NCET gives awards to brightest tech minds in community
Last month, I introduced you to the local tech companies recognized at the Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology’s inaugural NCET Awards, a program that celebrates the individuals and companies who have greatly enhanced the growth and prestige of Greater Reno-Tahoe’s technology community. This month, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to the individuals we honored for their significant professional contributions and achievements.
Technology Educator of the Year: Christopher SimonAn assistant professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno, Simon has researched the political and technical perspectives of renewable energy. In 2007, Simon published “Alternative Energy: Political, Economic, and Social Feasibility,” which approaches the current challenge of renewable energy from political and technical perspectives. He also co-established a renewable energy minor at UNR. The program aims to provide students with technical skills, economic and political background and analysis and design skills that will help them apply the knowledge gained in their major to the important national issues of alternative and renewable energy.
Technology Entrepreneur of the Year: Aki KorhonenKorhonen has steered the growth and development of PC-Doctor Inc. since the company’s founding in 1993. He is the company’s leader and technical visionary, driving software development efforts and defining new products and architectures. Korhonen holds three patents from his work in the field of diagnostic software. Before founding PC-Doctor, Korhonen worked for Nokia Information Systems and Data General. He is the author of “PC Hardware from the Inside Out,” co-author of the Common Diagnostic Model that has been adopted as an industry standard by the Distributed Management Task Force and is a contributing editor and columnist for “MikroBitti,” a leading computer magazine in Finland.
CIO/CTO of the Year: Jack Dawson of IQ Systems Inc.IQ Systems Inc. provides system integration and network services. Dawson’s expertise in the areas of business process design, strategic planning and business intelligence and reporting helped the company earn Inc. Magazine’s INC 500 award, given to the 500 fastest-growing private companies in America. The company was founded on the principals of supplying superior customer service and the latest in computer technologies. Dawson has stressed the importance of understanding the solution provider business model, a critical distinction when you’re evaluating systems to help you aggressively grow into a new market segment. He has said that understanding industry nuances and incorporating that knowledge into products helps companies like his achieve ambitious objectives.
As this year’s NCET Award winners demonstrate, Greater Reno-Tahoe is home to an amazing range of people and companies all working to remind us that creativity and innovation is alive and well in the Silver State.
Read Part 1 – Best Tech Companies here
Dave Archer is the CEO of NCET, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, a statewide non-profit organization that helps Nevadans start businesses. For more information, visit www.ncet.org
Last month, I introduced you to the local tech companies recognized at the Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology’s inaugural NCET Awards, a program that celebrates the individuals and companies who have greatly enhanced the growth and prestige of Greater Reno-Tahoe’s technology community. This month, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to the individuals we honored for their significant professional contributions and achievements.
