winners for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to direct selling,” said DSA President Joseph Mariano. “These programs are excellent examples of the creativity and innovation that continue to drive our industry.”

In addition to the category award winners, all sub-category winners were recognized during the Awards Gala. A full list of sub-category award winners can be found online.

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About the Direct Selling Association
DSA is the national trade association of the leading firms that manufacture and distribute goods and services sold directly to customers. Among its more than 240 active and pending members are companies selling both via a party-plan method and in the traditional person-to-person style. In 2011, U.S. direct sales were more than $29.8 billion with nearly 16 million direct sellers nationwide. The vast majority are independent business people – micro-entrepreneurs – whose purpose is to sell the product/service of the company they voluntarily choose to represent. Approximately 90 percent of direct sellers operate their business part-time. For more information, visit www.dsa.org.