Here are the winners of the 2022 Governor's Celebration of Innovation awards

Here are the winners of the 2022 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation awards

Honoring the organizations and individuals that fuel Arizona’s high-performance and fast-growing technology, science and education landscape, the Arizona Technology Council and the Arizona Commerce Authority have announced individual winners and company award finalists for the 2022 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation (GCOI). The company award winners will be announced at the annual event on Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 4:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Phoenix Convention Center, 100 N. Third St., West Building, Third Floor.

“This year marks the 19^th annual Governor’s Celebration of Innovation and I am once again amazed at the high level of innovation and leadership shown by organizations and individuals within our state,” said Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council and SciTech Institute. “Though our judges can only select one winner per category, each finalist is deserving of the top spot and the quality of applications is a testament to the strength of Arizona’s thriving innovation ecosystem.”

“The winners and company finalists for this year’s Governor’s Celebration of Innovation demonstrate Arizona’s unmatched technology talent,” said Sandra Watson, president and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “These innovators are focused on the future and are advancing next-generation technologies right here in Arizona. Congratulations to the 2022 winners and finalists!”

Arizona’s most prestigious business leaders will celebrate the state’s technology innovation and leadership during GCOI, which will include networking, a strolling dinner, a technology showcase and a theatre-style awards program. Tickets are on sale now at https://www.aztechcouncil.org/event/gcoi2022/.

The individual GCOI Award winners are:

People’s Choice AccountabilIT Lifetime Achievement Award Winner:

Cecilia Mata, owner & president of AllSource Global Management, Sierra Vista

Judges Award Winner:

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) team – Sandra Watson, president and CEO of Arizona Commerce Authority; Chris Camacho, president and CEO of Greater Phoenix Economic Council; and Christine Mackay, community and economic development director at City of Phoenix

Ed Denison Business Leader of the Year Winner:

Marcus Engineering, LLC, Tucson

One company/individual in each of the following categories will be announced as the winner at GCOI:

Innovator of the Year – Academia:

• Dr. Hong Hua, James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences, The University of Arizona

• Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Estrella Mountain Community College

• Cybersecurity Lab and School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University

• Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University

Innovator of the Year – Large Company:

• Honeywell Aerospace, Phoenix

• Viasat, Tempe

• IBM, Tucson

• Lectric eBikes, Phoenix

Innovator of the Year – Small Company:

• AccountabilIT, Phoenix

• Avertium, Phoenix

• The TouchPoint Solution, Phoenix

• Sylvan Source, Green Valley

Innovator of the Year – Start-Up:

• AlgoFace, Carefree

• Atlis Motor Vehicles, Mesa

• YellowBird, Phoenix

• Botco.ai, Scottsdale

Transformational Leadership Award:

• Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Phoenix

• Paragon Space Development Corporation, Tucson

• GitKraken, Scottsdale

The individual/company award winners and finalists were evaluated and chosen by the following selection committee of experts independent of the Arizona Technology Council:

• Chuck Vermillion, CEO, AccountabilIT

• Keith Latchaw, president & CEO, MSS Business Transformation Advisory

• Doug Hockstad, assistant vice president, Tech Launch Arizona, The University of Arizona

• James Goulka, chairman and managing director, Arizona Tech Investors

• Eric Miller, principal and co-founder, PADT, Inc.

• Nick Nolcheff, technology fellow, Compression Systems, Honeywell Aerospace

The Arizona Technology Council’s 2022 Outstanding Tech Senator, Outstanding Tech Representative and Tech 10 Legislator Award Recipients were also announced in a separate press release on Sept. 6. The release can be found on the Council’s website here.

The Future Innovators of the Year award winners, honoring students who represent the future innovators of Arizona’s technology industry, as well as the teachers who inspire them, were announced in a separate press release on Sept. 16. The release can be found on the Council’s website here.