Solution Providers, Vendors Honored At Inaugural GovernmentVAR Awards

Topping off the festivities at the XChange Government Integrator event in Washington, D.C., this week, the editors of GovernmentVAR and VARBusiness were on hand Thursday night to present the inaugural GovernmentVAR Awards. The awards honored excellence in IT solutions creation and delivery in the federal, state and local sectors, as well as in education.

Solution providers and vendor company winners were recognized for revenue and income growth, business expansion, contract wins, technical prowess and service excellence. The editors of GovernmentVAR determined this year's winners based on information culled from the recent GovernmentVAR 100 listing of the nation's leading integrators in the public sector.

The awards included five solution-provider categories, the Editor's Choice Award and the 2005 Government Solution Provider of the Year, as well as the Government Channel Executive of the Year and the Government Partner Program of the Year.

The coveted Government Solution Provider of the Year was awarded to SRA International for its consistent growth and strong performance in the government sector overall. The company saw its government revenue grow 35 percent year-over-year, to $600 million in 2004, and is racking up contracts with the FAA and Department of Justice, to name a few.

On the vendor side, the Government Channel Executive of the Year went to Alex Hart, director of public sector channel sales at Symantec. Hart has been in the position for five years and is responsible for all of Symantec's public-sector channel strategies and programs in the United States. Hart was instrumental in Symantec's GSA, State Contract and Government Reseller Authorization program,s and launched a successful program to offer rebates to partners.

The Government Partner Program of the Year was awarded to Citrix Systems, which has been steadily focusing on and growing its government channel during the past three years. Citrix differentiates its program by offering dedicated federal, state and local programs, and even recently launched its State and Local Government Expert Program to enable qualified partners to sell products and services off of existing state contracts, which helps eliminate negotiations on additional contract vehicles.

The 2005 Editor's Choice award went to Govplace for its dedication to the government sector overall. With a focus on providing security and storage solutions to its government customers, the Irvine, Calif.-based company also offers continuity, wireless and imaging solutions. The Editor's Choice Award singled out a company that is steadily making inroads and growing into a government powerhouse.

Topping this year's GovernmentVAR 100 listing and doing more than $8 billion in revenue last year--a 13 percent increase over 2003--Lockheed Martin was awarded the Federal Solution Provider of the Year award.

Emtec received the State Government Solution Provider of the Year. A provider of network design and implementation, VoIP, and video and cabling solutions, Emtec generated more than $27 million in revenue from state agencies in 2004.

Cott Systems was awarded the Local Government Solution Provider of the Year award for its tireless work with local agencies. The Worthington, Ohio-based company does 100 percent of its work at the local level, providing process automation, data management and information-sharing solutions.

The Education Solution Provider of the Year award went to Data Networks of America. The Hunt Valley, Md.-based company sees 75 percent of its revenue generated from education customers and is a trusted technology partner to countless schools, including the Baltimore County School District and the Pittsburgh School District.