[Archived] 2003 City Technology Award Winner

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

Alexandria Technology Achievement Award Winner Announced

Alexandria Technology Achievement Award Committee member and City Council member Redella S. "Del" Pepper announced the winner of the 7th Annual Alexandria Technology Achievement Award on Friday, March 21. BriarTek, Inc., a small, Alexandria-based, technology company focused on the development of novel devices to improve home and industrial safety and security, was named the winner at a luncheon held at the Mark Center Hilton, in Alexandria. The luncheon served as the climax of Alexandria Technology Achievement Week and showcased advancements in the development and application of technology by Alexandria-based businesses.

BriarTek developed and patented a maritime survivor locating beacon used as a man-overboard alarm, receiver and direction finder known as the Overboard Recovery Communications Apparatus (ORCA). The ORCA system consists of a beacon worn by sailors while at sea, a receiver that alerts crew members and rescue authorities in the event of an emergency, and a directional finder that helps locate the individual in need of assistance. The technology is currently being used by the Sandy Hook Harbor Pilots and the United States Navy and is also being applied to industrial safety alarms, firefighter locating beacons, and wildlife tracking tags.

The 2003 Technology Award finalists included BriarTek, Inc., Relatable, LLC, and The Templar Corporation. A panel of three judges, representing the technology industry, evaluated each nomination on the basis of technological achievement and its impact on the business, its industry, and/or the City of Alexandria. The judges were Charles Collum, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Burke and Herbert Bank and Trust Company; David Lantzy, a member of the City’s Commission on Information Technology; and Grant Geyer, representing Riptech, Inc., the winner of the 2002 Alexandria Technology Achievement Award, which was recently acquired by Symantec Corporation.

Alexandria Technology Achievement Week and the Alexandria Technology Achievement Award are sponsored cooperatively by the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Inc. The award originated in 1997 with the Ad Hoc Task Force on Information and Communication Technologies, which was succeeded by the Commission on Information Technology. The Commission is comprised of members of the Alexandria City School Board, the Chamber of Commerce, the Library Board, City telecommunications providers, citizens, and City Council members Del Pepper and Joyce Woodson.

Alexandria is at the center of Northern Virginia's fast growing technology industry. Currently, more than 400 technology firms employ nearly 12,000 workers in the City of Alexandria.

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