ITFlorida - 2006 Awards Finalists

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., November 27, 2006—ITFlorida announced the finalists for its annual statewide awards gala, casting the spotlight on those who have distinguished themselves and their industry in the best application of information technology throughout Florida. The event is scheduled for December 7 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista. Following the gala on December 8, ITFlorida will host its annual technology forum.

Award finalists, located from every corner of the state, represent a wide cross-section of companies—from large, well-known organizations such as Nielsen Media Research, to small firms with fewer than 10 employees.

"This year’s slate of finalists is extremely impressive, representing a wide diversity of industries from every region of Florida," said ITFlorida Chair Charles Davidson. "We are looking forward to honoring these IT professionals and their contributions to our state’s ever-growing high tech economy."

Government entities comprise an important segment of the finalists, including Okaloosa County and the U.S. Air Force, the City of Jacksonville, the City of Longboat Key, and Miami-Dade County. An important focus for the awards gala is emphasizing how government entities can better serve people through technology. Educational institutions are prominently represented, including the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern University. Economic development organizations, strong partners in the development of Florida’s high tech landscape, are also included in the awards gala, with finalists including the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, the Economic Development Council of Collier County, and Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission.

The complete list of finalists is as follows:

Excellence in IT Leadership - Northwest

CityNet Wireless (Panama City)

Gridsouth (Pensacola)

SilverBullet (Pensacola)

Split Pine Technologies (Tallahassee)

Excellence in IT Leadership - Northeast

Availity (Jacksonville)

Citizens Property Insurance (Jacksonville)

Nemours (Jacksonville)

TNT Logistics North America (Jacksonville)

Excellence in IT Leadership - Central

AuthenTec (Melbourne)

Bayshore Solutions (Tampa)

Creative Recycling Systems, Inc. (Tampa)

ECS (Orlando)

Excellence in IT Leadership - South

Auxis, Inc. (Coral Gables)

Starmark International (Dania Beach)

Telefonica USA (Miami)

University of Miami Clinical Enterprise Technologies (Miami)

Excellence In New Business Recruitment

Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach)

Economic Development Council of Collier County (Naples)

Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (Orlando)

South Florida Technology Alliance (Fort Lauderdale)

Government Technology Leadership - Private

Brandt Information Services, Inc. (Tallahassee)

MCCi (Tallahassee)

SkillStorm (Fort Lauderdale)

The Presidio Corporation (Tallahassee)

Government Technology Leadership - Public

City of Jacksonville (Jacksonville)

Miami-Dade County 311 (Miami)

Okaloosa County & Eglin Air Force Base (Fort Walton Beach)

Town of Longboat Key (Longboat Key)

Small Business of the Year

Cynfyn Solutions, Inc. (West Palm Beach)

Datacorp (Pembroke Pines)

eLayaway (Tallahassee)

TODO1 Services, Inc (Sunrise)

High Growth Company of the Year

AuthenTec (Melbourne)

Belcan (Palm Beach Gardens)

Infinity Software Development, Inc. (Tallahassee)

SkillStorm, Inc. (Fort Lauderdale)

IT Leader of the Year

American Red Cross - Central Florida Chapter (Orlando)

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (Tallahassee)

Nielsen Media Research (Oldsmar)

Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale)

About the 2006 ITFlorida Awards Gala and Tech Forum

On December 7 and 8, ITFlorida will announce the awards recipients at the annual Awards Gala. Keynoting the event will be Jose Maria Figueres, former President of Costa Rica and founding member of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force. The event will also include a keynote from U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, who created the Information Technology Committee when he was Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Find more information at www.itflorida.com.

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About ITFlorida

ITFlorida is an umbrella, not-for-profit membership organization that represents Florida's diverse information technology businesses and communities on a statewide basis. ITFlorida advocates—to the Legislature, the Executive Office of the Governor, and other bodies—for the establishment of rational regulatory regimes and economic development processes to support and enhance Florida's high tech industries.

Contact:

Matt Doster

ITFlorida Executive Director

850-294-0950

mdoster@itflorida.com