The Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County held its Post-Election Economic Outlook event last week, which featured a keynote presentation from Dr. Sean Snaith, as well as the presentation of two annual awards.

The 2020 Clyde Nixon Business Leadership Award was presented to Allen Carlson, regional director of the University of Florida Innovation Station in Sarasota. The award is given annually to an individual in Sarasota County who embodies the personal and business values demonstrated by late Sun Hydraulics chairman Clyde Nixon. Carlson is the former CEO of Sun Hydraulics.

The 2020 Ringling College Innovation by Design Award was presented to Gary Hoyt, CEO, and Dorian Vee, CTO, of Imerza. This award is given annually to an individual or company who has used creativity in design to successfully solve market problems. Imerza specializes in virtual reality, 3D visualization and interactive applications for urban design and real estate development.