Innovation Awards

Benefits | The Finalists | Our Sponsors | Photos & Playbill

That’s all folks

As Porky Pig would say, that’s all folks.

The event that will henceforth be known as the TCCa Typhoon of 2008 has finally been put to rest for her winter slumber. To those of you that came along for the ride, we thank you – sincerely. To the winners, CONGRATS. We are humbled by the turn-out given the less than cooperative weather and we are grateful to everyone who put in their time, money and effort to help make our first Innovation Awards a resounding (if not a little damp) success.

The event…

P.S. If you want to see the AWESOME train photo-op Lott + Barber put together, hop on over to their shutterfly site to see the full roll (more being added daily.)

The skillz to pay the billz

Big Pappa (web): First and foremost, huge thank you to our title sponsor, Lott + Barber. Beyond they actual sponsorship, your eagerness to devote your own time, talent and resources to help us make the event a success made all the difference. To Forrest, Susan, Scott, Alex, Ashley and the rest of talented staff at Lott + Barber, a very heartfelt and sincere THANK YOU. Without a doubt, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Big Mamma (web): Jennifer (Abshire Patterson) – you rock. Thank you for introducing us to the possibility of L+B and helping making it a reality. You’ve been involved with TCCa(i) from the beginning and this most recent effort was the icing on an already momentous (and tasty) cake.

Green Sponsors: Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT), Armstrong Atlantic State University, CarriageTrade PR, Chamber of Commerce, City of Savannah, Effingham County, Energy Launch Partners, GA Port Authority, GA Power, Georgia Tech Savannah, GreenlifeSpace, Gulfstream Aerospace, Herty Advanced Materials Center, Hunter MacLean, JCB, Inc, Logistics Innovation Center (LINC), Memorial Health, Paragon Design Group, Rails Machine, Savannah Ecomomic Development Authority, SmackDab Studios, South University, Southern Environmental Law Center, brightwhitespace llc, Savannah Morning News, Stage Front Presentation Systems, Structured Green, Advanced Technology Development Center

Blue Sponsors: DP Partners, Georgia Southern University, Hussey Gay Bell & DeYoung (HGBD) , Savannah College of Art & Design, Sea Island Bank, Skidaway Marine Science Foundation, Thomas & Hutton Engineering, Connect Savannah.

TCCa Revenue committee: Rick, Lynn, Howard and Mike – thank you for your help in a most phenomenal effort. We ended up confirming reservations for 23 Green Sponsors ($1,500), 8 Blue Sponsors ($750) and around 250 individual seats – we couldn’t have reached those record-breaking numbers without the big dogs!

The touch, the feel of…TCCa

Paragon (web): We heart you! You blew the roof off all our expectations. Thank you your insanely generous offer to produce such an awesome awards presentation. You are the yin to our visual yang.

Mike and Structured Green (web): Egad man, we’re still in shock. We’re not sure how managed a 12ft aluminum-clad version (read: exact replica) of our awards logo, but we’re glad you did and we hope that one day you’ll be able to drink Mountain Dew again. I think its safe to say that nobody has ever done or seen anything like it.

brightwhitespace (web): – Rigel and Ariel, the playbill was kick ass. Ariel – you never broke a sweat and churned out (in record time) one of the coolest awards programs we’ve ever seen.

Howard Paul (web) and Jody Espina (web): The music was exceptional and it added a unique local flavor to the evening. We’re happy to have you guys play ANY time. (P.S. Jody – congrats on your well-deserved win!)

Jerome (Meadows) (web): The award sculptures were true works of art. We’d like to think that involving the local art community in the awards trophies is an innovation in itself, and we’re thankful you signed on to make the first go at this a memorable one.

Patrick and Press Play (web): Thanks for stepping in at the last minute to help with PR – you were lightning-fast and it was a huge help!

Yummy in our tummy

Matt, Steve and Earth to Table (Cha Bella) (web): The food was off the charts. Of all the compliments we’ve gotten on the event, EVERY single one included an emphatic “the food was awesome” with many telling us it was the best food they’ve had at an event of this size, EVER. (And you pulled it off in a monsoon, no less.)

John Pinkerton and Moon River Brewing (web): Your tasty brew was stellar as always. Thanks for contributing your local libations to our regional and organically themed fray!

Green Team

Tommy and Anthony (web): Your help and expertise on the “green” theme was invaluable. Tommy, thanks for reaching out to GA Power, the advice on countless event planning items and keeping us honest!

Farmer D (web): Your centerpieces were a perfect end to the evening, and a great way for guests to take part of their experience home. Thanks to you and your team for stepping in at the last minute to add a living splash of green the overall experience. (P.S. Congrats on the big win!)

Fillup and Spanish Moss Printing (web): Thank you for your generosity and pulling off a great (inky) job at the very last minute. And on clorine-free 100% post-consumer fiber with soybased ink, to boot!

Setting the Stage

Steve, Brandon, Jeff and Stagefront (web): You guys came through in the clutch, yet again. Everything looked great and you performed admirably in the middle of what can only be described as the TCCa Typhoon of 2008.

Kelli, Nora and the whole crew at the Roundhouse (web): Kelli – amazingly, you caught every curveball we threw at you did it all with a smile. You’ve got a great venue and an awesome staff – THANK YOU!

Richard and HostSouth: Everything looked great and we appreciate you coming to the rescue at the last minute. Thank you!

Rick (Winger): Your emcee skillz are a thing of beauty. I’m not sure who else could have herded that many soggy cats under the cloud of an October monsoon, but you pulled it off with your usual charisma and smooth-operating humor.

Committees, Judges & Boards

TCCa Awards Committee: Marjorie, as awards co-chair, thank you for your advice, patience, guidance and hard work. Rigel, Steve B., Phil, Shannon, you are nomination/application machines! Shannon, thanks as always for your supernatural attention to detail! Summer, thanks for all your help with copywriting and blogging, and rocking those AWESOME gift bags. Jimi and Steve, your experience and stellar track record provided a great base for us to work from – we couldn’t have pulled this off without the template you effectively created through the years of the great CBETA Awards. Scott – you did an AWESOME job getting one of the best judging panels we have ever had.

Chris Miller, Martin Melaver, Michelle Berryman, Don McLemore and Charles Ross: Our 2008 judges! With almost 100 applications, we know the job wasn’t easy – your time, knowledge and consideration produced a true showing of innovation in this community. Thank you!

SEDA Staff: You all came through in the clutch in a big way, so thank you.

TCCa Advisory Board: Even though this board is in its infancy, you all have been on the scene for years and we appreciate everything you’ve done.

All told, there were more than 100 people within more than a dozen organizations who helped make this event a success. THANK YOU.