For the seventh time, top performances by Austrian companies in the U.S. were celebrated at the USA BIZ Awards – the so-called “Economy Oscar” – hosted by Advantage Austria. Representatives of the winning businesses had gladly traveled to L.A. to receive the award in person. The trophy, which was presented by Walter Koren, director general of Advantage Austria, and Rudolf Thaler, president of Advantage Austria Los Angeles, is made of the finest Augarten china from Austria and beautifully shaped like the wing of an eagle. The awards ceremony took place parallel to the Academy’s Oscar Gala at the Hollywood Dolby Theater at the residence of Austrian Consul General Ulrike Ritzinger.
Among the winners were Carinthian startup winner Emanuel Pirker of Stratodesk from San Francisco and Johannes Riegl Jr. from Orlando, Florida. Riegl was proud to win the USA BIZ Award in the category of Trendsetters for his dual channel airborne laser scanner systems. Carl Hoffmann took the award in the field of Innovation for the Burgenland ETM Professional Control. Frequentis sent Dieter Eier to accept the award for the category of Market Penetration. The USA BIZ Award winner of the previous year, Skidata, was represented by Perner Stefan and Johannes Dietmann.
Well-known TV journalist Hannelore Veith (ORF) served as the master of ceremonies for the evening and introduced all nominated enterprises to the more than 100 guests that included actors, producers and representatives of the “Oscar” nominated companies. Guests enjoyed Austrian Trumer beer and drinks provided by Austrian BIZ Award winner RedBull. The Carinthian cook icon Wolfgang Puck sent his greetings in form of a culinary delight: the coveted chocolate Oscars with gold dust, exactly as they were served at the Governor’s Ball after the Oscars to Hollywood stars on the same night.
“From today onwards, the radar for outstanding achievements of the Austrian economy on the U.S. market is reactivated,” Walter Koren said. “What counts for registering before the deadline of December 5, 2017, is a concise and catchy email pitch. We are searching for memorable stories. Innovation, achievements and market footprint.”