Copper Cactus Awards: The Tucson Metro Chamber announced 11 winners of the Copper Cactus Awards, presented by Wells Fargo. The event celebrates the accomplishments and innovations of Southern Arizonaโs locally owned small businesses. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Best Place to Work with three to 50 employees was awarded to Better Business Bureau Serving Southern Arizona. In the category of 51 to 200 employees, the award went to Premier Auto Management. CopperPointโs Small Business Leader of the Year award went to Joshua Belhumeur of BRINK. Cox Businessโ Business Growth award went to Paragon Space Development Corp. DPR Constructionโs Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champion was awarded to Community Investment Corp. Nextrioโs Innovation award went to Startup Tucson. Pima Community Collegeโs Employer/Employee Development honor was awarded to AGM Container Controls. Tech Parks Arizonaโs Startup of the Year went to SaiOx Inc. Tucson Electric Powerโs Social Impact award was presented to the following: with revenue up to $500,000, Greater Tucson Leadership; with revenue between $500,001 to $2 million, YWCA Southern Arizona; With revenue between $2 million to $5 million, Womenโs Foundation of Southern Arizona.
Emagine Solutions Technology: Health technology startup Emagine Solutions Technology has been awarded a National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research grant for $256,000 to conduct research and development work on technology to make prenatal care and postpartum recovery safer. The SBIR Phase I grant is aimed at improving clinical outcomes associated with pregnancy and prenatal care for those affected by preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition of pregnancy. This research proposes software methods to predict onset of preeclampsia and other conditions in pregnancy. Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant, it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (up to $1 million). Small businesses with Phase II funding are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales. Emagine was co-founded by CEO Courtney Williams.
