SurePayroll Named Finalist for 2012 Illinois Technology Association CityLIGHTS Award
13th Annual CityLIGHTS Awards honor top performers in technology whose innovation and success drive growth in Illinois
CHICAGO, IL – April 12, 2012 – SurePayroll, Inc.’s CEO and CTO have been named finalists in the 2012 Illinois Technology Association (ITA) CityLIGHTS awards in the CEO and Technologist of the Year categories. SurePayroll President and CEO Michael Alter is responsible for the overall business model development, strategic planning, and day-to-day operations for Glenview-based SurePayroll, the Online Alternative® and a wholly owned subsidiary of Paychex®. Alter has taken Glenview-based SurePayroll from a startup with fewer than 10 employees in 2000 to a nationally recognized payroll leader with more than 35,000 small business customers, processing as much as $12 billion in payroll payments annually.
SurePayroll Chief Technology Officer Michael Fineberg leads all technology efforts at SurePayroll, the firm that introduced the nation's first online payroll service in 2000 and has subsequently introduced other breakthrough Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) HR solutions and smartphone apps. Under Fineberg's technology leadership, the company has experienced rapid customer growth, garnered much industry acclaim, and helped entice payroll giant Paychex, Inc. to purchase SurePayroll for $115 million cash.
The ITA received a record-setting number of nominations this year, with the ITA’s panel of judges selecting the top entries in each of nine award categories.
Alter said, “It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the ITA judging panel. I’ve often championed Illinois as a hotspot for digital innovators. It’s been very exciting to be part of that community and I look forward to what the future holds.”
“SurePayroll is always striving to improve its technology for our customers and to be recognized in that capacity is tremendous,” Fineberg said.
“It was no easy feat for the judges to determine the finalists for each award,” said ITA CEO Fred Hoch. “The past 12 months have been a time of unprecedented growth, accomplishments and innovation in Illinois, and this energy is reflected in the quantity and quality of CityLIGHTS awards nominees.”
Public voting is online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CLVOTING through April 25. Winners are determined by a blended score based equally on public voting and the judges’ panel in all categories except the CityLIGHTS award, which is selected by the ITA Board of Directors.
Winners will be announced at the CityLIGHTS Awards Gala Thursday, May 10, 2012, in the Great Hall at Union Station in Chicago. The gala, which sold out last year, attracts more than 700 people from 400 organizations including business owners, investors, legislators and policymakers.
The panel of judges consists of 68 esteemed technology leaders including Dan Lyne, World Business Chicago; Patricia Anderson, Apartments.com; Howard Tullman, Tribeca Media FlashPoint Academy; Ed Domain, Tech.li; Mark Achler, Redbox; Jai Shekhawat, Fieldglass; Irv Shapiro, Ifbyphone; Lance Pressel, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce; Roger Liew, Orbitz Worldwide; Ross Kimbarovsky, Crowdspring; and Troy Henikoff, Excelerate Labs.
There are nine award categories: The CityLIGHTS award; CEO of the Year; Technologist of the Year; the Newcomer award; the Rising Star; the Lighthouse award; the New Concept award; the Best Strategic Use of Technology award; and the Prominent Woman in Tech award, the 2012 write-in award category.
About SurePayroll
SurePayroll, The Online Alternative, is dedicated to providing a convenient and easy-to-use small business payroll service that keeps business owners in control. More than 35,000 customers rely on SurePayroll to process payroll on demand in as few as two minutes. In addition, SurePayroll offers efficient online solutions for managing 401(k) plans, health insurance, workers' compensation, employee screening and more. For accountants and banking partners, SurePayroll provides private-label and co-branded services that enable them to offer online payroll processing to their small business clients. The company has received numerous prestigious awards for its innovative technology, and outstanding customer service and sales teams, including recognition from PC Magazine, Accounting Today, the American Business Awards and many others. SurePayroll is a wholly owned subsidiary of Paychex. For more information, please visit www.SurePayroll.com.
About the ITA
The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is a driving force behind the growth of Illinois' vibrant technology industry. We are relentless in championing the development and application of technology, from start-up companies to industry leaders, leveraging the transformative nature of technology to revolutionize industries. ITA uniquely capitalizes peer-to-peer collaboration, networking, and access to experts across the breadth of business to cultivate the Illinois technology industry. The unique and powerful integration of these valuable and experienced resources differentiates the ITA as a source of accelerated growth for the technology industry of Illinois. For more information about ITA, please visit www.illinoistech.org.
Contact the ITA at headquarters@illinoistech.org, follow the ITA on Twitter at @itabuzz and the CityLIGHTS conversation with hashtag #ITACITYLIGHTS, and visit www.illinoistech.org to find out more about how ITA supports the growth of the local industry.
Media Contacts: Dorothy Radke, Marketing & Communications, ITA, +1.312.924.1044, dradke@illinoistech.org
Lori Bolas, SurePayroll Director of Marketing Communications, +1.847.676.8420. 7248, loriann.bolas@surepayroll.com
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