Gallaudet University Dept of Business selects David S. Birnbaum as the "Business Person of the Year"

From: HIP VRS - May 2, 2005

Silver Spring, Maryland – April 29, 2005

Birnbaum Interpreting Services (BIS) proudly announces that Gallaudet University Department of Business selected David S. Birnbaum, President of BIS, as the "Business Person of the Year".

Mr. David S. Birnbaum was honored at a ceremony hosted by the Business After Hours organization, a student organization at Gallaudet University under the Department of Business, on April 27, 2005. Business After Hours provides promising young entrepreneurs with hands-on-experiences by inviting business organizations and professionals to the campus to enrich students knowledge of interaction, learning, as well as provide students the opportunity to discuss with CEO's the ins and outs of successful self-employment in the hectic world of business.

In recognizing Mr. Birnbaum's efforts in providing services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, Gallaudet University's leaders in the Department of Business stated, "Birnbaum Interpreting Services (BIS), through David S. Birnbaum's creativity, leadership and entrepreneurial spirit, has grown, since it was established in 1995, into a lucrative business venture providing a large variety of services including: basic interpreting services, personalized interpreting services for large numbers of clients, and innovative technology services."

When asked about his views on Gallaudet University's commendation for his wonderful service to the community, Mr. Birnbaum simply stated that he felt the need to give back to the community from which he came. Learning from his own experiences, varying from cab driving in New York City to courier services in Maryland, Birnbaum believes passion is what drives people to succeed. Businesses would not thrive without passion and drive for providing services that can better people's lives. His passion for giving back to the community became his mission in promoting equal access to all members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. In the fall of 1994, Birnbaum was presented with an idea of establishing an interpreting service as an opportunity to give back to the community. Inspired by this idea, Birnbaum Interpreting Services was officially in business on February 13, 1995. After years of providing interpreting services for the Washington, D.C. metro area, Mr. Birnbaum was approached with the idea of adding Video Relay Services as a part of the company's services. A natural businessman at heart, he seized the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful experience. After consulting with various telecommunications companies, Birnbaum secured a partnership with Hamilton Relay, Inc. for the joint provision of Video Relay Services. To this day, Birnbaum Interpreting Services continues to thrive in providing services to a community where Mr. Birnbaum has always held much respect.

To quote a fellow colleague of Mr. Birnbaum, Bridget Bonheyo said, "Kudos to David Birnbaum for paving the way for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community!"

About Birnbaum Interpreting Services

Birnbaum Interpreting Services (BIS) is a Deaf-owned and operated corporation that provides sign language interpreting services. BIS provides the highest quality interpreting services to its clients by maintaining a majority of staff interpreters that are nationally certified. BIS serves the gamut of settings from private to public sectors. In addition, BIS provides Video Relay Services (VRS) by partnering with a leading national relay provider, Hamilton Relay. For more information, visit the BIS website at www.bisworld.com or call (800) 471-6441 v/TTY.