Winner announced for the EXTREME Technology MakeOver 2008

The winner and runners up of SMS proTECH’s Extreme Technology MakeOver were announced today during a luncheon at the Sidney facility. Presentations of the awards were made by Jeff Boate, Vice President and General Manager of SMS proTECH and Jeff Raible, President of the Sidney Chamber of Commerce serving as Chairperson for the Extreme Judging Panel.

The Judging Panel was comprised of 7 members:
Jeff Raible, Sidney Shelby County Chamber
Kristi Clouse, Allen Economic Development Group
Cindy Tenwalde, Lima Allen County Chamber
Mike Dodds, West Ohio Development Council
Andy Hickey, Greater Dayton IT Alliance
Toni Bankston, Dayton Chamber
Lisa Whitaker, Piqua Chamber

The judges were given 10 points to allocate as they saw fit through the applicants. Applicants were required to complete an application and submit a 500 word essay on how the Technology Makeover would impact their business or organization. Applicants could submit additional materials such as videos and photos to help garner votes.

3rd place and a Fuji Digital Camera and Panasonic DVD were awarded to The Architect, 1646 Tiffin Avenue, Findlay, OH. David Roth, Owner, submitted photos of the flood damage suffered by The Architect when the Blanchard River came out of its banks in August 2007.

2nd place and a Sony Cybershot and Coby LCD TV Monitor were awarded to Winan’s Chocolates, 308 West Water Street, Piqua, OH. Karen Cron, Director of Operations, submitted a video of their operations and current office systems. SMS had the video playing for attendees to watch during the luncheon.

The grand prize winner of the $25,000 Extreme Technology Makeover was Compassionate Care, 124 N. Ohio Avenue, Sidney, OH. Director, Teresa Ditmer, accepted the award on behalf of Compassionate Care. SMS will install and train the staff on new network equipment that includes a 5 user VoIP (Voice over IP) phone system, managed services, HP small business server and Microsoft software, Cisco switch and security appliance, 5 HP workstations with Microsoft Office licensing, a multi-function printer/fax/copier and CA bundled security and backup software.

According to the essay submitted by Teresa, the clinic currently operates with donated equipment including a 15 year old Dell with only 256 RAM. They will now be able to feel secure knowing private medical records are stored safely and accurately in a compliant infrastructure. “… It will allow us to spend more time caring for the people in need!”