COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH

County Administrator Craig Meadows (left) presents Rising Star Award to Alexander Obenauer, co-founder of Mindsense, at the 2014 TechNite Awards Banquet

COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH Image Credit: RBTC April Demotts, Montgomery County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair, presents Rising Star award to Montgomery County company, Block.one, at this year’s RBTC TechNite

COUNTY PRESENTS RISING STAR AWARD AT TECHNITE

In April, the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council (RBTC) hosted the 2019 TechNite Awards Banquet at the Hotel Ronaoke. Seven hundred area leaders in business and innovation gathered together to celebrate the growing technology community in the New River and Roanoke Valleys. The evening was highlighted with an awards ceremony.

While only having seven nominees this year out of fifteen total across the six award categories, Montgomery County companies and individuals took home awards in five out of the six. This year’s Company of the Year winner was 1901 Group. The Regional Leadership award was shared between Virginia Tech’s President, Timothy Sands, and the President and CEO of the Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Nancy Agee. The Innovator of the Year award went to Luna Innovations. Entrepreneur of the Year was awarded to Michael Fleming, CEO of Torc Robotics. And finally, the Rising Star award was presented to Block.one. Along with these awards given to Montgomery County companies and individuals, Montgomery County’s own Marty Muscatello, President and CEO of Foxguard Solutions, Inc., was inducted into the RBTC’s Hall of Fame.

The Economic Development Department was a sponsor of the 2019 TechNite Awards Banquet to express Montgomery County’s appreciation for the economic impact the regional technology sector has on our community. The Department also sponsored the Rising Star Award.

“It is my honor to congratulate all of this year’s RBTC TechNite award winners and nominees. We are very pleased to have so many wonderful companies and individuals in the technology industry represent Montgomery County at this year’s awards,” said Montgomery County Administrator, Craig Meadows. “It is the forward-thinking spirit of these companies and individuals that has allowed our county to experience substantial growth in the technology industry over the last few years. Their contributions to the County have helped to make us one of the top locations in the Commonwealth for technology and innovation.”

MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMPANIES RECEIVE TOP HONORS AT ONWARD DINNER Each year, Onward New River Valley, the regional economic development group for Montgomery County and the New River Valley, holds its annual dinner. This dinner allows the regional group to showcase what they have done over the past year, as well as recognize key stakeholders, investors, and partners who have aided in their success.

This year, Onward NRV presented a newly created Regional Impact Award at the dinner to five different companies located within the region. Of the five companies that received recognition, four of them are located in Montgomery County. The 2019 award winners from the County were Ozmo, Inc., Torc Robotics, 1901 Group, and Inorganic Ventures. This award recognizes companies that are creating jobs and investing money into the region.

Events Sponsored: • Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament and Annual Banquet • Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council TechNite Awards Banquet • 2019 VT Global Entrepreneur Challenge • AUVSI Ridge and Valley Chapter Unmanned Systems Symposium • VEDP Exporters event and Global Networking Partners event SPONSORED EVENTS The Department sponsored several events in 2019 for business outreach and to support the initiatives of its many partners and allies.

YESMONTGOMERYVA.ORG TOPS 10,000 VISITS YesMontgomeryVA.org is the official website of the Economic Development Department, and showcases the quality of life and business climate in Montgomery County. In 2019, the website had over 10,104 visitors from over 49 countries and all 50 U.S. states. The Department sent out nine news releases, via email marketing and social media, that generated 5,239 page views. The news releases marketed community accolades and business announcements.

YesMontgomeryVA.org visitors from U.S. Top International Visitors 1 Canada 341 2 India 106 3 Germany 36 4 United Kingdom 12 5 Singapore 12

Top Metro Areas by Visits 1 Blacksburg, VA 3,962 2 Charlottesville, VA 423 3 Boardman, OR 388 4 Washington, DC 367 5 Roanoke, VA 261 6 Richmond, VA 155 7 New York, NY 122 8 Charlotte, NC 86 9 Atlanta, GA 79 10 Greenville, NC 59