Five Innovators Honored at the Orange County Business Journal's Annual Innovator of the Year

IRVINE, Calif. - Sept. 23, 2016 - PRLog -- More than 350 people gathered at the Hotel Irvine Jamboree Center on September 22, 2016 to honor five Orange County trailblazers at the second annual Innovator of the Year Awards presented by the Orange County Business Journal.

The event was highlighted by Stuart Frost, chairman and CEO of Frost Data Capital, who delivered an engaging keynote address. Frost Data Capital is a combined incubator and venture capital firm which has launched more than 20 technology startups that have raised $110+ million. The company has built an ecosystem of startups focused on big data, data analytics, the industrial internet of things (IoT) space, and health care IT. Strategic partners in these startups include companies like General Electric and Symantec. Frost also founded DATAllegro, a data warehousing company, where he was CEO through to the company's sale to Microsoft in 2008.

Event Sponsors: Diamond Sponsor Cox Business; Platinum Sponsors Opus Bank, BDO, Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, RJI International CPAs, Greenberg Gross LLP; Gold Sponsor SIGMAnet; Silver Sponsors Knobbe Martens, Edwards Lifesciences, Marquee Staffing, Energy Upgrade California

This year, 75 Orange County innovators were nominated for awards. The following five honorees were presented with awards:

Dr. Mitchell Brin, SVP Global Drug Development & Chief Scientific Officer, BOTOX®

Allergan, Irvine

Through his 15 years at Allergan, Dr. Mitchell Brin has overseen the expansion in the clinical uses of BOTOX® to 11 core indications worldwide, with more than 25 indications across 85+ countries to date. The core indications include, but are not limited to, chronic migraine, adult upper and lower limb spasticity, juvenile cerebral palsy (not approved in the U.S.), overactive bladder, and BOTOX® Cosmetic for glabellar lines, and crow's feet lines. Sales of BOTOX® have grown from $310 million in 2001 to $2 billion today. Allergan is a diversified global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model - Growth Pharma.

Dr. Aaron Elliott, CEO

Ambry Genetics, Aliso Viejo

Dr. Aaron Elliott has been with Ambry Genetics for more than eight years. During his tenure, the company has experienced growth from approximately 40 people to about 800 employees. Dr. Elliott has helped to develop and launch some of the most groundbreaking genetic testing assays in the industry. He was also heavily involved in Ambry's success against gene patents following the Supreme Court decision, and moving the genetic testing industry forward in the sharing of genetic data. Ambry Genetics is a privately held health care company with the most comprehensive suite of genetic testing solutions for inherited and non-inherited diseases.

Stuart McClure, CEO/Co-Founder

Cylance Inc., Irvine

Stuart McClure's company, Cylance, is the first to apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to cybersecurity. McClure has grown Cylance from just a handful of employees to almost 500 in four years and led the firm to consistent profit increases, year-over-year revenue growth of 1,089%, and quarter-over-quarter growth of 100-200%. Under his leadership, Cylance has grown from 200 to more than 1,000 customers in just the past 12 months. His efforts have secured four rounds of funding led by Blackstone, Khosla Ventures, Fairhaven Capital, Dell Ventures, DFJ, KKR, Capital One Ventures, Ten Eleven Ventures and several other firms, totaling $177 million and placing Cylance's value at more than $1 billion.

Dr. Benjamin Park, Founder/Chief Technology Officer

Enevate Corp., Irvine

Dr. Benjamin Park founded Enevate (originally Carbon Micro Battery) in 2005 and leads the battery research and development efforts. Dr. Park has successfully helped raise some $60 million from venture capital and strategic corporate investors, including Tsing Capital, Mission Ventures, Infinite Potential Technologies, Presidio Ventures (a Sumitomo Corp. Co.), CEC Capital (China Electronics Corp.) and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Dr. Park's design for silicon-dominant batteries represents a monumental advancement in energy density and ultrafast charging that hasn't been seen in commercialized batteries to date. Dr. Park's battery design can also be cost-effectively produced within the existing lithium-ion manufacturing process.

Annette Walker, President of Strategy/Chief Executive - St Joseph Health

Providence St. Joseph Health, Irvine

Annette Walker has re-imagined health care services for Orange County. Her brainchild, known as Wellness Corners, makes obtaining a healthy lifestyle more convenient than ever before. Centers offer care for treating illness, along with a wide range of wellness and disease prevention programs. In just three years, the Wellness Center concept has expanded to seven Orange County sites, with each center tailored to fit the needs of its location. Services range from on-site lab draws to fitness programs to nutrition and weight-loss counseling to meditation training. Walker and the Providence St. Joseph Health team are considering expanding this born-in-OC concept to more Western locations.

About The Orange County Business Journal

The Orange County Business Journal is the weekly read that connects the Orange County business community. This is where the community doers in the most vibrant slice of the Southern California economy keep tabs on each other. With one of the highest circulations of all the Business Journals in the country, it continues to grow as a highly impactful and influential publication. More information on the Orange County Business Journal can be found at www.ocbj.com, or by calling 949-833-8373.