On October 27, 2026, the Southern Piedmont Technology Council (SPTC) hosted its annual Innovation Stars Awards Banquet at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.
Kevin Hughes, Chief External Affairs Officer for STACK Americas, served as the evening’s keynote speaker, sharing insights on digital infrastructure, technology investment, and the opportunities emerging across Southern Virginia and beyond.
Throughout the evening, seven Innovation Stars Awards were presented to individuals and organizations whose achievements are advancing technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, education, and economic growth across the Southern Piedmont region.
Student Innovator Award
The Student Innovator Award recognizes a student who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and achievement in technology and innovation. This year’s award was presented to Maranda “Gracie” Edwards.
Martinsville native Maranda “Gracie” Edwards demonstrates exceptional leadership in agricultural technology, applying controlled-environment science to optimize real-world commercial food production systems. An Agricultural Sciences senior at Ferrum College maintaining a flawless 4.0 GPA, Gracie pairs academic rigor with high-impact regional lab research.
Serving as an AgTech intern at the Virginia Tech-IALR Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Innovation Center, she advanced hydroponic nutrient management and crop monitoring protocols. Her core contribution evaluated cultivation methods for edible signet marigolds, comparing three distinct cultivars across varying fertilizer loads to identify growth practices that maximize quality and yield for regional commercial growers.
Simultaneously, Gracie advances local environmental data modeling through Ferrum College’s landmark 40th anniversary Smith Mountain Lake Water Quality Monitoring Program. Specializing in microscopic algae analysis, she tracks and records ecological fluctuations critical to preserving the area’s natural resources. By bridging cutting-edge smart-greenhouse infrastructure with precise laboratory field ecology, Gracie exemplifies the visionary drive required of a Student Innovator fueling the Southern Piedmont’s technology pipeline.
Rising Star Award
The Rising Star Award recognizes an emerging leader whose ideas, initiatives, or accomplishments have made a significant impact on the region. This year’s award was presented to Wendy Ezell.
Wendy Ezell demonstrates transformative leadership as the Coordinator and Associate Professor for the Center for Information Technology Excellence (CITE) at Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC). Directing the SVCC Microsoft Datacenter Academy (DCA), Wendy volunteered to intern directly alongside Microsoft field technicians, translating that hands-on technical intelligence directly into the regional critical-environments curriculum.
Her pioneering approach has built a thriving hyper-scale learning model. She has introduced sophisticated infrastructural mechanics, including liquid cooling configurations, directly into the college’s Mock Datacenter lab. Expanding her impact, Wendy secures tech-centric grants and regularly pilots future-focused pathways, recently deploying SVCC’s comprehensive Artificial Intelligence Awareness curriculum.
Furthermore, her student advocacy underpins a vital national security pipeline; she actively anchors the Microsoft Military Datacenter Pathway / Hiring Our Heroes cohort, transitioning active-duty military personnel directly into civilian technology careers. By capturing accessible remote content and distributing strategic scholarship aid, Wendy ensures rural Southside students gain cutting-edge certifications.
Innovation in Education, Government, or Community Outreach Award
The Innovation in Education, Government, or Community Outreach Award recognizes innovative uses of technology to enhance educational opportunities, government services, or community engagement. This year’s award was presented to Mecklenburg County Public Schools – Stopfinder.
Mecklenburg County Public Schools (MCPS) has revolutionized regional student logistics by implementing the Stopfinder mobile communication platform to maximize school bus safety and transparency. Managing a sprawling rural footprint requires navigating lengthy routes and unpredictable conditions across a fleet of over 120 school vehicles.
By integrating this secure, invitation-only app with its core dispatch software, MCPS has eliminated daily arrival uncertainty for families. The technology places real-time bus locations onto an interactive map and empowers guardians to establish personalized Custom GeoAlert notification zones around their neighborhoods. Furthermore, the platform acts as an instant government-to-citizen messaging portal, delivering rapid push notifications regarding vehicle modifications or inclement weather adjustments.
Garnering swift community adoption with over 2,800 registered accounts, MCPS effectively uses smart-city software to improve service delivery and protect vulnerable students. This intentional digital integration sets an exceptional benchmark for how rural school boards can maximize public utility, optimize administrative accountability, and tighten community outreach.
Innovation in Entrepreneurship Award
The Innovation in Entrepreneurship Award recognizes an entrepreneurial company demonstrating excellence in technological innovation. This year’s award was presented to Megaptera Cybersecurity.
Megaptera Cybersecurity Inc. is rapidly expanding access to sophisticated digital defenses for small businesses, schools, and nonprofits across Southern Virginia. Launched in May 2025, this veteran-owned firm provides enterprise-level security architecture designed to fit resource-constrained local budgets.
The company operates from the Dan River Business Development Center. Utilizing this strategic business incubator, Megaptera leverages shared resources and professional infrastructure to efficiently scale its operations. From this hub, the team delivers a technical service suite including multi-tenant cloud audits, deep-drive vulnerability assessments, digital forensics, and ongoing Virtual CISO (vCISO) support. Rather than relying on simple automated software scans, Megaptera translates complex global compliance frameworks into practical, actionable containment strategies for regional clients.
By providing on-demand incident-response planning and hands-on threat simulations, Megaptera bridges the security gap for critical community infrastructure that lacks a dedicated in-house IT department. In just over a year of operation, this agile startup has leveraged its incubator foundation to establish itself as an essential partner for regional economic continuity, proving true excellence in entrepreneurial technological innovation.
Innovation in Technology – Small Business Award
The Innovation in Technology – Small Business Award recognizes a company that demonstrates excellence in technological innovation. This year’s award was presented to Network Supply.
Jody Fitzpatrick and the lean team at Network Supply’s Danville facility show that a small local business can provide the technical resources, industry connections and responsive service typically associated with a major national corporation. Jody consistently supports the Danville Public Schools Information Technology Department by locating critical equipment, addressing infrastructure needs and recommending practical technology solutions.
Rather than serving only as an equipment supplier, Jody provides proactive technical guidance. After identifying power vulnerabilities affecting the school division’s network switches, Jody connected the division with an enterprise-grade uninterruptible power supply vendor. This intervention helped protect valuable public technology assets, improve network reliability, and reduce the potential for disruptions to educational operations.
Network Supply has also supported the City of Danville by supplying essential networking hardware for the renovation and technological integration of Dan River Falls. By helping provide reliable digital infrastructure for this landmark mixed-use development, the company has contributed to the revitalization of Danville’s economic core. Jody and Network Supply exemplify small business innovation through agility, technical resourcefulness and a consistent commitment to solving regional infrastructure challenges while supporting the continued modernization of the region’s digital landscape.
Innovation in Technology – Large Business Award
The Innovation in Technology – Large Business Award recognizes a large organization demonstrating excellence in technological innovation. This year’s award was presented to United Felts.
United Felts, formerly Applied Felts and now a Vortex Company, exemplifies visionary leadership by anchoring global infrastructure solutions in Southern Virginia. Operating out of its Martinsville manufacturing headquarters, the company leverages an established industrial footprint to pioneer advanced municipal and stormwater rehabilitation technologies by designing, testing, and manufacturing advanced cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining products. The company achieves full vertical integration, locally controlling the manufacturing pipeline from raw materials to final coatings.
The company’s commitment to tech-driven stewardship culminated in the February 2026 issuance of U.S. Patent No. 12,467,573 for its EnviroCure-Felt liner. This green infrastructure advancement features an integrated polymer barrier film that encapsulates styrene resin during curing. This mechanism successfully minimizes occupational odors and mitigates volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions down to less than one part per million at the job site.
By developing a low-emission solution that adapts seamlessly to traditional contractor workflows, United Felts protects both local water ecosystems and utility field crews. Serving as a significant regional employer, United Felts exports its patented civil engineering breakthroughs across the Americas. Their forward-thinking framework expands the Southern Piedmont’s reputation as a cradle for world-class, socially responsible technological innovation.
Chairman’s Award
Presented on behalf of the SPTC Board of Directors, the Chairman’s Award recognizes visionary leadership and outstanding contributions to innovation, technology, and regional advancement. This year’s award was presented to Primland, Auberge Resorts Collection.
Primland, Auberge Resorts Collection, demonstrates visionary leadership by turning Patrick County’s exceptionally clear Blue Ridge night skies into an immersive science, technology, and economic driver. By leveraging the region’s unique topography, Primland pioneered an intentional eco-technology tourism model centered around its high-altitude, state-of-the-art observatory dome. Operating from this mountaintop dome, its specialized, on-site astronomy team utilizes advanced, computer-guided Celestron CGE Pro 1400 and CPC 800 telescopes to map celestial bodies invisible to the unaided eye.
Year-round guided “Tour of the Universe” programs seamlessly scale this sophisticated technology for audiences of all ages and scientific backgrounds. By pairing commercial observatory-grade hardware with active low-light environmental preservation, Primland sets a benchmark for how data-driven infrastructure can enrich hospitality.
This innovative intersection of STEM and luxury hospitality has earned global acclaim, helping secure Primland’s rank as the #1 Resort in the South in Travel + Leisure’s 2026 World’s Best Awards. Through this bold investment, Primland has elevated the regional profile of Southern Virginia’s use of technology. The observatory proves that large-scale corporate hospitality can successfully champion high-tech regional innovation by simply looking up.