TechBridge Digital Ball Draws Tech Stars
Urvaksh Karkaria
May 9, 2010

The 10th TechBridge Digital Ball - that annual gathering of Atlanta CIOs - was a fabulous affair.

The black-tie fundraiser, at the Marriott Marquis, offered up tap dancers, mid-air acrobatics, a Jimi Hendrix'd-rendition of "Happy Birthday" and a rather "meh" main-course of chicken and risotto.

A-listers included GE Energy's John Seral, Southern Co.'s always-quotable Becky Blalock, UPS' David Barnes and First Data's Dave Kardesh.

Other notables pumping fists and pocketing business cards were entrepreneur-investor Ashish Bahl, a rather tanned Tino Mantella (TAG), the omnipresent John Yates (Morris, Manning & Martin) and the "nawab of networking," Ricky Steele.

Southwest Christian Care won the 2010 TechBridge Technology Innovation Award.

In addition to having the klieg lights turned on it at the Digital Ball, the Atlanta-based hospice and senior care center received $55,000 in cash and technology services.

"This is the greatest Mother's Day," Southwest Christian Care's development director, Janice Wright, said while accepting the award. "I will always remember it."

Southwest Christian Care beat out Families First Inc. and The Georgia Cancer Coalition for the award, which includes $25,000 in TechBridge consulting services, $25,000 in Microsoft software and a $5,000 cash grant.

Southwest Christian Care plans create an automated system to centralize patient data and program statistics. Currently, patient records, demographics and satisfaction surveys are kept on paper and in spreadsheets making analysis time consuming.

Digitization the information will help the non-profit better evaluate effectiveness of programs and services, and help with planning and fundraising.

Southwest Christian Care "won because they had an innovative vision of using technology in a way that's really going to impact lives of the people that they service," TechBridge's Carrie Bates said.

The highlight of the evening, for me, was the after-party in the Marriott's 41st floor vice presidential suite. Hosted by staffing outfit Hunter Technical Resources Inc., it was a chocolate-and-karaoke affair, where the Johnny Walker and air-kisses flowed freely.

Guests included Travelport's Mark Ryan, Beazer Homes' Cindy Tierney, Elavon's Chris Kenyon and Sig Moseley, Atlanta's unwitting godfather of angel investing.

The star - however - was the top hat-wearing Steele, who worked the room like he does most mornings from the OK Cafe's Booth No. 61.