Last night Colleen Moffitt, Jennifer Gehrt, Jeanine Dellinger and I attended the Washington Technology Industry Association’s (WTIA) Industry Achievement Awards at the Showbox SODO in Seattle. The annual event recognizes the accomplishments of companies, individuals and students within the vibrant technology community in Washington state.
The finalists in categories ranging from best early-stage company and technology innovator of the year recognized some of the region’s most innovative and successful companies including Isilon Systems (a Communiqué PR client), Concur, Swype and newcomer SPARQCode. Click here for a complete list of winners.
New to this year’s awards, the WTIA recognized teachers from the state who were nominated for the National Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) Awards. The PAEMST honors outstanding teachers of mathematics and science from around the country. The honorees included Barbara Franz, Moses Lake School District; Nancy Pfaff, Lake Washington School District; Debra Strong, Everett School District; and Dawn Sparks, Thorp School District.
Overall this was one of the best WTIA award events in recent memory and it was a great opportunity to network and catch up with current and past clients and former colleagues including Laurie Myer, Marty Roberts, Kevin Hartz and Jim Herd. We also enjoyed the opportunity to make new connections, such as Sean Macleod and Rebecca Dawson with Stratos and Greg Bannick of Kimball Electronics Group.
We heard from several people that their companies are growing and are looking to fill numerous positions. Swype’s CEO even took time when accepting his award to mention that the company is hiring. Despite the economic conditions that have plagued every industry over the past couple of years, it’s wonderful to see that technology innovation is surviving and thriving in Washington.