CBIC Awards Gala: Award Recipients Announced
May 26, 2022, Charlottesville, VA – On Thursday, May 26, innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs, gathered to celebrate the 2022 Annual CBIC Awards Gala at Castle Hill Cider. In addition to recognizing the community’s leading businesses and educators, CBIC awarded $7,000 in scholarships and grants in support of science and technology education and student entrepreneurship. Executive Director, Tracey Greene, co-chair of the gala, explained the importance of the CBIC Awards to the region:
“The annual event was created to celebrate those in our community that contribute to our innovation-based ecosystem. Year after year, the gala has become more than that as it also creates a synergy of innovative minds and people leave the gathering feeling inspired to do more great things.”
2022 CBIC Award Recipients:
- CBIC Business of the Year is Adial Pharmaceuticals – https://www.adial.com/
- CBIC Educator of the Year is Emily Anderson, Lakeside Middle School, Albemarle County Public Schools
- CBIC Employer of the Year goes to Cosaic – https://cosaic.io/
- CBIC Entrepreneur of the Year is Aaron Reedy of Data Classroom – http://aaronmreedy.com/
- CBIC Volunteer of the Year awarded to both:
- John Martin of Adial Pharmaceuticals
- Sherry Gray of CoConstruct
- CBIC Partnership of the Year is Code for Charlottesville – https://www.codeforcville.org/
- CBIC Innovator of the Year is Lytos Technologies – https://lytostech.com/
- CBIC Start-Up of the Year is SceneThink – https://scenethink.com/
- CBIC Student Entrepreneur of the Year is Elizabeth Blankenship, Coton – https://www.thecoton.com/pages/about-us-1
- CBIC Social Good Award of the Year TBD PEOPLE’S CHOICE
You are cordially invited to provide media coverage at the awards gala as we announce the Social Good Award recipient. This is a people’s choice award voted on by the gala attendees.
Finalists for this award include:
Steam Discovery Academy
- STEAMKITX
- VisitAble
We have an exciting new award this year!
For the first time, CBIC honored its new Impact Award. This award is granted to a person that embraces the innovator spirit and has made an impact in our community and beyond.
- The inaugural CBIC Impact Award honoree: Mr. Sandy Reisky, Apex Clean Energy
Please let CBIC know if you would like photos or interviews with any of these honorees.
CBIC Tech Tour Student Scholarship Recipients
Each year at the CBIC Awards Gala, CBIC presents $2,500 in scholarships to two junior or senior high school students who plan to pursue education beyond high school in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) subjects. Since 2003, CBIC has gifted $50,000 to students through the CBIC Tech Tour Scholarship program. This year’s CBIC Tech Tour Scholarships were awarded to:
- Skander Bouzid: Western Albemarle HS class of 2021
- Ryan Adkins: Albemarle HS class of 2022
Skander and Ryan will both receive a $2.5K grant from CBIC’s Tech Tour Scholarship Fund, that will be presented during the gala by presenting award sponsor, the City of Charlottesville Office of Economic Development.
To be eligible, students must have attended at least one of CBIC’s Annual Tech Tours. The CBIC Tech Tour is a day-long event that introduces area students to our region’s technology companies, and exposes students to diverse career possibilities offered by our regional technology community.
Each year, the CBIC Tech Tour organizes upward of 400 area middle and high school students, who collectively visit several participating technology-related companies and organizations in a single day. The hands-on visits allow students to meet employees, and to experience the innovative applications of technology in unique and specialized operations.
The CBIC Awards Gala is an opportunity to celebrate organizations, companies, and individuals that strive to make a difference. Entrepreneurs embrace critical thinking, innovation, service, and continually pivot to cater to the ever changing world. It is our duty to honor the entrepreneurial spirit and mindset of those that dare to be fearless.
About CBIC
CBIC is a multimodal, vibrant community resource that celebrates, educates, and advocates for Charlottesville’s technology innovators. With 25 years serving the community, CBIC and its members and organizations, which collectively employ thousands of individuals, combine sold out events, informative communications, and civic advocacy to create opportunities for the greater Charlottesville area. CBIC was founded in 1997 as the region’s technology council, one of 10 across the Commonwealth of Virginia. CBIC promotes innovation and entrepreneurship as a 501(c) non-profit. As the region’s technology council, CBIC promotes innovation and entrepreneurship and supports growth and success among the Charlottesville region’s technology-focused organizations. CBIC provides a forum for ideas and a collective voice on behalf of the technology sector. Through collaborative partnerships, educational resources and strategic relationships, CBIC enhances, publicizes, and champions technology initiatives that strengthen economic and social vitality in our area.