Top tech companies in Arizona gathered recently in Phoenix to congratulate innovators being honored at the Governor’s Celebration of Innovation awards gala presented by the Arizona Technology Council and the Arizona Commerce Authority.

The individual, company, government and educational winners were selected by a panel of independent judges.

Among the honorees was Arizona State University President Michael Crow, who received a People’s Choice Lifetime Achievement Award from OneNeck IT Services.

“It is incredibly rewarding to see so many winners from southern Arizona recognized at this year’s awards," Arizona Technology Council President and CEO Steven Zylstra said. “The continually growing breadth and depth of Arizona’s technology sector is a tremendous boon to the state, spurring economic development and bringing jobs with higher than average wages.”

Highlights of the gathering included the presentation of Innovator of the Year awards in the categories of startup, small and large companies, and academia. The respective winners were SinfoniaRx and GuardVant, Inc., both of Tucson; Medtronic’s Tempe Campus; and the University of Arizona’s Tech Launch Arizona, also in Tucson.

A special chairman’s award was given to retired Army Col. Jerry Proctor of JVP Strategic Consulting, LLC, who served for 40 years as a military and civilian executive and was recently elected to the Arizona Technology Council’s board of directors.

“Arizona boasts an impressive talent pool of visionary thinkers whose contributions have made our state a center for bold ideas,” Arizona Commerce Authority President and CEO Sandra Watson said. “Innovation in Arizona is driving life-changing technological advances and diversifying our economy, leading to a more prosperous future.”

Additional honorees included Thomas Curzon of Phoenix and Alexi Venneri of Scottsdale, Tucson’s Raytheon Missile Systems and Arizona State University (Tempe) Biodesign Institute’s Zmapp.