Dozens of winners were honored Tuesday evening during the 2022 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation awards, which recognizes individuals and companies making major impacts in the state’s technology, science and education ecosystem.
This year’s individual award winners were previously named in October, but company winners were unveiled during the event at the Phoenix Convention Center.
The company award winners for Innovator of the Year included Scottsdale’s Botco.ai in the startup category, Sylvan Source of Green Valley in the small company category, Tucson’s IBM in the large company category and both Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Estrella Mountain Community College in the academia category.
The awards are presented by the Arizona Technology Council in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority.
One of the big award winners this year was the team that was key to bringing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s massive chip factory to north Phoenix. They won the judges award. TSMC’s factory is under construction now, and new reports say the chipmaker could be planning a multibillion-dollar expansion in Phoenix in addition to what's it's already working on.
“The Governor’s Celebration of Innovation award winners represent the pinnacle of innovation and cutting-edge problem solving throughout the state,” said Steven Zylstra, president and CEO of the Tech Council and its foundation, SciTech Institute, in a statement. “It was a pleasure to celebrate our winners, as well as the many outstanding finalists, at tonight’s awards show. Each year we are so proud to see how far Arizona has come as a leader in technology, science and STEM education.”
The individual/company award winners and finalists were evaluated and chosen by the following selection committee of experts independent of the ATC. Several of the finalists have also been among the nominees for AZ Inno awards:
- 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
“Each year, the Governor’s Celebration of Innovation awards showcase Arizona’s vibrant technology community,” said Sandra Watson, president and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority, in a statement. “This year’s winners and finalists certainly carry on that tradition. We are proud to partner with the Council to highlight the entrepreneurs and local leaders making Arizona a magnet for innovative technologies.”
The winners in their respective categories are:
Company award winners
- Innovator of the Year – Start-Up Company: Botco.ai, Scottsdale
- Innovator of the Year – Small Company: Sylvan Source, Green Valley
- Innovator of the Year – Large Company: IBM, Tucson
- Innovator of the Year – Academia: Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Estrella Mountain Community College
Individual/company award winners
- People’s Choice AccountabilIT Lifetime Achievement Award: Cecilia Mata, owner & president of AllSource Global Management, Sierra Vista
- Chairman’s Award Winner: Don Ruedy, executive emeritus, Arizona Technology Council and former director of Engineering, Raytheon, Tucson
- Ed Denison Business Leader of the Year: Marcus Engineering LLC, Tucson
- Judges Award: 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
Legislative award winners
- Senator of the Year: Sen. TJ Shope, District 8
- Representative of the Year: Rep. Jennifer Pawlik, District 17
Tech 10 award winners
- Sen. Sean Bowie, District 18
- Senate Assistant Minority Leader Lupe Contreras, District 19
- Senate President Karen Fann, District 1
- Sen. David Gowan, District 14
- Sen. Sine Kerr, District 13
- Rep. David Cook, District 8
- Rep. Diego Espinoza, District 19
- Rep. Joel John, District 4
- Rep. Steve Kaiser, District 15
- Rep. Justin Wilmeth, District 15
Future innovator awards
- Pranati Chintada, BASIS, Chandler
- Alexander Huang, Hamilton High School, Chandler
- Bremer Kaprosy, Brophy College Preparatory, Phoenix
- Kristopher Luo, Hamilton High School, Chandler
Future innovator honorable mentions
- Prisha Shroff, Hamilton High School, Chandler
- Janvi Srivastava, BASIS, Scottsdale
Teacher of the year award
- Alfred Santos, Harvest Preparatory Academy, Yuma
Teacher honorable mention
- Thasanee Morrisey, Canyon View High School, Waddell
- David Wirth, Millennium High School, Goodyear
Transformational leadership award
- Paragon Space Development Corporation, Tucson
