Three Waterloo Region individuals were honoured at Communitech’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) Tuesday evening with the presentation of the Annual Tech Impact Awards. The awards recognize individuals and organizations who have demonstrated unparalleled leadership and support for the growth and success of the Waterloo Region technology industry. This year’s recipients include:

-       Jim Estill, former CEO of Synnex Canada;

-       Brydon Gilliss of Brainpark and DemocampGuelph;

-       Steve McCartney, former CEO of Atria Networks.

Also honored at the AGM was outgoing Board Chairman Tim Jackson of Tech Capital Partners who provided dedicated leadership for the 2008-2009 term.

Estill was recognized for giving generously of his time, expertise and advice to help numerous early-stage companies grow in the Waterloo Region based on his own extensive experience as an entrepreneur. He built the company EMJ which was sold to Synnex where Estill contributed greatly to the success of Synnex as a world-class company. Estill also serves on the board of Research In Motion (RIM), Canada’s largest company and a cornerstone of the Waterloo Region tech industry.

Gilliss is chief software developer with Brainpark where he is noted for thoughtful design and expert development of product customizations. He has been the driving force behind DemocampGuelph, an informal and collaborative meeting for people involved in all aspects of start-up companies. Gilliss is noted for helping Waterloo Region entrepreneurs develop and advance innovative ideas.

McCartney built Atria Networks, a company that connects municipal and utility networks across Ontario, linking smaller populations and rural areas with fibre optic infrastructure. As well as being a tech sector leader, McCartney lent his support to education, library and business community support initiatives and was a driving force behind the City of Waterloo’s bid to become the Intelligent Community of the Year which was achieved in 2007.

“This year we honour three individuals who are building our industry one connection at a time, one event at a time and one relationship at a time.  Every day they show us how to create a successful tech cluster,” said Iain Klugman, president and CEO of Communitech, who presented the awards.