The Austin Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce finalists for the 9th Annual Greater Austin Business Awards. True to this year’s theme, the “Heavyweights of Business” have put on the gloves with unique ideas and innovative business practices and will jump into the ring on Wednesday, August 26 at the awards ceremony at the Hilton Austin Hotel, 500 East Fourth Street.

Created in 2001, the Greater Austin Business Awards has grown to over 1,000 attendees and has sold out the past three years. Award categories include Community Relations, Customer Service, Education, Environment, Innovation and Take on Traffic. Each category will recognize a small, medium, large and non-profit winner.

Please join us in congratulating the following 2009 Greater Austin Business Awards Finalists for their dedication to making Austin the great city it is.

Community Relations Award
Small: Austin Aztex FC, CWS Corporate Housing, KeyStaff, Inc., Legend Communities, Inc., Meritage Homes
Medium: 100.7 KASE 101, Mann Eye Institute and Laser Center, Milk + Honey Spa, Schlotzsky’s, University of Phoenix
Large: Austin American Statesman, Clark, Thomas & Winters, GSD&M Idea City, Silicon Laboratories, Tokyo Electron
Non-profit: Capital Area Food Bank, Samaritan Center for Counseling and Pastoral Care, Austin Groups for the Elderly, City of Austin SBDP, Goodwill Industries of Central Texas

Texas Gas Service Customer Service Award
Small: Advocate, MD, Goldwasser Real Estate, IT Freedom, Texas MedClinic, Zbranek Custom Homes
Medium: BuildASign.com, Catapult Systems, Howdy Honda, Truluck’s Seafood, Steak and Crab House, vcfo
Large: Grande Communications, Green Mountain Energy Company, Heart Hospital of Austin, St. David’s Healthcare, Stepping Stone School
Non-profit: Housing Authority of the City of Austin, LifeWorks, Meals on Wheels and More, Seton Family of Hospitals, Workforce Solutions- Capital Area

Time Warner Cable Education Award
Small: IF Marketing & Advertising, Risas y Sonrisas L.L.C., Meridan Solar, Inc., The Steam Team
Medium: Broaddus & Associates, Emmis Austin Radio, O’Connell Robertson
Large: Blizzard Entertainment, Clean Scapes, LP, Farmers Insurance Group, H.E.B.
Non-profit: Any Baby Can, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, College Forward, Skillpoint Alliance

Environment Award
Small: Energy Engineering Associates, Inc., EnviroMedia Social Marketing, Industrial Asphalt’s KBDJ Quarry, Pfluger Associates Architects, Texas Certified Development Company
Medium: BACKWOODS, C3 Presents, Entercom Austin, Intertech Flooring, Wyndham
Large: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., LCRA, Spansion, SEMATECH, Waste Management
Non-profit: Austin Habitat for Humanity, BOMA Austin, Foundation Communities, Keep Austin
Beautiful, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas

Bury+Partners Innovation Award
Small: Access 3 Computing, Flashback Data LLC, Guidelight Business Solutions, Ironbridge Technologies dba HeatGenie, ProspX, Inc.
Medium: Community Impact Newspaper, Genesis Today, Inc., LibreDigital, Inc., Volusion, Yellow Cab Austin
Large: Active Power, Bazaarvoice, PayPal, Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David’s Medical Center, Time Warner Cable
Non-profit: Austin Children’s Shelter, Junior Achievement of Central Texas, Lance Armstrong Foundation, PeopleFund, Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo

ABC Services Take On Traffic Award
Small: Armbrust &Brown, LLP, Dadnab, Klotz Associates, Inc., TradeMark Media
Medium: Broaddus & Associates, Simpler- Webb, Inc., Yellow Cab Austin
Large: AMD, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and GROW, Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Texas Gas Service
Non-profit: CAPCOG, Easter Seals Central Texas, Hill Country Conservancy, Home Builders Association

Sponsors for the 2009 9th Annual Greater Austin Business Awards include:
ABC-Home and Commercial Services, Austin Business Journal, Bury+Partners - Engineering Solutions, Cerqa, Creative Kong, Hilton Austin Hotel, Oxford Commercial, PSAV-Presentation Services, Texas Gas Services, Time Warner Cable, Truluck’s, Zodiac Productions