OTTAWA, ON, April 19, 2006 – OCRI, Ottawa's economic development agency, honoured Ottawa's best and brightest at its annual awards banquet held at the Westin Hotel this evening.
The 11th annual OCRI Awards honoured individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions to the Ottawa region.
The awards celebrate excellence in research, technology, entrepreneurship, partnership development, educational leadership, technology journalism and community-mindedness.
Nominations for the twelve award categories were solicited from members of Ottawa's business community last December, and were screened by the Society of Collaborative Opportunities and Advancement of Professionals (SCOAP). This year's awards attracted more than 70 nominations from Ottawa's high tech sector, an increase of 9% from the previous year.
"We would like to offer our congratulations to both the winners and all of those nominated for the 2006 OCRI Awards," said Jeffrey Dale, OCRI's President and CEO. "The winners exemplify the very best leadership qualities that Ottawa has to offer. These are first-rate businesses and executives that offer outstanding value to shareholders and the community and demonstrate true dynamism, vision and innovation in their sectors. This evening is a fitting tribute to them and we're delighted to have the opportunity to honour this distinguished group of business leaders."
"As the business community's development arm, OCRI tracks and promotes the work of Ottawa's business leaders, so we know how exceptional tonight's winners are," added Debbie Weinstein, Chair of OCRI and Partner at LaBarge Weinstein, LLP. "Our goal is to recognise and encourage excellence and integrity in business leadership and I believe we have achieved this with our awards this evening. Congratulations to all our winners and nominees."
The following awards were presented:
Best Financial Deal - This was jointly awarded to:
Zelos Therapeutics who completed a series of private financing that enabled the company to significantly progress the clinical development of its osteoporosis and psoriasis therapeutics, and
Liquid Computing who in May 2005 secured $14 million in Series A financing enabling the company to grow their staff base and begin the rollout of their Interconnect Driven Server.
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About OCRI:
OCRI (Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation), the city's economic development corporation, is leading the way for Ottawa. OCRI is the rallying point to bring business, education and research together to create the winning economic conditions that allow Ottawa's technology companies to thrive locally and compete globally. At OCRI we promote sustainable economic development to maintain our high quality of life. For more information on OCRI visit our website at www.ocri.ca and for more information on the Ottawa Region please visit www.ottawaregion.com.
For information contact:
Alecia O'Brien
Manager, Marketing and Communications
OCRI
Cell: (613) 884-1979
Email : aobrien@ocri.ca
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