Finalists Named for 14th Annual Illinois Technology Association (ITA) CityLIGHTS Awards

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Apr 8, 2013) - The judging panel of industry, government, education, and civic leaders has determined the finalists for the 2013 ITA CityLIGHTS Awards.

"ITA is thrilled to see such a high level of accomplishment among the 2013 CityLIGHTS award finalists," said ITA President Fred Hoch. "The application of technology across vertical industries continues to expand, and we are seeing marked gains in the areas of growth, visibility and talent attraction and retainment. There is much to celebrate and recognize in the thriving local technology industry."

Public voting runs from April 8 - 22, 2013. Winners will be determined by composite score (50 percent judges; 50 percent community voting) in all categories except the CityLIGHTS Award, which is determined solely by the ITA Board of Directors. Finalists for the CityLIGHTS Award will be announced in the coming weeks. All winners will be announced at the awards gala May 9, 2013.

2013 ITA CityLIGHTS Awards Finalists are:

CEO of the Year Award:
Hank Adams, Sportvision
Jeff Hyman, Retrofit
Jai Shekhawat, Fieldgass
Michael Small, Gogo
Douglas R. Waggoner, Echo Global Logistics

Technologist of the Year Award:
Michael Fineberg, SurePayroll
Justyn Howard, Sprout Social
Gregory B. Olson, Sc.D., QuesTek Innovations
Sanjib Sahoo, OptionMonster Holdings
Bahar Wadia, UICO

Prominent Woman in Tech Award:
Jennifer Busenbark, Product Manager, Braintree
Amy Francetic, Executive Director, Clean Energy Trust
Sonal Mane, Technical Evangelist, Microsoft
Terri Mayes, Vice President Technology and Managed Print Services, OfficeMax
Dominique Raccah, CEO and Publisher, Sourcebooks

Rising Star Award:
Cleversafe
CohesiveFT
Infobright
Narrative Science
OpinionLab

Lighthouse Award:
Centro
Corptax
Fieldglass
kCura
SilkRoad

Trailblazing Award:
BigMachines
Leapfrog Online
MentorMob
Personify
UICO

Outstanding Tech Development Award:
BrightTag
comScore
Coyote Logistics
ktMINE
OptionMonster Holdings

Voting closes April 22, 2013 at 5pm. Vote today!

Winners will be announced at the 14th ITA CityLIGHTS Awards Gala. 2013 winners join a list of renowned and accomplished companies and individuals, including Smart Signal, MentorMob, Braintree, Dan Lyne, Linda Darragh, and Carole McCluskey, among others.

ITA CityLIGHTS Awards Gala will be held on May 9, 2013 in the Great Hall at Chicago Union Station. The event is a great opportunity to relax and celebrate some of the many accomplishments of the local tech industry, and is attended by more than 700 executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and technology champions from the breadth and depth of Illinois business. To sponsor, purchase a table or tickets to the event, simply register online. The Awards Gala is an opportunity for the industry to connect, socialize, and celebrate the continued success of the technology industry in Illinois and the growing importance of this economic sector.

About the Illinois Technology Association
The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is the driving force behind Illinois' vibrant technology industry. ITA's extensive lineup of curated member programs and services address three key critical areas: growth, talent, and visibility. By leveraging the connections and expertise of its more than 600 member companies representing a workforce that is 50,000 strong and growing, the ITA provides the ecosystem growing technology companies need to succeed. For more information, visit www.illinoistech.org, follow the ITA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/itabuzz, and view the ITA's Facebook profile at www.facebook.com/illinoistechnology.