Tech Visionary and Founder of Wikipedia Discusses Florida’s Strengths And Challenges Of Growing A Vibrant Tech Sector during  ITFlorida’s Annual Awards Gala and Tech Forum

 

Event  Also Brought Together The State’s Leading Tech Executives And Public Officials To Discuss And Report on Key IT Issues And Recognize Outstanding IT Achievements

 

TALLAHASSEE, FL, November 1, 2007 – In the effort to maintain and grow a vibrant IT community, Florida has a number of strengths including a business-friendly environment, a favorable tax climate and outstanding weather, explained Jimmy Wales, creator and founder of Wikipedia, during his keynote address at ITFlorida’s annual awards gala and tech forum. Wales, a Florida resident, also discussed the need for the state to foster a "geek culture" in order to better attract the best and brightest technologists.

 

The annual ITFlorida event, which was earlier this week at the Walt Disney World Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, provides the state’s leading IT executives with an opportunity to recognize the exceptional achievements of their peers, discuss crucial IT-related trends and issues, and report on the latest IT developments around the state.

 

"This event does a great job of bringing together our elected leaders and IT business community—this collaboration between the public and private sectors is crucial for the continued growth of a vibrant IT community," said Matt Doster, executive director of ITFlorida. "We have many talented and forward thinking IT leaders, innovators and organizations within the state.  It’s an honor that ITFlorida can recognize and showcase their efforts."

 

In addition to Wales’ presentation, this year’s gala and forum also featured a keynote address from the Honorable Marco Rubio, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. The event was attended by numerous elected officials and private sector tech professionals throughout the state and was highlighted by panels, breakout sessions and networking opportunities. Hot topics of discussion included workforce issues and government cutbacks.

 

Scott Moody, chairman and CEO of Melbourne-based AuthenTec (NASDAQ:AUTH), was named "IT Leader Of The Year" by ITFlorida. Tampa-based Bayshore Solutions was recognized as the "High Growth Company of the Year," and Naples-based Market2Buyers earned recognition as "Small Business of the Year."

 

Other award winners included:

·         Town of Longboat Key (Longboat Key)—Excellence in Government Technology Leadership/Public Sector

·         K12 Inc./Florida Virtual Academy (Jacksonville)—Excellence in Government Technology Leadership/Private Sector

·         Charlotte County Economic Development Office (Port Charlotte)—Excellence in New Business Recruitment

·         SGIS (Ft. Lauderdale)—Excellence in IT Leadership in South Florida

·         Harris Corporation (Melbourne)—Excellence in IT Leadership in Central Florida

·         Meridian Technologies (Jacksonville)—Excellence in IT Leadership in Northeast Florida

·         Actigraph (Pensacola)—Excellence in IT Leadership in Northwest Florida

 

 

ITFlorida 2007 Gala Award Winners

·         IT Leader of the Year

The IT Leader of the Year Award recognizes the individual or organization that has made significant achievements within the Florida IT industry.  This individual or organization will have distinguished themselves as a leader in the IT or related industry. Through their efforts there will have been a direct impact on the growth and viability of the Florida IT sector.

 

Scott Moody, Chairman and CEO of AuthenTec (Melbourne)

Citation: AuthenTec developed and has perfected the world's only sub-surface biometric fingerprint technology—known as TruePrint—which reads below the surface of the user's skin to the living layer of skin where the true fingerprint resides.  The technology enables AuthenTec to produce sensors that are the most accurate and reliable, yet are also the smallest and lowest cost in the industry. Scott Moody is the company's co-founder, Chairman and CEO.

 

·         The High Growth Company/Operation of the Year

The High Growth Company/Operation of the Year Award recognizes a company or operation that has successfully seized the opportunity to capture a greater share of its product or service market.  The award recognizes a company or operation that has demonstrated a strategic and successful market focus, that has driven or responded to the market, and that has developed its production, delivery and servicing capabilities to fully leverage its market position and achieve exceptional growth.

 

Bayshore Solutions (Tampa)

Citation: Bayshore Solutions is an IT consulting and software development firm that looks to the Internet as the primary access point for all items that it develops. They assist their clients in achieving the marketing benefits and business efficiencies that the Internet provides. Their business model revolves around a "make once and use many" strategy, allowing for future custom development projects to be completed in a fraction of the time with minimal resources.

 

·         Small Business of the Year

The Small Business of the Year Award recognizes a small IT or IT-enabled business, including a minority or female-owned enterprise, that is achieving success through business excellence. Factors that contribute to a company’s eligibility are high growth, introduction of new products, and/or industry recognition.

 

Market2Buyers (Naples)

Citation: Market2Buyers tracks everything a realtor’s end user clients are doing to interact with the software including emails and web visits and then uses the record of those interactions to determine the next actions the realtor should take with that end user. The determinations are made via algorithms. 

 

·         Excellence in New Business Recruitment

The Excellence in New Business Recruitment Award recognizes a company, government agency, or economic development organization that has demonstrated success in recruiting IT or IT-enabled businesses to the state of Florida.  Nominees should demonstrate innovative programs for bringing new technology business into Florida and/or effective methods for retaining existing business.

 

Charlotte County Economic Development Office (Port Charlotte)

Citation: Charlotte County Economic Development Office (EDO) is committed to its mission of encouraging the recruitment, expansion and retention of diversified high impact industry. In this light, the EDO uses its resources to help create high-skill, high-wage jobs and to help diversify the economy and tax base.  As part of its efforts, the EDO created an innovative e-tool in early 2007, together with the Geographic Information System (GIS) Department of Charlotte County, which will help facilitate the site selection process for new and expanding business in the county.

 

·         Excellence in IT Leadership

The Excellence in IT Leadership award recognizes an outstanding business or initiative for exceptional leadership in furthering the use of IT to successfully advance economic, social, or technological development in the state of Florida.

 

NE Florida Winner

Meridian Technologies (Jacksonville)

Citation: Meridian Technologies is a technical consulting, performance engineering and software development company. They design, build and test large scale, robust data management applications using a structured methodology to deploy solutions that address their clients’ unique needs.

 

NW Florida Winner

Actigraph (Pensacola)

Citation: Actigraph designs and manufactures ambulatory accelerometers for medical, research, and consumer markets. Currently Actigraph has shipped devices to 43 countries around the world. Actigraph LLC accelerometers have been repeatedly validated as the gold standard for calculating energy expenditures in humans.

 

Central Florida Winner

Harris Corporation (Melbourne)

Citation: Harris Corporation is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries.  Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications products, systems and services for global markets.

 

South Florida Winner

SGIS (Ft. Lauderdale)

Citation: SGIS has teamed with numerous organizations within the Intelligence, Homeland Security, Defense and Space communities to form alliances needed for successful missions. The company specializes in the areas of Information Technology, Engineering, Intelligence Solutions, Global Telecommunications and Logistics.

 

·         Government Technology Leadership

The Government Technology Leadership Award recognizes an innovative IT initiative or solution for its contributions to a state or local government agency’s mission accomplishment, service to the public, and cost effectiveness.  The award recognizes those initiatives or solutions that: improve the delivery of services to citizens and enterprises; break down barriers between offices, agencies, and departments or between federal, state, and local governments; or significantly reduce the cost of governance.

 

Private Sector Winner

K12 Inc./Florida Virtual Academy (Jacksonville)

Citation: Florida Virtual Academy (FLVA) is the highest performing K-8 virtual school in Florida. Curriculum and management services for FLVA is provided by K12 Inc. K12 specifically designed their curriculum for online learning, in contrast to other online curriculum providers who often just digitize classroom textbooks for transmission over the Internet.

 

Public Sector Winner

Town of Longboat Key (Longboat Key)

Citation: The Town of Longboat Key It Department set out in June 2005 to solve a longstanding problem with delivering information to building contractors in a timely fashion. The system allows contractors to monitor issued permits and related inspection activity to better facilitate planned work schedules and phasing. This information, available to contractors, property owners and the public is free of charge.

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ITFlorida’s mission is to make Florida a leader in high tech advancement by serving as an umbrella organization comprised of both public and private technology leaders for high tech industries in the state; providing guidance to the state on technology issues and initiatives; guiding the Governor, the Legislature, and Enterprise Florida on the strategic technology direction and initiatives of the state; and working to ensure the successful integration of technology infrastructure statewide. For more information visit www.itflorida.com.

 

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