Brad Keywell, Guaranteed Rate and Orbitz.com Among Winners at 15th Annual ITA CityLIGHTS Awards

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Sep 19, 2014) - The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is honored to announce the winners of the 2014 ITA CityLIGHTS Awards.  The winners were revealed on September 18 at the annual ITA CityLIGHTS event, which is an opportunity for the community to recognize and celebrate the continued success of the technology industry in Illinois and the growing importance of this economic sector. 

"On behalf of ITA, our Board of Directors, and our member companies, big congratulations to this year's winners," said Fred Hoch, CEO, ITA. "The winners represent the leading companies and individuals in Illinois tech and if history is any indicator, they will do even greater things in the future. We are proud to recognize them and be a part of their growth stories."

The 2014 ITA CityLIGHTS award winners are:

• CityLIGHTS Award: The CityLIGHTS Award, ITA's highest honor, is presented to the company or individual whose leadership actively and consistently supports the growth, talent and visibility of the local technology industry.
  • Brad Keywell, Chicago Ideas Week, Groupon and Lightbank
    
    
• CEO of the Year: Presented to the company CEO whose leadership, strategy, and ability to attract and retain talent has resulted in company growth and visibility.
  • Victor Ciardelli, Guaranteed Rate
    
    
• Technologist of the Year: The Technologist of the Year Award is presented to the individual whose talent has created true technology innovation, either through new application of existing technology or the development of technology to achieve a truly unique product or service.
  • Eric Lunt, Co-founder and CTO, Signal
    
    
• Prominent Woman in Tech: Presented to a preeminent female in the local industry who has championed a leading role for women by supporting their growth and prominence in the industry.
  • Kristi Ross, Co-CEO and President, tastytrade | dough
    
    
• Rising Star Award: The Rising Star Award is presented to the company that has the strongest potential to grow into a leader in the technology industry.
  • Sprout Social
    
    
• Lighthouse Award: The Lighthouse Award is presented to the company whose growth is demonstrated through innovation in products, services or business approach to become a serious competitor in the national marketplace.
  • ContextMedia
    
    
• Outstanding Technology Development Award: Presented to the company or organization that utilizes or developed a technology tool, process or service that accelerated growth.
  • Orbitz.com
    
    
• Trailblazing Award: Presented to the company that has developed and/or introduced an ingenious, non-traditional and innovative way of doing business or creating culture that has produced significant growth for the company.
  • Zero Percent
    
    

To date, past CityLIGHTS winners collectively have had exits of over $17 Billion and raised over $1 Billon in IPOs and over $1.6B in venture capital.

Thank you to our generous sponsors of the 2014 ITA CityLIGHTS Awards who made this celebration possible: Grant Thornton, CDW, Illinois DCEO, Cars.com, Southpoint Insurance, HERE, kCura, KPMG, McGuireWoods, Lantern Partners, Crain's Chicago Business, Authentify and SurePayroll.

About the Illinois Technology Association
 The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is an enabling organization powering the growth of tech in Illinois. Through vibrant programs, services and strategic consulting, the ITA drives our dynamic industry by working to grow, build and elevate our members. For more information, visit www.illinoistech.org, follow ITA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/itabuzz, and view the ITA's Facebook profile at www.facebook.com/illinoistechnology.