The 2018 11th annual Top Tech Exec Awards were out of this world! There was a record qualified nomination pool, the first ever two tiered judging process, and we enjoyed record attendance at the Paddock. San Diego Tech Scene is strong and Top Tech Exec Awards congratulates all of the honorees!

The evening was filled with an endless supply of entertainment and fun perks, all of which made for a very special night honoring San Diego’s IT leaders. Here are a few event highlights:

The Swag:
Attendees were given event info and a stylish pair of sunglasses as they walked in. Sponsor tables all around the event had more fun giveaways and freebies. Oh – and did we mention the complimentary drinks and delicious food options?

The Presentation of Proclamations:
Deputy Mayor David Druker of Del Mar and Mayor Faulconer for the City of San Diego proclaim that May 10, 2018 is a Top Tech Exec day in the City of Del Mar and San Diego.

The Hosts:
Former Chargers player and media personality Nick Hardwick and CBS8 Anchor Heather Myers Emceed the event.

The Special Features:
Where do we even start? Craft Beer tastings, pool table, Cox lounge, cigar rolling, sponsor tables, Don Julio tasting, shoe shine booth, and a chance to catch some cash by playing the Cash in the Cabinet game – just to name a few!

The IT Heroes!

  • Terry Loftus of Oceanside Unified School District was Top Tech Honoree in the Education Category
  • Jonathan Behnke of City of San Diego was the Government Category Top Tech Honoree
  • Angela Moran of of California Coast Credit Union was Small Nonprofit Honoree for the Top Tech Awards
  • Large nonprofit honoree award went to Alicia Rodrigues of San Ysidro Health
  • Cox Business Exemplary Award for Top Tech presented to Johnson Lai of Nuvasive Inc.
  • Top Tech Private Micro Honoree was Ryan Rusnak of Airspace Technologies Inc.
  • Top Tech Private Small Company Honoree was Ryan Fay of ACI Specialty Benefits
  • Private Medium Top Tech Honoree was Jerome Fodor of AbacusNext
  • Private Large Top Tech Honoree was Brad Williams of Petco Animal Supplies Inc.
  • Private Mega Top Tech Exec Honoree was Michael Hawman of General Atomics
  • Public Small Top Tech Exec Honoree was Hudson Airom of Mitek Systems Inc.
  • Public Large Honoree at Top Tech Exec went to Troy Seelye of Teradata
  • Casey Cotton of Madison Avenue Securities and Asset Marketing Systems, was awarded 2018 Top Tech Exec Lifetime Achievement Honor

Cocktail Reception and Networking:
After the award’s presentation, guests and honorees enjoyed cocktails and handmade churros while networking.

Once again , we’d like to give a big thank-you to everyone who attended. Congratulations to all of our nominees, honorees, and award winners and another HUGE thank you to all of the sponsors who made this event possible. We can’t wait to do it again next year!