The coronavirus has brought new demands and appreciation for technologies that allow work to continue even as workers must remain separated and out of the office.
The Chattanooga Technology Council (ChaTech) sought Thursday to recognize regional companies and leaders who have helped build local technology initiatives during the first annual Technology Excellence Awards (TechX). The pandemic forced the awards program to be done online, instead of in person, however. The inaugural TechX Awards drew 70 nominations from 33 companies and a panel of judges picked both businesses and leaders for their technology achievements in the past year in 10 categories.
“We’re thrilled to honor those professionals whose leadership, creativity, innovation, and perseverance have made a difference for their colleagues, their companies, and our community,” ChaTech Executive Director Carla Askonas said. The 2020 winners include:
* CxO of the Year, which honors a senior technology executive for their innovation and creativity in planning and deploying enterprise systems, future technology goals and service to the industry, recognized Jennifer Butler of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. Butler was praised as “a strategic thinker who also gets things done.”
* The Technology Leader of the Year, which honors a manager who has helped grow and shape their companies, was given to Rob Reagan of Text Request. Reagan was recognized as both a technology leader and one who does a variety of other tasks for Text Request.