VCOMMERCE BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL FONG NAMED 'BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR' AT GOVERNOR'S CELEBRATION OF INNOVATION AWARDS
Seasoned Executive Earns Accolades for Leadership and Strategic Expertise
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ., November 24, 2004-- Vcommerce Corporation today announced that its board member Michael Fong was named the 'Ed Denison Business Leader of the Year' by Governor Janet Napolitano and the Arizona Technology Council. The annual Governor's Celebration of Innovation Awards event was held last week in Phoenix at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa. Fong is chairman, CEO and co-founder of Calence, Inc., a leader in building and managing networks.
Fong has more than 15 years of business, IT and network consulting experience, working both domestically and internationally with Fortune 50 companies, major financial institutions, and large technology organizations. Prior to founding Calence in 1993, he served as a consultant for a large systems integrator and Big Five accounting firm. Fong was recently invited to join Governor Napolitano's Council on Innovation and Technology. He was elected to Vcommerce's board of directors in August, where he lends strategic and management expertise to drive broad acceptance of Vcommerce's solutions for direct-to-consumer sales through multiple channels, such as online, kiosk, catalog and phone-order entry.
"These awards are continued proof that Arizona is helping to drive the technology market, and Mike is a real contributor," said Vcommerce CEO Dan Clarke. "Mike is tremendously deserving of this award - his skills as a strategist, CEO and community leader are unparalleled. We're proud to have him contribute to our own growth by serving on Vcommerce’s board of directors."
"Mike's leadership has enabled Calence to earn widespread industry recognition for its unique approach to building and managing networks, using a team of professionals with both business experience and technology expertise," said Vcommerce CTO Dan Kennedy. "Calence has achieved remarkable rates of growth in a market where many other companies have experienced difficult times."
Under Fong's guidance, Calence has received a number of industry accolades over the last several years, including:
Cisco "Best Performance in Customer Satisfaction" in 2003
"Best in Show Winner" at Cisco Bake-Off in 2001 and 2002
Ranked #61 in 1999, #69 in 2000, #153 in 2001, and #364 in 2002 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S.
Arizona Corporate Excellence Award in 2002 and 2003
The Principal Group's "10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security" in 2002.
In its second year, the awards program is acknowledged as the premier recognition of statewide technology leadership in innovation. The awards were announced at a dinner held at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa on Nov.18. For more information, go to http://www.celebration-of-innovation.com.
For additional information regarding Vcommerce and its solutions, please contact Vcommerce at 480-922-9922 or visit www.vcommerce.com.
About the Governor's Celebration of Innovation
The Governor's Celebration of Innovation was established in 2003 by combining two technology award ceremonies: the High Tech Industry Cluster's 17-year student awards ceremony and the Arizona Software and Internet Association's 10-year "Celebration of Innovation". With the addition of the Governor's support of last year's event, the Governor's Celebration of Innovation has become the premier technology community gathering of its kind in Arizona. The inaugural Governor's Celebration of Innovation took place in November 2003 and was a colossal success with over 1200 in attendance.
About the Arizona Technology Council
Since its inception in 2002, the Arizona Technology Council has stood as the largest association of technology companies in Arizona, whose shared vision is for the state to be recognized as a top-tier center for technology-based businesses. The Council works to carry out this vision by driving partnerships, policies and programs that advance the business climate for Arizona's technology community and by representing, supporting and advocating for member companies through initiatives, advocacy, networking and effective communications.
The Arizona Technology Council represents 30,000-plus employees at more than 400 of the leading technology companies across Arizona. Represented industries include advanced manufacturing, aerospace, biotechnology, e-learning, environmental technology, software, Internet applications, semiconductors, and telecommunications.
About Vcommerce Corporation
Vcommerce is the leading provider of solutions for direct-to-consumer transactions. Vcommerce provides proven solutions to capture, source and manage orders, so retailers and manufacturers can dramatically minimize risks, increase efficiencies and reduce costs associated with multi-channel retail initiatives. Vcommerce makes it as easy as possible to do business in multiple channels, such as e-commerce, phone order entry, kiosks or catalogs. Clients control the way they operate their multi-channel businesses - they can choose to outsource some or all of their commerce chain functions, or use Vcommerce's robust, Web-based tools to manage the process themselves. The company's growing client base includes Gateway, Overstock.com and GE. A privately held company, Vcommerce is headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ.
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