BC Business
BCTIA awards | BCBusinessThe awards were held Thursday evening at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
In front of a packed ballroom at the Vancouver Convention Center Thursday evening, the BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) handed out top honours to security software firm Fortinet and David Demers, CEO of Westport Innovations, at its 21st annual Technology Impact Awards. “Tonight’s winners and finalists bring to light the diversity of B.C.’s tech sector, and illustrate the increasing maturity that we’re seeing with our companies,” said Bill Tam, president and CEO of BCTIA. The night’s biggest winner: Fortinet, a maker of rather unglamourous network security hardware and software for large enterprises. The company, founded in 2000 and based in Burnaby, took home the award for Company of the Year. In 2013, Fortinet generated $615 million in revenue, and 15 per cent year over growth. Fortinet employs a research and development team of 500 developers and engineers from its Burnaby campus, and a global workforce of 2,400 employees. David Demers, CEO of Westport Innovations, a Vancouver developer of natural gas engines, won the BCTIA’s Person of the Year award, for his two decades of work in the clean-tech field. Demers helped launch the company in 1995, and has since grown it into a 1,000 employee research and development shop, forging partnerships with automotive giants such as Volvo, Ford and Tata. Westport’s technology allows diesel engines to operate on cleaner-burning fuels, such as LNG, compressed natural gas and biofuels, without modification to the engine’s combustion changer. Other award winners included: Company of the year: QuickMobile. Most promising startup: PHEMI Health Systems. Most promising pre-commercial technology: UrtheCast. Team of the year: Schneider Electric. Best in product innovation: CoolEdge Lighting. Community engagement: Traction on Demand.