14th Annual OCRI Awards pay tribute to business excellence
Ottawa, ON – April 8, 2009 – OCRI, Ottawa’s lead economic development agency honoured Ottawa’s best and brightest companies, executives and students for their innovative contribution to the city’s knowledge-based sector at the 14th annual OCRI Awards gala and dinner at The Westin Ottawa this evening.
The awards celebrate excellence in the areas of research, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership, partnership and student accomplishment. Nominations for the nine categories were received from Ottawa’s business and education community last December. Over 60 nominations were reviewed by the Society of Collaborative Opportunities and Advancement of Professionals (SCOAP).
“Tonight, we honour the top executives, business leaders, thinkers and strategists in the city,” said Claude Haw, President and CEO, OCRI who was unable to attend the awards dinner. “Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to get to know many of tonight’s nominees. The quality and calibre of the companies in Ottawa remains a highlight that continues to drive the region’s diversity, creativity and success. We have an excellent foundation here in Ottawa that we need to celebrate and build upon so that Ottawa can continue to ramp up its global reputation as a leading centre of innovation.”
Jim Stanish, Vice-President, Finance of Macadamian, and winner of this year’s Service of the Year Award applauds the concept of honouring local success stories. “I love the idea that we recognize the great innovation, companies, and talent we have here in town,” Mr. Stanish said. “The OCRI awards are a great celebration, a great evening with the glitz and glamour that makes us all feel like a million bucks!”
The following awards were presented:
Technology Company of the Year:
Presented to SiGe, a multinational corporation with $100 million in sales, 45 per cent growth and 50 per cent of its workforce in Ottawa. This global player and market leader has shipped over 350 million units to date and is one of the top suppliers of GPS radio integrated circuits.
Next Generation Executive of the Year:
Presented to Rob Woodbridge, CEO of Rove, for his leadership of a small company that underwent dramatic change including a name change, streamlining its product line and raising staff levels from eight to 37. In a very short timeframe Rob has completely transformed the culture and operations of this small company.
Most Promising Start-Up of the Year:
Presented to Embotics, whose flagship product, V Commander, reduces virtual sprawl from virtual machines and is being sold to such companies as Alcatel, Micro Devices and Zentra. Embotics is one of few technology companies to close funding in 2008 and successfully raised $4 million in financing last year.
Financial Deal of the Year:
Presented to BTI Systems in recognition of the $25 million in venture capital from two new external investors that was secured in Q1, 2008 allowing BTI to establish a European Headquarters and software centre of excellence as well as enhanced support for international sales efforts.
Technology Partnership Commercialization:
Presented to Vocantas for the collaborative research and development with numerous healthcare professionals and the Ottawa Hospital Thrombosis Unit resulting in the successful implementation of Call-Assure. Call-Assure is Vocantas’ automated message system that integrates dose technology with information regarding upcoming tests and notifications of any changes to the patient care plan.
Service of the Year:
Presented to Macadamian, whose approach helps software product development managers attain the mix of skill, speed, quality and cost they need to be successful. To Macadamian, success means working hard to raise the odds of other companies’ products succeeding in the marketplace.
Product of the Year:
Presented to PIKA Technologies for Pika Warp, an out-of-box open source platform for voice applications used by software development companies that design voice- and fax-based business applications. 100 customers have bought WARP in the six months since the launch.
Student Researcher of the Year:
Presented to Dewan Tanvir Ahmed, University of Ottawa, for his research on “massively multiuser online gaming and collaborative virtual environments”. Dewan is developing an architecture called MM-VISA and has captured the attention of CAE, a simulation company that develops modeling technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry and defence forces around the globe.
High School Technology Innovator of the Year:
Presented to All Saints Catholic School and Earl of March Secondary School in recognition for their hard work and eager participation in the Ottawa High School Technology program that exposes high school students to career options within the technology sector, primarily in the areas of computer science and engineering.
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About OCRI:
Leading the way for Ottawa, OCRI is the city’s economic development agency. OCRI is the rallying point to bring business, education, research and talent together to create the winning economic conditions that allow Ottawa’s knowledge-based companies to thrive locally and compete globally. At OCRI we promote sustainable economic development to maintain our high quality of life. For more information on OCRI visit our website at www.ocri.ca and for more information on the Ottawa Region please visit www.ottawaregion.com.
For information contact:
Kim Cunningham
Manager, External Communications
OCRI
Office: (613) 828-6274 ext. 256
Cell: (613) 851-0768
kcunningham@ocri.ca
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