North Carolina Technology Association Announces Finalists for 2009 “Tech Executive of the Year”

Winner to Be Selected by Popular Vote At www.nctechnology.org

RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA), the primary voice of the technology industry in North Carolina, announced today the four finalists for the 2009 Tech Executive of the Year. For the first time, this year’s winner will be selected by popular vote and will be recognized at NCTA’s annual 21 Awards gala on Thursday, November 12 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Cary, N.C., presented in conjunction with title sponsor Grant Thornton. NCTA members and non-members can cast their votes until October 31 for the 2009 Tech Executive of the Year by going to www.nctechnology.org. The Tech Executive of the Year Award is sponsored by NYSE Euronext.

“North Carolina boasts an extremely high-caliber of technology leaders, and this prestigious award truly recognizes the best of the best.”

Finalists for the 2009 Tech Executive of the Year include: Tom Brown, president of Stratapult, Inc., Michael Capps, president of Epic Games, Inc., Andrew J. “Flip” Filipowski, executive chairman and CEO of SilkRoad Technology, Inc. and Cynthia G. Marshall, president of AT&T North Carolina.

“We are pleased to sponsor this year’s NCTA Tech Executive of the Year Award,” said Carolyn Saacke, managing director of NYSE Euronext. “North Carolina boasts an extremely high-caliber of technology leaders, and this prestigious award truly recognizes the best of the best.”

The NCTA 21 Awards celebrate innovation and excellence in North Carolina. This annual showcase honors companies and individuals in 21 categories, representing the best and brightest in technology and business. The theme for this year’s event is “Survivor: Outtech, Outdevelop, Outlead” and is expected to be attended by more than 500 business and technology leaders from across the state.

“The NCTA 21 Awards is always one of our top events of the year, attended by the leaders that make North Carolina’s technology industry so strong,” said Brooks Raiford, NCTA’s president and CEO. “We are excited that, for the first time, NCTA members and other key members of the technology sector will be choosing the recipient of the Tech Executive of the Year Award. We believe this will make the honor even more meaningful to the individual selected.”

Sponsors for the 2009 NCTA 21 Awards include: Grant Thornton LLP, EMC Corporation, Credit Suisse, Business Wire, DataChambers, DPR Group, Peak 10, T-Mobile, VACO, SAS, Six Disciplines, Smith Anderson, 18 Stone Design, V4 Production Group, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton, TriNet, NYSE Euronext, Time Warner Cable, Brooks Pierce, AT&T, Point Concepts and Duke Energy.

For more information or to register to attend the NCTA 21 Awards, visit www.nctechnology.org or contact Angela Hodges at [e-mail] or 919-856-0393.

About NCTA

The North Carolina Technology Association’s mission is “Making North Carolina #1 in Technology and Technology #1 in North Carolina.” The organization does this through three main focus areas: executive engagement, public affairs, and knowledge workforce. For more information, visit our website at www.nctechnology.org.