OC Tech Alliance Announces Finalists for 21st Annual High-Tech Innovation Awards

IRVINE, CA–(Marketwired – Jul 23, 2014) – The OC Tech Alliance has announced 36 finalists for 12 categories celebrating 21 years of technology innovation in Orange County. These finalists, include six technology company CEOs and six outstanding technology companies that will be honored at an awards gala October 9 at the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

 “We are fortunate to have had so many companies, products, and technology leaders to choose from for this 21^st annual technology awards event,” said Peter Craig, CEO, OC Tech Alliance. “These finalists are proof that Orange County has a vibrant technology community known across the country and around the world. We celebrate these finalists as we gather in October to name the winners.”

The finalists for outstanding innovation leadership and culture include:

Outstanding CEO in Technology in the large company category include:

• Joey Benadretti, SYSPRO
• Tom Edman, TTM
• Jim Petersen, Microsemi

Outstanding CEO in Technology in the mid-size company catergory include:

• Simon Arkell, Predixion
• Dean Stoecker, Atleryx
• Feyzi Fetehi, Corent Technology.

Outstanding Technology Company finalists in the large company category are:

• Kofax
• TTM
• Western Digital.

Outstanding Technology Company finalists in the mid-size company category are:

• Bitcentral
• Kareo
• Telogis.

The finalists for outstanding product and service innovation include the following categories:

Mobile & Wearable Technology finalists:

• Margolin Development, VideoVisor
• Martin Watches, Martian Notifier
• Voice Assist, Voice Assist 2.0.

Consumer Devices & Software finalists:

• D-Link, HD Wi-Fi Baby Monitor
• SensyTouch, Inc., Protective Capacitive Screen
• Vizio, Reference Series Smart TV.

Cloud /SaaS/ Web Platform Solutions, finalists:

• Corent Technology, SurPass
• Local Corporation, the Krillion Platform
• Western Digital, My Cloud Personal Cloud Storage & Mobile Apps.

Enterprise Software finalists:

• Levyx, Inc., Our Helium
• Phoenix Energy Technologies
• Enterprise DX
• SE+RCH2, SRCH2 Enterprise.

Enterprise Hardware & Devices finalists:

• Airwolf 3D, Airwolf3D HDx
• Astronics Test Systems, 5030 Burn-In test System
• Netlist, Inc. NVvault NVDIMM.

Semiconductors finalists:

• ClariPhy, LightSpeed-II CL20010
• Conexant CX20921 Far Field Voice/Speech Processing SOC
• Microsemi, Quantum Chip Scale Atomic Clock.

CyberSecurity finalists:

• HID Global, HID Trusted Tag Services
• Sekur.me, Sekur Me Mobile Login and Payments
• STEALTHbits Technologies, Audit Governance Access Suite.

CleanTech/Green Tech finalists:

• Compo Energy Inc., Waste to Energy
• SYSPRO, Enterprise Resource Planning Software
• VirdiSTOR, LLC, VirdiSTOR Solution.

Semi-finalists in each category can be found at http://www.octechalliance.com/high-tech-innovation-awards-2014/.

For Outstanding innovation in K-12 Education the finalists in each category are:

Innovative Schoolwide Program of the Year in Science, Math & Technology

• Jose Sepulveda Elementary School, Santa Ana Unified School District, Program: Science and Health Focus.
• Journey School, Capistrano Unified School District. Program: The Digital Media Literacy Project.
• El Dorado High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District. Program: Digital Media Arts Academy.

High Impact Teacher of the Year in Science, Math & Technology

• Ed Hernandez, Tustin High School, 9-12 Engineering/Math Teacher.
• Kevin Crossett, Huntington Beach High School, 9-12 AP Computer Science/CAD. Engineering Teacher.
• Glen Warren, McPherson Magnet School, Technology Teacher Librarian.

Emerging Student Innovator of the Year in Science, Math & Technology

• Samantha Langit, Aliso Niguel High School, 9th Grade (rising sophomore)
• Helen Kim, Brea Olinda High School, 10th Grade (rising junior).
• Siblings Aamna and Haleema Abbasi, Beckman High School, 11th Grade (rising seniors).

Now in its 21^st year, the High-Tech Awards is Southern California’s premier awards program event celebrating achievement among the regional tech industry. The OC Tech Alliance honors local companies, individuals and products that drive innovation in Orange County. The award recipients will be announced at a gala dinner on October 9, 2014, at the Westin South Coast Plaza.

About Orange County Technology Alliance
Orange County Technology Alliance is a 501(c)6 nonprofit trade association committed to fast-forwarding the local innovation economy. It is the successor organization to the Orange County Council of TechAmerica and AeA. It is the only technology association addressing the needs of small-to-midsize technology companies and their leaders based in Orange County, Calif. The alliance serves members through local networking, professional development, state and federal advocacy, savings on business services and industry recognition. To learn more about membership, contact OC Tech Alliance at octech@octechalliance.com or www.octechalliance.com. Follow alliance activities on Twitter at www.twitter.com/octechalliance.

About Project Tomorrow
Project Tomorrow (www.tomorrow.org), a national education nonprofit organization headquartered in Irvine, California, supports the innovative uses of research-based science, math and technology resources to develop critical thinking, problem solving and creativity in K-12 students. Project Tomorrow addresses the challenges of developing schools for the 21st century through national research projects, community and school-based programs, online tools and resources, and advocacy efforts to ensure that all students are prepared to be tomorrow’s leaders, innovators and engaged citizens of the world.