More than 700 Illinois technology executives packed the Great Hall of Union Station for the awards ceremony. The enthusiastic crowd demonstrated the vitality of the regional technology sector. CityLIGHTS is the Midwest’s premier technology-related awards event and Illinois’ largest gathering of technology executives in the state.

While accepting the CEO of the Year Award, Conroy praised Initiate® employees who have worked hard to achieve year-over-year growth for the company. He acknowledged the ITA for its commitment to the regional tech community and exalted Illinois and the Midwest for its “wealth of talent, innovation and authenticity.” “Thanks to the ITA for shining a bright light on our region’s achievements in the tech sector,” Conroy said. “Initiate is a terrific company. I am here because of the great people who work for the company. And while much is made of West Coast technology, Illinois is every bit as talented and innovative. Our solid Midwest work ethic has been great for business.”

Under Conroy’s leadership, Initiate has flourished financially in the face of tough economic times, earned a leadership position in vital national healthcare reform and won awards and recognition for its innovative technology and exceptional customer service. Perhaps the most striking testaments to Conroy’s leadership are Initiate’s track record of year-over-year growth since he took the helm in 2002 and continual recognition by prominent industry analysts of the strength of the company’s management team.

For the first time in the 10-year history of CityLIGHTS, members of Illinois’ technology community helped determine winners in five of the six award categories, with nearly 1,000 registering to participate and vote. The flagship CityLIGHTS award was selected by ITA’s board of directors.

“The 2009 CityLIGHTS winners are a direct reflection of the high-quality technology companies, executives and advocates making positive change in Illinois,” said ITA President Fred Hoch. “With such a large portion of Illinois’ vibrant technology community casting their vote, this year’s winners should be proud to be held in such high regard by their peers.”

About Initiate Systems:
Initiate Systems enables organizations to confidently share critical data assets. Multinational corporations, healthcare organizations and government agencies rely on Initiate® software and services to deliver complete, accurate and real-time views of data spread across multiple systems, domains or databases. Initiate’s master data management (MDM) solutions facilitate interoperability, information sharing, entity resolution and data quality, which improve actionable intelligence to achieve increased revenues, reduced costs and mitigate risks. Initiate operates globally through its subsidiaries in Toronto, London and Sydney, with corporate headquarters in Chicago and offices across the United States. For more information, visit www.Initiate.com.

About the ITA:
The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) represents the interests of a diverse membership of more than 550 companies in Illinois that create, deploy and utilize information technology as a core part of their organization. By connecting members with industry peers and participants, providing the latest strategic information, market research and critical market insight and by promoting key thought leaders to raise visibility and gain a greater market awareness and presence, ITA is focused on building and developing the Illinois technology community through collaboration. Additional information is available at www.illinoistech.org.