CLEVELAND, Ohio, May 20, 2009 – BrandMuscle Inc., a Northeast Ohio technology-enabled marketing services firm, is helping to lead the way in economic growth for the region. In recognition of its contributions, BrandMuscle has been awarded the 2009 Crain’s Leading EDGE Award.

Each year, Entrepreneurs EDGE (Economic Development through Growth and Entrepreneurship) honors companies that have made a significant impact on the region through their combined earnings and compensation to local employees.

The 2009 edition of the Leading EDGE report – now in its third year – has recognized 95 companies that collectively pumped $1.6 billion into the Northeast Ohio economy last year. In addition, 83 of this year’s honorees created more than 1,800 net new jobs over the past two years.

BrandMuscle alone added to its workforce by nearly 30 percent since June 2008. The new hires filled positions in a number of departments, including business operations, client services, media, software engineering, sales and marketing and support.

In a market in which the number of jobs has continued to decrease since June 2007, BrandMuscle’s position in the marketing industry, along with advancements to its proprietary online ad builder solution, BrandBuilder® , have allowed BrandMuscle to add to its growing list of national well-known brands. As a result, BrandMuscle has ramped up its staff to continue to provide excellent service to its clients.

“We are very proud to receive the Leading EDGE Award because it recognizes the contributions of our employees and the faith that our customers worldwide have in a Northeast Ohio company. It’s really pretty amazing that companies like Bang & Olufsen, from the little town of Struer in Denmark, have chosen us as their solution partner,” said BrandMuscle President and CEO Philip Alexander.

The support of organizations such as EDGE, which is committed to helping the region’s existing middle market companies grow their value and build a culture that is supportive of entrepreneurial ventures, is crucial in continuing efforts to move the region forward.

“The focus typically is on start-ups and large companies. It’s great that this award focuses on recognizing mid-market companies,” said Alexander.

For more information about BrandMuscle, please contact Lorie Llorens at 1-866-464-4343, ext. 2047 or by e-mail at lllorens@brandmuscle.com. You also can visit our Web site at www.brandmuscle.com.