Tech Council of Maryland Announces 2009 Tech Awards Finalists

Winners will be Announced at the 21st Annual Dinner and Awards Gala May 14

(ROCKVILLE, MD) – March 31, 2009 – The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM) has selected finalists for the prestigious 2009 Tech Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations for innovation, dedication and outstanding service to Maryland's technology community.

Now in its 21st year, TCM's Annual Dinner and Tech Awards Celebration continues to be Maryland's Best Night of Networking, as more then 900 leaders from technology, biotech, government and academia honor the best and brightest of their peers. The winners will be announced at a dinner and awards ceremony on May 14, 2009 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.

"The Annual Dinner and Tech Awards Celebration is our most prestigious event of the year," said Michelle Ferrone, TCM Vice President of Marketing and Operations. "With Maryland now among the nation's top technology and biotech hubs, it's exciting to see so many industry leaders in one place celebrating the achievements of their friends and colleagues."

Ed Colbert, Partner in the DC office of Kenyon & Kenyon LLP and chair of the TCM Annual Dinner and Tech Awards Committee, said "I am delighted to see so many nominations of outstanding individuals, educators and businesses from Maryland's technology community. Choosing the winners among so many qualified nominees will be extremely difficult."

The 2009 Tech Awards finalists are:

• Executive of the Year: Robert V. House, Ph.D., President, DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, a CSC Company; David Kline, Chief Information Officer, Discovery Communications; Robert Marshall, Chief Executive Officer, President and Co-Founder, AWS Convergence Technologies; C. Randal Mills, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Osiris Therapeutics, Inc.; Scott Selle, President, Fairchild Controls
• High Technology Firm of the Year: Computech, Inc., Fairchild Controls, GlobalNet Services, Inc. (GNSI), TeleCommunication Systems, Inc., Zenoss, Inc.
• Government Contracting Firm of the Year: ABSi Corporation, Catapult Technology, Ltd., GANTECH, Inc., NETCONN Solutions, Savantage Solutions
• Emerging Company of the Year: Artifact Software, Inc., Connectiv Solutions, CSA Medical, Inc., Integrated BioTherapeutics, Inc., Profectus BioSciences, Inc.
• Biotechnology Firm of the Year: Martek Biosciences Corporation, Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., PharmAthene, Inc., QIAGEN, Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

The event is sponsored by:

• Platinum Sponsors: Kenyon & Kenyon LLP
• Award Sponsors: CitiBank, N.A., Human Genome Sciences, MedImmune, PNC Bank, Scheer Partners, TEDCO, Watkins, Meegan, Drury & Company, LLC
• Gold Sponsors: Computech, Comcast, Lockheed Martin, PhRMA, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Thales Communications
• Silver Sponsors: Howard County Economic Development Authority, Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery County Campus, SC&H Group, LLC, Social and Scientific Systems
• VIP Reception Sponsors: ATS (Apptis Technology Solution)
• Bronze Sponsors: Boyden Global Executive Search, Hughes Network Systems, M&T Bank, SAIC-Frederick

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ABOUT THE TECH COUNCIL OF MARYLAND, INC.
The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM) is the largest technology trade group serving the advanced technology and biotechnology communities of Maryland. TCM's mission is to advocate for the interests of the technology community, further the role of technology in the Maryland economy, and nurture an environment where technology companies can collaborate, grow and succeed. For more information, visit www.techcouncilmd.com.