Technology Association of Georgia Announced Hal Lawton as Keynote Speaker for 2010 Excalibur Awards

Deadline for award nominations approaches

Atlanta, GA – The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state's technology industry, announced Hal Lawton, president of online for The Home Depot, served as keynote speaker at the sixth annual Excalibur Awards.

Held October 22, 2010, at 7:30 a.m. at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel, 2450 Galleria Parkway

Atlanta, GA 30339, the Excalibur Awards recognize Georgia’s technology-enabled companies that demonstrate exemplary competency in using technology to excel in their industry. The deadline for award applications is September 27, 2010, to nominate a company for the 2010 Excalibur Awards, visit http://www.tagonline.org/excnomination.php.

As president of online for The Home Depot, Lawton is responsible for integrating the company’s online sales channel with existing merchandising efforts as well as overseeing the expansion of The Home Depot’s online presence as a selling channel and information source for customers. Prior to his role at The Home Depot, Lawton was an associate principal at McKinsey & Co. and a process engineer at Champion International Corp.

 “While many may think of The Home Depot as a home improvement store, it is a true example of leveraging technology to excel,” said Tino Mantella, president of TAG. “To maintain its position as one of Georgia’s and the country’s largest companies, Hal is spearheading a site overhaul that extends the know-how and product selection of the store to online. With over 8 Million site visitors per week, homedepot.com has experienced a year-to-date visitor growth rate of over 20 percent.”

There is no fee to nominate a company for the 2010 Excalibur Awards. Companies can be nominated in one of five categories: small, mid-size, large, creative and educational. Last year’s winners included Unicoi Systems, Inc, Buckhead Church, InterContinental Hotels Group, Morris Brandon Elementary and TSYS.

For more information about TAG, visit www.tagonline.org.

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)

TAG is a leading technology industry association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state's technology industry. TAG provides leadership in driving initiatives in the areas of policy, capital, education and giving, and also brings the technology community together through events, initiative programs and networking opportunities. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 27 special interest groups, or societies, including Women in Technology (WIT). Additionally, TAG’s charitable arm, the TAG Education Collaborative, is focused on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG’s community website at www.TAGthink.com.