SurePayroll Named Finalists for Illinois Technology Association’s CityLIGHTs Awards

Annual awards honor SurePayroll, CEO Michael Alter and CTO Michael Fineberg for their innovation and successes that drive growth in Illinois

Glenview, IL – April 20, 2011 – SurePayroll, its President and CEO Michael Alter, and Chief Technology Officer Michael Fineberg have been named finalists for the 2011 Illinois Technology Association (ITA) CityLIGHTS Awards.

SurePayroll is a finalist for the Lighthouse Award, which honors the company that has taken a leading role in the national information technology industry and best represents the growth of the Illinois technology industry. SurePayroll came to market in 2000, revolutionizing payroll processing for small businesses by giving them a more convenient online alternative to phone-in / fax-in payroll methods. Today, over 32,000 customers nationwide use SurePayroll to process payroll online in fewer than 2 minutes or even in seconds when using SurePayroll’s Mobile Payroll app.

Michael Alter is a finalist for the CEO of the Year Award, which honors the CEO who has led extraordinary business growth of their technology company over the last year. Alter, a cofounder of SurePayroll, took the company from a startup concept in 2000 to the country’s largest full-service online payroll service that processes more than $12 billion dollars in payroll transactions yearly. He recently headed a search for a corporate parent that resulted in numerous interested buyers and the ultimate sale of the company to publically traded Paychex, Inc (NASDAQ: PAYX).

Michael Fineberg is a finalist for Technologist of the Year Award, which honors the individual whose talent has championed true technology innovation. Fineberg, who has been leading all of SurePayroll’s technology efforts since 2000, created the country’s first online payroll process that allows a user to complete payroll and handle taxes in just 2 minutes. He also introduced the first mobile payroll app, and invented the proprietary technology that allows banking partners to use a private label version of SurePayroll’s service and offer it to their small business customers.

Public voting runs from April 18–29, 2011. Winners will be determined by composite score (50 percent judges; 50 percent community voting) in all categories except the CityLIGHTS Award, which is determined solely by the ITA Board of Directors. Votes can be submitted through end of day on April 29, 2011. 

Winners will be announced at the CityLIGHTS Awards Gala Thursday, May 12, 2011, at Union Station in Chicago. The gala attracts more than 700 people from 400 organizations including business owners, investors, legislators and policymakers. 

A panel of more than 40 judges representing the “Who’s Who” in Illinois technology reviewed nominations and selected the finalists. Judges hail from major organizations including Microsoft and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and newer entities including Technori and Viewpoints.com. Past winners includes companies like The Point (now known as Groupon), Mayor Richard M. Daley and Jack Noonan. 

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. Over 30,000 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 http://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.

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