Allegiant Stadium hosts 2026 Top Tech Awards for regional industry leaders

Sixteen years ago, the Top Tech Awards began as an annual recognition of Southern Nevada’s technology sector. The 2026 ceremony, held on Oct. 20 at Coors Light Landing inside Allegiant Stadium, marked the 16th edition of that tradition. The event gathered nominees, honorees, sponsors, and judges to celebrate individuals who have advanced the local technology economy.

The ceremony was hosted by KTNV news anchor Justin Hinton. Vegas Inc and Spectrum Business organized the event, which featured a special publication distributed to attendees. The honorees represented a wide range of industries, including education, government, healthcare, hospitality, and cybersecurity.

Steve Westerman of Spectrum Business noted the importance of the people behind the technology. “Spectrum Business is pleased to support the Top Tech Awards and recognize the remarkable achievements of this year’s nominees and award recipients,” Westerman said. “Their accomplishments remind us that innovation is powered not only by technology, but by the people who bring bold ideas to life.”

Morris Jackson, CEO and Owner of Valhallan Esports Training, received the Top Tech of the Year Award. Mike Del Prado, CEO and Owner of Executive Option, earned the Community Exemplary Award. Oumar Willane, Chief Technology Officer at CineMetrics, LLC, received the Spectrum Innovation Award.

Sector-specific awards went to several other local leaders. Luke Campbell, CTO of Intellatek, represented the education sector. Jeramie Brown, CIO of the Nevada Department of Transportation, represented government. Rafael Kartaszynski, CEO and Owner of Diagnomatic LLC, represented health care and biotechnology. Dan Ciccarelli, CIO of IGT, represented hospitality, entertainment, and tourism.

Ryan Wilson, Director of Operations at the Blind Center of Nevada, received the Nonprofit Business award. Carissa Simao, IT and Project Management Coordinator at Storyville RD, LLC, was honored in the Private Small-Midsized Business category. Joshua Staples, Director of Information Technology at Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging, received the Private Large Business award. Rob Kay, Manager of Enterprise Security Technology at Netflix, was the Public Company honoree.

Vito Rocco, Chief Information Security Officer at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, received the Cybersecurity award. Bryan O’Reilly, CEO and Co-Founder of Evenplay, was recognized as the Startup Company honoree. Spectrum Business served as the presenting sponsor, with additional support from RapidScale, Verkada, AITP, Career Downloads, Henderson Chamber, SIM, and Tech Impact.