Cox Business – Honoring Our Community’s Best in Tech

Everyone loves an awards show.

Tech Celebration (www.techcelebration.org) is an annual awards ceremony honoring businesses, nonprofits, educators, individuals, students, and companies that significantly advance or champion technology in the Omaha area. Hosted by the innovative nonprofit the AIM Institute since 1995, the event recognizes that technology is not just the domain of software companies, startups, and digital whiz kids. Even larger, more established enterprises—a telecommunications company, for instance—need to employ technology in their daily operations.

“People forget that technology is an integral part of every business,” says Scott Rowe, vice president of tech community development for the AIM Institute. AIM Institute grows, connects, and inspires the tech talent community through career development and educational programs. Tech Celebration will take place again this fall, on November 14, thanks to the support of Cox Business (cox.com), the event’s presenting sponsor.

“Tech Celebration highlights that Omaha is a community of innovators and that we can use technology in this community to do amazing things,” Rowe said.

Julie Minton, senior marketing manager for Cox Business, says the event helps unite the local tech community.

“Cox is proud of Omaha’s technology talent. Tech Celebration recognizes the hard work, creativity, and visionary thinking that flourishes here,” Minton said.

Past honorees have included emerging tech companies like Buildertrend, established enterprises, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, and educators like Guillermo Rosas of Metropolitan Community College.

Above all, Tech Celebration helps organize the local community around a shared vision of a thriving tech ecosystem, said Susan Courtney, vice president of operations, Business Process and Shared Services for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska.

“Tech Celebration helps to get folks that live in the tech world together to recognize accomplishments, get to know each other better, dialogue, and harvest ideas,” Courtney said.

In 2012, Courtney received the Tech Leader award for her work at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska and for her leadership in the wider community. She has been a Women in IT Initiative task force member for UNO’s College of Information Science & Technology and was recently honored by the Women’s Center for Advancement at the 2019 Tribute to Women luncheon.

Courtney continued: “One of the things I respect most about AIM is that it does a great job convening folks from different industries, different companies, and all around technology. It serves the community well in strengthening the fabric of technology in Omaha.”

Because the AIM Institute is a nonprofit and an unbiased actor in the tech community, a Tech Celebration award confers a measure of honor and prestige upon the individuals and organizations that receive it.

“It was really humbling to be recognized because there’s so much tech talent here in Omaha,” Courtney said. “And it meant a lot coming from AIM, as a respected organization in the community.”

The 2019 Tech Celebration will be held November 14. For more details on Tech Celebration, the nomination process for honorees, and tickets to the event, please visit www.techcelebration.org.