OEN NewsAnnouncing the Winners of our 2016 OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards!
We’re pleased to announce the winners of the 23rd annual OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards, which were presented on October 26 at the Oregon Convention Center. The awards program is Oregon’s largest annual entrepreneurial gathering, celebrating the region’s best and brightest entrepreneurs.
The winners in each category include:
Game Changer Winner
Camions of Care
Nadya Okamoto, Founder
Camions of Care is a youth-run global nonprofit that strives to manage and celebrate menstrual hygiene—through the global distribution of feminine hygiene products, and the engagement of youth leadership through a nationwide network of campus chapters. In the last two years, its network of over 2,200 volunteers has addressed over 24,000 periods through over 40 nonprofit partners.
The company was chosen by an audience vote during the Awards ceremony.
The two other finalists for this category were:
- Bright.Md
- RADAR
Learn more about the winner:
Startup Stage Company Winner
Hubb
Allie Magyar, Founder & CEO
Hubb is a software platform that helps conference and meeting planners manage and market content for their events. Conceived by veteran event professionals who understand the need for flexible and responsive tools, Hubb automates the processes surrounding event content management, freeing time for managers to focus on strategic planning and efficient execution.
The company was chosen because its founder exemplifies the best entrepreneurial traits and has succeeded in building an equally impressive team. Hubb also addresses a compelling market problem that the founder has experienced firsthand and offers a solution that has been co-developed and beta-tested with those in the industry.
The two other finalists for this category were:
- Crystal Clear Technologies
- NemaMetrix
Meet the winner and finalists:
Development Stage Category Winner
Customer.io
Colin Nederkoorn, Co-Founder & CEO
Customer.io is a behavioral messaging platform for automating hyper-personalized customer communication at scale. Harnessing real-time behavioral data and advanced segmentation across web and mobile channels, Customer.io empowers marketers to automate targeted, contextually-relevant communication that optimizes the customer experience while driving retention and conversion.
The company was chosen because it knows its niche, has consistently delivered growth every month since its inception, has a huge word-of-mouth following, and under-promises and over-delivers in all areas of the business.
The two other finalists for this category were:
- Senaptec
- Wildfang
Meet the winner and finalists:
Growth Stage Category Winner
Ruby Receptionists
Jill Nelson, Founder & CEO
Ruby® is the only virtual receptionist service dedicated to making personal connections with callers. Its real, human service enabled by leading-edge technology has built Ruby into a platform by which small business owners can win business with memorable first impressions.
The company was chosen because it has demonstrated terrific growth performance fueled by a unified culture in customer service, has a scalable business model, is deploying technology that sets it apart in its industry, demonstrates commitment to the community, and provides good entry level jobs.
The two other finalists for this category were:
- iovation
- FCR
- Puppet
Meet the winner and finalists:
Wyatt Starnes Memorial Award Winner
Tyrone Poole
Founder and CEO, NoAppFee.com
In 2005, Tyrone was training to become a firefighter at Portland Community College. He suffered an injury that badly damaged his left leg, leaving him unemployed, unable to pay his debt, and evicted from his apartment. He eventually ended up in a homeless shelter. Tyrone founded NoAppFee.com to help combat unnecessary homelessness. NoAppFee.com revolutionizes the way renters find homes by screening potential renters against every vacancy in a market, eliminating the need for multiple, costly applications.
Tyrone was chosen because the judges were impressed by his passion for his work and his tenacity when it comes to overcoming obstacles.
The three other finalists for this category were:
- Brian Martin, Recentia Health Corp
- David Schaefer, eWind Solutions
- Dylan Vance, Jupiter DevicesBright.Md
Learn more about the winner:
Entrepreneurial Achievement Award Winner
Monica Enand
Founder and CEO, Zapproved
Monica has grown Zapproved into the leading cloud-based software provider for corporate legal departments. Zapproved was recognized in the 2014 Inc. 500 as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. Monica was one of the Portland Business Journal’s 2015 Executives of the Year. Enand was chosen because she is a true leader—focused, diligent and impactful—and has positioned her company so well that it has become the category leader within a big market over the last year.
The two other finalists for this category were:
- Oliver Alexander & Orion Falvey, Orchid Health
- Trevor Mauch, Carrot
Meet the winner and finalists:
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Linda Weston
President & Executive Director, OEN
This year’s Awards Ceremony marks the final year of Linda’s remarkable 17-year tenure as President and Executive Director of OEN. She will be retiring and launching a consulting company at the end of 2016. Under Linda’s leadership, OEN has experienced significant growth and expanded its impact across the state, serving more than 52,000 participants since 1999, generating $10,792,545 in donations and sponsorship revenue, and securing more than $1.1 million in grant funding to expand access to OEN services in underserved areas.
In 2002 and 2005, Linda was selected by Portland Business Journal as one of 25 outstanding Women in Business. In 2005, she was one of three national finalists for the “Supporter of Entrepreneurship” award in conjunction with Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. In 2007, she was recognized by Northwest Women’s Journal as one of “100 Most Powerful Women” in the Northwest.
Watch our video tribute to Linda:
