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FreightWaves wins 4 Gold and 9 total Azbees for editorial excellence

Awards program represents the best of the best in B2B publishing

FreightWaves has been honored with 9 Azbee Awards of Excellence, including four Gold Awards.

FreightWaves captured nine American Society of Business Publication Editors (Azbee) awards, including a National Gold and four Regional Gold Awards.

The association, which represents business-to-business (B2B) publishers, announced the winners of its Regional and National Azbee Awards of Excellence last week. Over 1,000 entries were received in 2020, covering 63 categories in all across B2B publishing in both online and print categories.

FreightWaves earned a National Gold Award for its coverage of the Celadon Group’s bankruptcy. The winning submission included a series of articles written by staff writers John Paul Hampstead, Clarissa Hawes and Noi Mahoney.

The Celadon Group coverage also won a Regional Gold Award.


On the National level, FreightWaves was also a finalist for Website of the Year.

On a regional basis, FreightWaves competes in the Southeast Region and took home four Gold Awards, a Silver Award and a pair of Bronze Awards.


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FreightWaves’ Canadian correspondent Nate Tabak was honored with a Gold Award for his article, “Firm helps US companies bypass China tariffs,” in the Enterprise News Story category.

Air cargo reporter Eric Kulisch also won a gold in the News Analysis category for his article, “Surprise! The Airbus jetliner you ordered years ago just got more expensive.”

Washington correspondent John Gallagher, reporters Linda Baker and Clarissa Hawes, and Michael Angell, who has left the publication, also captured Gold in the Online Single Topic Coverage by a Team category for their coverage of the California AB5 independent contractor law.

Managing Editor Brian Straight won for his feature on Nikola Motor (NASDAQ: NKLA) founder Trevor Milton. Entitled, “I wanted to build the locomotive semi-truck,” the article won a Silver Award in the Company Profile category.

Straight joined with Detroit Bureau Chief Alan Adler, and reporters Clarissa Hawes, Corrie White and Jessica Boggs for a Bronze Award in the Trade Show/Conference Coverage category for their work covering the North American Commercial Vehicle Show.

Adler picked up an individual Bronze in the Case History category for his feature on Navistar (NYSE: NAV), titled, “Navistar’s mid-decade engine debacle drives customer-focused culture change.”

In April, FreightWaves was honored with two Jesse H. Neal Awards, including Best Website in its size category. FreightWaves was also a finalist in three other categories for Neal Awards.


The full list of Azbee awards is as follows:

National Awards

Category: Online – Online Breaking News Coverage

Award Level: National Gold Award

Title of Entry: Celadon Group makes bankruptcy official, shuts down after 34 years

Authors: John Paul Hampstead, Director, Passport Research; Clarissa Hawes, Reporter; and Noi Mahoney, Cross-Border Reporter

Category: Overall Excellence – Website of the Year

Award Level: Website of the Year Finalist

Title of Entry: FreightWaves website of the year

Authors: Craig Fuller, Founder & CEO; Emily Szink, Director of Content; and Brian Straight, Managing Editor

Southeast Region Awards

Category: All Content – Case History

Award Level: Regional Bronze Award

Title of Entry: Navistar’s mid-decade engine debacle drives customer-focused culture change

Author: Alan Adler, Detroit Bureau Chief

Category: All Content – Company Profile

Award Level: Regional Silver Award

Title of Entry: Nikola Motor founder Trevor Milton: “I wanted to build the locomotive semi-truck”

Author: Brian Straight, Managing Editor

Category: All Content – Enterprise News Story

Award Level: Regional Gold Award

Title of Entry: Firm helps US companies bypass China tariffs

Author: Nate Tabak, Canada Correspondent

Category: All Content – News Analysis

Award Level: Regional Gold Award

Title of Entry: Surprise! The Airbus jetliner you ordered years ago just got more expensive

Author: Eric Kulisch, Air Cargo Reporter

Category: All Content – Trade Show/Conference Coverage

Award Level: Regional Bronze Award

Title of Entry: FreightWaves’ North American Commercial Vehicle Show coverage

Authors: Brian Straight, Managing Editor; Alan Adler, Detroit Bureau Chief; Clarissa Hawes, Reporter; Corrie White, Reporter; and Jessica Boggs, Reporter

Category: Online – Online Breaking News Coverage

Award Level: Regional Gold Award

Title of Entry: Celadon Group makes bankruptcy official, shuts down after 34 years

Authors: John Paul Hampstead, Director, Passport Research; Clarissa Hawes, Reporter; and Noi Mahoney, Cross-Border Reporter

Category: Online – Online Single Topic Coverage by a Team

Award Level: Regional Gold Award

Title of Entry: California passes AB5 bill

Authors: John Gallagher, Washington Correspondent; Linda Baker, Reporter; Michael Angell, Bulk and Intermodal Editor; and Clarissa Hawes, Reporter


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Brian Straight

Brian Straight leads FreightWaves' Modern Shipper brand as Managing Editor. A journalism graduate of the University of Rhode Island, he has covered everything from a presidential election, to professional sports and Little League baseball, and for more than 10 years has covered trucking and logistics. Before joining FreightWaves, he was previously responsible for the editorial quality and production of Fleet Owner magazine and fleetowner.com. Brian lives in Connecticut with his wife and two kids and spends his time coaching his son’s baseball team, golfing with his daughter, and pursuing his never-ending quest to become a professional bowler. You can reach him at bstraight@freightwaves.com.