• Paragon: The Tucson company received the Governor’s Celebration of Innovation Small Business Award from the Arizona Technical Council and Arizona Commerce Authority. The award honors the visionaries of Arizona’s technology ecosystem whose passion and dedication energize Arizona’s rapidly growing technology. Paragon’s award was based on its patented XRad radiators.
  • Pima Community College: Ellen Kirton, director of PCC’s Small Business Development Center, received national recognition as the 2017 Boots to Business Instructor of the Year. Kirton was honored for her expertise and dedication to helping military veterans pursue their dream of business ownership. Boots to Business is a free entrepreneurial training program offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
  • Town of Sahuarita: The town earned two Golden Prospector Awards from the Arizona Association for Economic Development, recognizing excellence, innovation and creativity in economic development. Sahuarita was honored for its metro area marketing brochure and for the metro deal of the year.
  • Raytheon: The company’s immersive design center, which features the CAVE virtual environment, received Aviation Week magazine’s 2017 Program Excellence award in the special projects category. Raytheon’s CAVE allows cross-functional teams of design and manufacturing experts to immerse themselves in virtual reality environments, reducing cycle times and costs for customers.
  • Durazzo, Eckel & Hawkins P.C.: Neal Eckel, one of the firm’s partners, was recognized in the 24th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of construction law and litigation. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on a peer-review survey by other attorneys.
  • Crest Insurance: President and founder Cody Ritchie was named Executive Leader of the Year in the large-company category by Tucson Business magazine. Ritchie was nominated and selected from a group of business leaders in Tucson. Crest Insurance has offices in Tucson, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sierra Vista, Flagstaff and San Diego.

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