News Release

For Immediate Release 
Contact: Marla McIntyre 
202-686-7463; mmcintyre@sio.org

SIO RECOGNIZES LOCAL SURETY GROUPS FOR EXCELLENCE

APRIL 18, 2003, WASHINGTON, DC – The Surety Information Office (SIO) has named the recipients of the 2002 Gold and Silver Awards for Excellence in Surety Bond Promotion. The awards are presented annually by the Surety Information Office (SIO), the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP), and The Surety Association of America (SAA) to local surety associations that actively promote the benefits of surety bonds.

The Surety Association of San Diego is the sole recipient of the Gold Award for Excellence in Surety Bond Promotion for its yearlong dedication to education and outreach. The following local surety associations were recognized with Silver Awards for Excellence in Surety Bond Promotion: the Alabama Surety Association; the Surety Association of Kansas City; the Surety Association of Nevada; the Surety Association of South Texas; and the Utah Surety Association. The Surety Association of St. Louis received an honorable mention.

"The outstanding outreach efforts of these groups in 2002 make them especially deserving of recognition for their continued dedication to promoting the surety industry through special initiatives and presentations to CPAs, bankers, lawyers, students and educators, private and public owners, and contractors," says Marla McIntyre, executive director of the Surety Information Office. 

The Silver and Gold Awards for Excellence in Surety Bond Promotion, sponsored SIO, was presented April 16, 2003 at the National Association of Surety Bond Producers Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, CA and also will be presented at The Surety Association of America Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL on May 15, 2003.

Surety bonding is a careful, rigorous, and professional process in which surety companies and surety bond producers prequalify contractors to assure project owners that these contractors are capable of performing the contract and paying certain laborers, subcontractors, and suppliers. 

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SIO was formed in 1993 to disseminate information about the benefits of contract surety bonding in private and public construction. Located in Washington, DC, SIO is supported by the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) [surety agents and brokers] and The Surety Association of America (SAA) [surety companies]. Surety bonding is a careful, rigorous, and professional process in which surety companies prequalify contractors and then assure project owners that these contractors are capable of performing the contract and will pay certain subcontractors and suppliers associated with the project.