Awards and Certifications From August 2

AT&T Innovator of the Year Named: Rochester Hills-based Plymouth Technology Inc. said that its CEO, Amanda Christides, has been recognized by AT&T, and Women Impacting Public Policy, as an Innovator of the year for the Detroit Area. The award went to Christides for her ability to leverage technology for innovation and success in business. WIPP and AT&T have recognized Christides for the development, patent, and commercialization of her father's concept for Plymouth's Metals Removal System, a system that has successfully revolutionized the process of industrial waste water treatment. Plymouth Technology provides innovative and environmentally responsible solutions for industrial waste water treatment. The MRS allows manufacturers to reuse water, in some case over 90 percent. The technology decreases thousands of pounds of waste, which reduces the amount hauled to a landfill, reduces chemical usage, and brings manufacturers in compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. Christides will now be in the running to receive the National AT&T Innovator of the Year Award at the Women Impacting Public Policy Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., Sept. 27-29. Plymouth Technology provides  industrial water and wastewater treatment chemicals, equipment and consulting services. More at y specializes in delivering customized solutions with on-site service for water, energy and waste minimization, water reuse and environmental compliance. Introduced in 2004, Metals Removal Systems™ are in use throughout the United States enabling industrial manufacturers to reuse process wastewater and reduce operating costs. Plymouth Technology is a nationally certified Women's Business Enterprise. For more information, visit www.plymouthtechnology.com.

PTD Staffer Gets Microsoft Designation: PTD Technology is proud to announce that John Hazen, Help Desk Analyst, has received the certification, Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist–Dynamics.  Hazen, who has been with PTD Technology for 14 years, will now be able to install and support the new Retail Management System (RMS) Point of Sale (POS) 2009 for clients. In his position last year, Hazen assisted clients by answering more than 4,700 calls to the PTD Technology Help Desk. Hazen provides support for a multitude of software and clientele, including students who have taken computer training with the company, Tech-In-Time clients seeking troubleshooting assistance, and clients from various projects the company handles throughout the state of Michigan. Established in 1978, PTD Technology is one of the Midwest's top technology providers. PTD offers Information Technology solutions to businesses, educational institutions, government entities, and non-profits throughout the U.S.  

Henry Ford, Macomb, Wayne County CC named to scholarship list: Dearborn's Henry Ford Community College, Macomb Community College and Wayne County Community College were named to the list of 13 national Scholarship American Dreamkeepers program schools for the fall of 2010. The program, run by the Kresge Foundation and Wal-mart, offers colleges serving economically challenged students extra help. The selected schools enroll large numbers of historically underserved, low-income or first-generation college students. Dreamkeepers focuses on these students because unexpected financial setbacks are one of the top reasons they drop out of school. Community and open-enrollment colleges historically average a 55 percent re-enrollment/graduation rate. Eighty four percent of students who received Dreamkeepers assistance in 2008 either re-enrolled in school the following semester or graduated. In response to these results, the Kresge Foundation and the Walmart Foundation joined Lumina Foundation for Education and provided additional funds to expand the Dreamkeepers program into 13 additional schools. Scholarship America will provide onsite support and training to help each of the new colleges establish the program and raise funds to ensure its long-term success. Scholarship America will also provide an online application tool and online financial literacy tool. Since 2004, Scholarship America has distributed nearly $1.1 million in student grants through the Dreamkeepers program. To date, the average student grant of $523 has been used for purposes like housing, utilities, meals, childcare, transportation or car repairs. Now in 31 schools across the country, Scholarship America plans to continue raising funds so additional community and open-enrollment colleges can offer the Dreamkeepers program as part of their overall efforts to improve graduation rates. More at www.scholarshipamerica.org and at www.dreamkeepers.org.

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