CityLights marks 10 years honoring tech industry

One of the largest galas honoring the technology industry in Illinois marks its 10th year on Thursday.

The Illinois Technology Association's CityLights Awards, the Oscars for the technology industry in the Chicago and suburban area, will be held at Union Station with about 700 attendees expected. They will be the industry's top executives and innovators, including several from the suburbs.

"It's a time to celebrate the industry, but also a time to talk about how we can help build it up in the future," said ITA President Fred Hoch.

This year will spotlight several suburban companies.

•The CityLights Award nominees for individual excellence include Jerry R. Mitchell, Midwest Entrepreneurs' Forum in Naperville, and Shelly Stern, Microsoft Corp. in Northlake and Downers Grove;

• CEO of the Year Award nominees include Gregg Kaplan, Redbox in Oakbrook Terrace;

• Spotlight Award for chief information or technology officer includes Eric Dirst, DeVry Inc. in Oakbrook Terrace; Michael Fineberg, SurePayroll in Glenview; and Laurie E. Lasseter, WMS Gaming in Waukegan;

• Lighthouse Award for the company that best represents the region's growing stature, includes BigMachines in Deerfield, and SmartSignal in Lisle;

• Newcomer Award nominee for the company that has the strongest potential to emerge from its startup phase includes CTH Technologies Inc. in Oakbrook Terrace.

The Citylight Awards has become quite a glamorous event compared to its earlier years.

It was started in 1999 by then-named Chicago Software Association in Palatine, which had about 130 members, to honor some of the greats in the field and had an informal awards ceremony.

The organization transitioned into the Illinois Technology Association and now has about 570 corporate members.