This year’s 2022 Shoemaker Award, our highest honor, will go to Dr. Robert Kellar.
The 2021-22 Moonshot AZ Pioneer Pitch winners from around the state will present their ideas/products during the cocktail reception for the final round and a chance to win $10,000 thanks to our generous sponsor, APS. This year’s tour included stops in the Verde Valley, Flagstaff, Prescott, Winslow, Globe, Payson and Show Low. Other tour sponsors include Arizona Commerce Authority and Live Plan.
The Shoemaker Awards are named after Carolyn Shoemaker for her extraordinary moonshot thinking and phenomenal achievement in astrogeology. She and her husband, Gene, established the USGS Center for Astrogeology in Flagstaff. At one time, Carolyn Shoemaker held the record for the most comet discoveries (32), in addition to more than 800 asteroids and 377 numbered minor planets. A huge accomplishment by its own merit, but even more extraordinary given that she didn’t even start her career in astronomy until the age of 51.
This year’s 2022 Shoemaker Award, our highest honor, will go to Dr. Robert Kellar. He will be presented the award by previous winner, Dan Kasprzyk, founder of POBA Medical and Symple Surgical. There are many reasons to honor Dr. Robert Kellar as a founder, but it’s his serial entrepreneurship efforts – creating multiple companies that provide jobs and career paths for Northern Arizona University graduates – that are especially noteworthy.
Kenny Greene of War2In will receive the Honorary Shoemaker Award. This award is presented to a past graduate of the Moonshot at NACET campus who continues to make an impact in building the region’s economy.
In addition, Rich Bowen will be presented with the Mission Control Award. This honor speaks to his history of serving as a board member, stakeholder and community champion for our non-profit.
Both Katalyst Space Technologies and Grubcan will receive the Moonshot Entrepreneur Award. These awards are given to a company or companies that have gone through our program and are ones to keep an eye on for future growth.
A special thanks to this year’s table sponsors: Arizona Commerce Authority, AWD Law, City of Winslow, Deckers Outdoor, DES, Elevated Manufacturing, Jennifer Nordstrom, CPA, Kinney Construction Services/Genterra, Lowell Observatory, Northern Arizona University, Poba Medical, Regional Economic Development Center (REDC), Rim Country Chamber of Commerce, Sunwest Bank, The Sonoran Founders Fund, Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization, W. L. Gore & Associates, War2In, Yavapai College and SBDC. FBN
By Scott Hathcock
Scott Hathcock serves as the president and CEO of Moonshot (www.moonshotaz.com), a 21-year-old 501(c)3 non-profit. The mission of Moonshot is to assist both entrepreneurs in building and scaling start-ups as well as developing entrepreneurial ecosystems for economic development purposes across Arizona.
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