[Archived] Animators at Law, Inc. Presented with Alexandria Technology Achievement Award; Four City Businesses Share in 1999 Technology Honors


News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:	Wednesday, March 17, 1999
Contact:	Angelita Plemmer, City Manager's Office, (703) 838-4300; Mark McLindon, Chairman Technology Achievement Award Planning Committee, (703) 837 - 0250

Animators at Law, Inc. Presented with Alexandria Technology Achievement Award; Four City Businesses Share in 1999 Technology Honors

Animators at Law, Inc., a four-year-old, Alexandria-based firm that produces computer animation and graphics, was recently awarded the 1999 Technology Achievement Award by Alexandria Mayor Kerry J. Donley and Technology Achievement Award Chairman Mark McLindon.

The company was one of five finalists selected to receive the award, presented by Alexandria Mayor Kerry J. Donley and Technology Achievement Award Committee Chairman Mark McLindon during a luncheon Friday.

Animators at Law specializes in computer animation for use in litigation, also known as courtroom animation or forensic animation. Courtroom animation is an extension of the charts,

photographs and other exhibits that attorneys have used at trial for decades. Using computer animation, Animators at Law, produces a short computer-generated movie to visually recreate an accident or crime scene, bring confusing patented technology to life, simulate a surgical event, or make any other legal issue understandable to a judge or jury.

The privately owned company started in 1995 with one full-time employee and has grown to include 10 full and part-time employees and more than 10 part time consultants and subcontractors. As of January 1, 1999, Animators at Law began operating as a division of Animators.com, which specializes in animation and graphics outside of the legal industry.

In addition to Animators at Law, Inc., the 1999 finalists are:

Commonwealth Scientific Corp., a leading supplier of ion beam sources and systems for both research and development and production environments, specializing in the development of End-Hall Ion Beam technology and process expertise for the coating of magnetic recording media;

Cyveillance, formerly Online Monitoring Services, a provider of intelligent Internet surveillance and monitoring to help companies profit from and protect their copyrighted materials, trademarks and images on the Internet;

Dimensions International, Inc., the leading supplier and developer of Flight Explorer, a PC-based Internet application for use by the airline industry to monitor and track flights,

Alexandria YMCA, a local fitness center, providing its members with state of the art technology in the form of the Fitlinxx Interactive Fitness Network, a network that electronically monitors, graphs and displays the workouts and progress of individual members.

The Alexandria Technology Achievement Award is sponsored by the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Inc., and highlights Technology Achievement Week, which showcases advances in technology by Alexandria-based businesses.

A panel of four judges representing the technology industry selected the five finalists from among 28 Alexandria firms nominated for the award. The panel evaluated each of the nominations on the basis of technological achievement and the impact on the company's business, its industry, and/or the City of Alexandria. The judging panel consisted of Henry Brooks, a member of the Alexandria Commission on Information Technology ; Marie Schuler, General Manager, Jones Communications, Inc., and 1997 award winner; Mark Warner, President, Columbia Capital Corporation; and Lou Ann Scanlan, President, UUcom, Inc., and last year's winner.

The Technology Achievement Award originated with the City's Ad Hoc Task Force on Information and Communication Technologies, co-chaired by Alexandria Councilwoman Redella S. Pepper and Council Member Lois Walker. The Award, along with the Technology Achievement Week, began in 1997 to recognize the contributions of technology firms to the City's economy and to promote the City as an important part of Northern Virginia's fast growing technology industry. Currently, more than 170 technology firms employ approximately 10,000 workers in Alexandria.

Finalist Firms

Animators at Law, Inc. Kenneth J. Lopez, J.D., President & CEO

1423 Powhatan Street, Suite 3

Alexandria, VA 22314-1343

(703) 548-1799

www.animators.com

Animators at Law, Inc., designs computer-animated presentations for use in court. Using computer animation similar to that seen in movies such as Toy Story and Titanic, the firm creates visual presentations used during litigation to appeal to a jury or a judge. By combining this visual demonstration with verbal presentation, an attorney is able to simplify a complex scene or scenario, such as a surgical procedure, traffic accident or crime scene, and present it in a manner that is both appealing and easier to understand than a traditional verbal argument.

Commonwealth Scientific Corporation Walter R. Sobie, Vice President

500 Pendleton Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 548-0800

csc@ionbeam.com

Commonwealth Scientific Corporation developed End-Hall Ion Beam technology and process expertise for the coating of magnetic recording media (disks) that are utilized in the manufacture of hard disk drives used in the personal computer industry. This technology allows the magnetic head and the disk to get closer to each other, enabling more data to be transferred to the disk drives faster and more reliably.

Cyveillance Christopher Young, President

602 Cameron Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 519-3600

cyoung@cyveillance

Cyveillance, formerly Online Monitoring Services, provides intelligent Internet surveillance and monitoring to help companies profit from and protect their copyrighted materials, trademarks, and images on the Internet, with particular focus on the areas of e-commerce, copyright/trademark infringement, pornography and damaging on-line rumors. The company's proprietary technology scours the Internet, downloading and indexing more than one million web pages and FTP sites per day and searching thirty thousand news groups. Cyveillance is able to search text, graphics, audio, and video files.

Dimensions International, Inc. Dr. Robert L. Wright, President

4501 Ford Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22302

(703) 379-1695

rlwright@dimen-intl.com

Dimensions International, Inc., developed Flight Explorer, a PC-based Internet application for use by the airline industry to monitor and track flights. The PC-based system replaces a $150,000 display system, which used specialized computer displays and satellites for data distribution. In comparison, Dimensions International's service, requiring an Internet connection, costs only $250 per month. Dimensions International has the largest client base of all vendors of this service.

Alexandria YMCA Barbara Wesley, Executive Director

420 Monroe Street, Alexandria, VA

(703) 838-8085

The Alexandria YMCA installed the Fitlinxx Interactive Fitness Network in August 1998. The Network is composed of three components: the Management Station, the Workout Information Center, and the Training Partner. The Management Station enables staff to create personalized programs for each member. Members access information at the Workout Information Center --- a kiosk with a touch screen monitor that displays and graphs individual progress. The Training Partner, installed on each piece of equipment, provides coaching and feedback. As members move from one piece of equipment to another, the Training Partner maintains the cumulative effort of the entire workout.