Annapolis, MD – February 27, 2009 – Nominees for the TechAwards 09: Regional Rock Stars emerged with great success to demonstrate impressive growth and community service in a year dominated by gloomy headlines and lay-offs. One nominee realized a 382 percent increase in revenue over 2007 while another focused on the production of affordable next-generation transportation fuels. Some companies leveraged innovative technologies on a global scale to save lives following the earthquake in Sichuan, China while others reduced the burden on the nation’s landfills by nearly 16 million pounds of electronics annually.

Finalists in the Tech Company of the Year, Innovator Award, Good Chip Award and Tech Service Company of the Year award are listed below.
 
The Innovator Award recognizes a company that best exhibits new technologies, innovative strategies for business partnerships, and maximizing, enhancing and advancing technology in the Annapolis-Washington-Baltimore area. Nominees include:

Sagentia  Sagentia is an international technology consulting, product development and IP licensing organization with a reputation for successfully commercializing emerging science and technology.  Sagentia creates, develops and delivers business opportunities, products and services for its clients.

UltraVision Security Systems, Inc. UltraVision is a company dedicated to developing ultra wideband (UWB) technologies for use in life rescue and safety systems. The company’s LifeLocator® system is the international standard for maximizing rescue opportunities in countries most often devastated by building or other types of collapses due to explosions or natural disasters.
 
Zenoss, Inc. Annapolis, MD-based Zenoss is a commercial open source software company delivering network, server and application monitoring solutions that offer comprehensive IT management and network monitoring. The result is an IT management solution that is more flexible and easier to deploy, use and maintain - all at a fraction of the cost of traditional IT management suites. The solutions are helping leading companies-such as Rackspace, VMware, Tyco Electronics, SugarCRM, Cap Gemini and Formica- avoid costly IT outages and better support their employees and customers.
 
Zymetis, Inc. Zymetis, Inc. is a biotechnology company in College Park, MD dedicated to developing novel enzyme products for the emerging bio-refining industry. Derived from unique organisms, Zymetis products are designed to achieve lower costs, improved yields and higher manufacturing efficiencies in the conversion of cellulosic biomass to usable sugars. Currently, Zymetis is focused on the production of affordable next-generation transportation fuels.
 
The Tech Service Award goes to an area company whose core business is around providing services in and for the technology community, and recognizes a continued commitment to customer retention. Nominees include:

Dataprise  Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, Dataprise, Inc. is a leading information technology services provider and systems integrator that solves the technology challenges of small and medium-size business. With offices in Washington, DC, New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Northern Virginia, Dataprise is an outsourced technology partner to hundreds of clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic, helping organizations manage their networks and leverage their technology investments.
 
Syndicus, Inc. Syndicus is an international professional services firm that provides recruiting services and technical staffing of IT, engineering, and scientific personnel.
 
V-Empower, Inc. Bowie, MD-based V-Empower, Inc. is a customer-focused company that offers a wide range of customized services and standard tools to fulfill the information technology needs of their customers. Since its inception in 2002, apart from customized services and standard tools, V-Empower Inc. has also been executing projects for governments, businesses and individuals in the areas of Client Server Technologies, Internet Technologies, Security Consulting, IT Process Improvement, Project Management, Consulting/Staffing, Outsourcing and other related areas.
 
The Tech Company of the Year Award is given to a company that has achieved significant milestones in the past year and demonstrates itself as a recognized force in the local technology community.

Sourcefire, Inc. Sourcefire, Inc. (Nasdaq: FIRE), Snort creator and open source innovator, is a world leader in Enterprise Threat Management (ETM) solutions. Sourcefire is transforming the way Global 2000 organizations and government agencies manage and minimize network security risks with its 3D Approach – Discover, Determine, Defend – to securing real networks. This ETM approach equips customers with an efficient and effective layered security defense – protecting network assets before, during and after an attack. The company’s headquarters are in Columbia, MD.
 
Syracuse Research Corporation (SRC) SRC is a not-for-profit, research and development company with over 50 years experience in the areas of defense, environment, and intelligence. SRCTec, an ISO registered subsidiary of SRC, provides high-tech manufacturing, program management, and integrated logistics. Together, through the innovative application of science, technology, and information, the companies develop next generation solutions to challenges of national significance.
 
TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) (NASDAQ: TSYS) engineers and delivers highly reliable wireless communications technology. TCS is a leader in wireless text messaging and location-based technology, including E9-1-1 services and commercial applications like navigation that use the precise location of a wireless device, and secure satellite-based communications systems and services. Customers include leading wireless and VoIP carriers around the world, cable MSOs, automotive telematics vendors, and agencies of the U.S. Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security. TCS is one of six primary vendors on a $5 billion Army Worldwide Satellite Systems Contract vehicle. (Annapolis, MD)
 
The Good Chip Award recognizes companies that are working to better the community, either through the technology it is developing or through community service and donations.

E-Structors Founded in 2003 and a true pioneer in this industry, E-Structors, Inc. safely destroys and recycles electronics, computers and documents for U.S, state and local government agencies, corporations, health care systems, major electronics retailers, and other businesses and organizations throughout the country. Their mission is to eliminate the two major threats concerning the efficient disposal of computers, electronics and documents: information security and environmental compliance. (Elkridge, MD)
 
Sidus Group Since 1999, Sidus Group, LLC has been providing data center solutions, Web design and Web marketing, E-commerce and Web consulting for businesses throughout the community, U.S., and the world, in a broad range of industries. The Sidus Shares program provides support for organizations and programs that are working to make our community stronger. The Sidus Shares program works primarily in the areas of youth, non-profit and volunteer programs that create significant and measurable results. Since its inception, Sidus Shares has helped many groups realize their broad reach into the community. The company’s operations office is located in Annapolis, MD.
 
Stellar Presentations  Stellar Presentations has provided volunteer marketing support to several non-profit corporations in the Annapolis area over the past 10 years. Through the AnnapolisGreen.com website, the company had developed a grass-roots environmental movement in the Annapolis area that has a mailing list of over 1000 people and organizations and continues to grow.
 
 
In addition to the awards above, the Legend’s Circle Individual and Company awards will be given to an individual and a company respectively who are seen as stalwarts and supporters of the local tech community. The winners of the awards will be announced at the 4th Annual TechAwards 09: Regional Rock Stars awards program on March 26th, 2009, 6 to 9 pm at the Westin Annapolis Hotel.

The Chesapeake Regional Tech Council received 36 submissions this year from a variety of accomplished technology businesses throughout the Annapolis-Washington-Baltimore area. In a blind voting process, a 12-member selection committee spent two weeks examining the nominations and criteria and then voted on the top contenders.

The TechAwards 09 Selection Committee includes Michael Ryan, President and CEO, South River Technologies; Bob Hannon, Chairman & CEO, Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp; Gary Cooper, Technical Director of the ARINC Innovation Center, ARINC; Bill Graf, Commercial/Government Contracting Banking Officer, M&T Bank; Ben Wu, Senior Technology Advisor, Maryland DBED; Carl Strobel, President/Owner, Fiber Plus; James Poulos, Vice President of Technology Transfer & Commercialization Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO); Griff Hall, President, Leadership-Arts; Linda Greene, Executive Director, BWI Business Partnership; Tom Loveland, CEO, Mind Over Machines; Mark Cooke, Senior Director, Government Affairs, PharmAthene, Inc.

Information and registration is available online.

For further information:
Kris Valerio
Executive Director, Chesapeake Regional Tech Council
410-222-7410 ext 124
kris@chesapeaketech.org <mailto:kris@chesapeaketech.org>