Annual TECHQuest Gala Names SchoolWires® “Technology Company of the Year”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  February 16, 2010

STATE COLLEGE, PA — A Centre County-based company, SchoolWires®, was named Technology Company of the Year at the 18th Annual TECHQuest PA Technology Innovation Awards Gala.  More than 100 nominations were recognized in various categories at the event which was held at the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg, on Friday, February 12, 2010. 

A past recipient of several Ben Franklin investments (see www.cnp.benfranklin.org for program details), CEO, Edward S. Marflak, established Schoolwires® in 2000 in order to connect the 100 million students, families, teachers, and administrators of America’s K-12 schools to each other and to the information they need to succeed.  In the process, the company has transformed the way America’s schools communicate and collaborate. Today, Schoolwires® is one of the nation’s leading providers of strategic website and community management solutions for building stronger school communities and greater student success.  For more information see www.schoolwires.com.

Several other Ben Franklin portfolio companies were also honored at the event:  Mike Zumbrum, CEO of ALLPure Technologies Inc., was a finalist in the Outstanding Leadership category; Mission Research was a finalist in the category of Technology Provider of the Year; INRange Systems Inc. and Pace Controls were both finalists for the Technology Product of the Year; and Z-Band Inc., was included in the finalists for Growth Company of the Year.  GeoDecisions, the recipient of a Ben Franklin investment more than 20 years ago, was the winner of the Public Service Innovation category.