From among thousands of nominees, Benefitfocus Inc. of Charleston, South Carolina, won a Gold Stevie Award in the 15th annual American Business Awards competition, highly regarded by a panel of more than 200 industry professionals.

Specifically commended for its innovative human capital management platform, BENEFITFOCUS Marketplace, the company earned praise for its integrated portfolio and product system.

"Today's progressive employers use benefits as part of their employment brand strategy to attract and retain top talent and to seek innovative ways to engage current employees in their benefits, not only during open enrollment, but year round," Benefitfocus co-founder and CEO Shawn Jenkins said.

Unique aspects of the new platform comprise fully mobile enrollment capability, user-friendly interface and decision-making tools. Among additional efficient features for benefits managers are compliance automation, data and analytics handling, advanced search and filtering options and event-oriented messaging capabilities.

"As employees take on more responsibility for choosing and paying for their health care plans, they're looking to their employer for resources to guide them in the process,” Jenkins said. “We're thrilled to be recognized by the American Business Awards for meeting this critical need."

Winners will be feted at a June 20 event in New York City. Stevie Awards began in 2002 to acknowledge achievements of businesses worldwide.