Illinois Technology Association Announces Finalists for 12th Annual CityLIGHTS Awards Gala

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - Apr 18, 2011) - The panel of industry, government, education, and civic judges has determined the finalists for the 2011 ITA CityLIGHTS Awards.

"ITA is thrilled to see such a high level of accomplishment in 2010," said Fred Hoch, President, ITA. "The activity level and the broad application of technology across vertical industries continues to thrive in Illinois. There are so many great organizations calling Illinois home -- our only regret is we can't include them all!"

Public voting runs from April 18 - 30, 2011. 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. CityLIGHTS Finalists will be named in the coming week. Winners will be announced at the awards gala May 12, 2011.

2011 ITA CityLIGHTS Awards Finalists are:

CEO of the Year Award:
Michael D. Alter, SurePayroll
Adam Caplan, Model Metrics
Niko Drakoulis, Akoo International
Robert Figliulo, SPR Companies
Dave Shea, Corptax
Jai Shekhawat, Fieldglass
Andrew Sieja, kCura

Technologist of the Year Award:
Alex Bratton, Lextech Labs
Michael Fineberg, SurePayroll
Laurie E. Lasseter, WMS Gaming
David Rowe, Echo Global Logistics
Mohammad Shahidehpour, IIT
Irv Shapiro, Ifbyphone

Newcomer Award:
Apparel Media Group
BrightTag
GiveForward
InContext Solutions
Lextech Labs
SoCore Energy
TapMe

New Concept Award:
FanGo Software Systems
MentorMob, Inc.
Nuvixa
PVPower
Red Foundry
Socioclean
VesselTek BioMedical

Rising Star Award:
Aircell
Backstop Solutions Group
crowdSPRING
Obtiva
SAVO
Total Attorneys
Vibes Media

Lighthouse Award:
Allscripts
CareerBuilder
Groupon
GrubHub
SurePayroll
Trustwave
vAuto.com

Best Strategic Use of Technology Award:
Allstate Insurance Company
Chicago Transit Authority
Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation
HyperQuest, Inc.
MJSI, Inc.
Parts Town

Voting closes April 29 at 5pm. Vote today!

Winners will be announced at the 12th ITA CityLIGHTS Awards Gala. 2011 winners join a list of reknown and accomplished companies and individuals, including Smart Signal, Mayor Richard M. Daley, NAVTEQ, SPSS, Aleri, Glen Tullman, Linda Darragh, and Tech Cocktail founders Eric Olson & Frank Gruber, among others.

ITA CityLIGHTS will be held on May 12, 2011 in the Great Hall at Chicago Union Station. The event 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, visit www.itacitylights.org. 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 a driving force behind the growth of Illinois' vibrant technology industry. We are relentless in championing the development and application of technology, from start-up companies to industry leaders, leveraging the transformative nature of technology to revolutionize industries. ITA uniquely capitalizes peer-to-peer collaboration, networking, and access to experts across the breadth of business to cultivate the Illinois technology industry. The unique and powerful integration of these valuable and experienced resources differentiates the ITA as a source of accelerated growth for the technology industry of Illinois. For more information about ITA, please visit www.illinoistech.org.

Contact the ITA at headquarters@illinoistech.org, follow the discussion on Twitter at @itabuzz, and visit www.illinoistech.org to find out more about how ITA supports the growth of the local industry.