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BICSI Winter Conference Closes with Charity Presentation, Awards Banquet and Inspirational Keynote

Tampa, Fla., 1 February 2019—BICSI, the association advancing the information and communications technology (ICT) community, brought its 2019 Winter Conference & Exhibition to a close with a night filled with elegance and exciting industry awards, as well as a final day filled with insightful presentations.

Thousands of industry professionals representing countries from all over the world, took part in more than 30 technical sessions and networked with nearly 180 exhibitors during the five-day conference. Attendees enjoyed events exclusively seen at BICSI Winter Conferences, including the New Product Pavilion showcase in the Exhibit Hall, the BICSI Annual Membership Meeting, the Cabling Skills Challenge and an exciting night of elegance and award during Wednesday’s Annual Awards Banquet.

At the banquet, the ICT industry’s best received the following awards:

  • Harry J. Pfister Award for Excellence in the Telecommunications Industry, presented by the University of South Florida College of Engineering: Roger Jette
  • Presidential Eagle Award: Bob Hertling, RCDD, OSP
  • David K. Blythe University of Kentucky Award for Outstanding Member of the Year: Rui Takei, RCDD, DCDC
  • Global Outstanding Member of the Year Award: Katsuji Furuichi
  • Larry G. Romig Committee Member of the Year Award: John Romanski, DCDC, ESS, OSP, WD, RTPM
  • BICSI ICT Woman of the Year Award: Michele Neifing
  • Emerging ICT Professionals Award: Fernando Chavez Jr., RCDD
  • BICSI 2018 Cabling Skills Challenge Installer of the Year: Jonathan Ouzts, TECH
  • The Ray Gendron BICSI Cares Scholarship Award: Rachel Higgins
  • BICSI New Product Pavilion 2019 Best in Show Winner: AFL, FOCIS Lightning MPO Fiber Inspection System

On Thursday morning, BICSI Cares, the charitable arm of BICSI that supports children’s charities, donated to Cardiac Kids Foundation of Florida, dedicated to providing aid to families and their children with heart disease. BICSI Cares collected donations from attendees throughout the conference, and 100 percent of the funds were given to the charity. 

The Closing Keynote address was presented by Mike “Wizzard” McCabe, former admiral and corporate CEO who teaches others to lead teams to reach their potential. As head of all Naval Aviation, McCabe oversaw some of the deepest technological shifts and changes in the U.S. Navy. His keynote focused on how the ICT professionals can motivate their teams to reach the highest potential and empower their organizations to sustain excellence under dynamic change.

BICSI President Jeff Beavers, RCDD, OSP, CFHP, adjourned the conference early Thursday afternoon, thanking everyone for attending and encouraging them to attending upcoming BICSI conferences:

 

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About BICSI

BICSI is a professional association supporting advancing the information and communications technology (ICT) community. ICT covers the spectrum of voice, data, electronic safety & security, project management and audio & video technologies.

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, USA, BICSI membership spans nearly 100 countries.

Contact: Brittany Cerny, bcerny@bicsi.org or John Bechtold, jbechtold@bicsi.org, +1 813.979.1991

TDMM