Celebrate Technology Names NAVSYS CEO the Entrepreneur of the Year By Jim Bainbridge - The Gazette Oct. 1, 2005

By JIM BAINBRIDGE THE GAZETTE


Nobody had more reason to be celebrating at the annual Celebrate Technology banquet Friday night at The Broadmoor than the Colorado Springs contingent, which claimed six of the nine annual awards, including both of those given to individuals. 

Alison K. Brown, president and CEO of NAVSYS Corp., was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Celebrate Technology, a nonprofit association that promotes the state’s tech industry. Bill Miller, chairman and CEO of XAware Inc., received the firstever Front Range Achievement Award. 

Aware, a software company on Tech Center Drive, was the only double winner. The company also received the Richard Petritz Rising Star Award because it showed “the greatest possibility of continued revenue growth.” 

Aware was the first company to graduate from the Colorado Springs Technology Incubator on the campus of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, in 1999. 

Miller’s Front Range Achievement Award was created to honor an individual who “has made significant contribu- tions to Colorado — in entrepreneur and business activities, as well as community outreach.” 

rown, founder of the Global Positioning System firm NAVSYS on Woodcarver Road, holds five patents related to GPS technology, has been chairwoman of numerous conferences and technical sessions on GPS and has published more than 100 papers. She has received the Sir George Nelson prize for Applied Mechanics at Cambridge University. 

Other winners based or run in the Springs: 

Emerging Venture Award — zeeWaves Systems Inc. designs, develops and manufactures radio systems from its offices on Austin Bluffs Parkway. 

Technology Manufacturing Award — Spectranetics Corp., on Talamine Court, develops, manufactures and markets laser technology for cardiovascular procedures used worldwide. A year ago, Spectranetics shared the Technology Achievement Award. 

Corporate Citizenship Award — Agilent Technologies is a measurement company and leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. 

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company has offices in the Springs, Fort Collins, Loveland and Englewood. The Breakthrough Technology Award went to HealthTrac LLC of Pueblo; the Venture Capital Builder Award to Appian Ventures of Denver; and the Colorado Innovation Award to Webroot Software Inc. of Boulder. 

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0126 orjim.bainbridge@gazette.com