WEtech Alliance is proud to announce that its Director of Programs and Marketing– John-Marc Vachon – is a recipient of the inaugural Innovation Awards organized by the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA).
The Technology Council represents more than 50 technology associations across the United States and Canada that provide services and resources to over 22,000 tech-related companies.

Twenty-one finalists – including two from Canada – were announced across five categories this past June from cities such as Nashville, Moncton, Palm Beach and Phoenix. Five ultimate winners were selected at the TECNA summer conference in Madison, Wisconsin on July 25^th.

Vachon was recognized for his work in the field of Creative Marketing and Communications, and specifically his innovative use of social media.“John-Marc’s creativity is matched only by his passion for his craft and community,” says Yvonne Pilon, President and CEO of WEtech Alliance, who was on-hand to receive the award. “He embraces and embodies the collaborative behind-the-scenes mentality, and his colleagues at WEtech Alliance are the happy beneficiaries of his work.”

WEtech’s social media has close to 11,000 followers and over 2 million annual impressions.

Among his initiatives, Vachon leads the Social Media Superheroes and Social Media Sidekicks of professional peers that have achieved a significant online following and use their social media influence for good across Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent, while exchanging best practices. 

One of their many branding successes was the establishment of #YQG in 2015– the regional airport code – as the Official Regional Hashtag, serving to bind together the social media presence of eight regional communities.

Vachon also founded the Nerd Olympics, which is an annual competition that pits sixteen tech & innovation companies and organizations against each other in a series of Olympic style events that build camaraderie within and between companies, helping to build a closer tech community.

He leads the annual Social Media Day in Windsor-Essex and is behind the design and marketing of the popular annual Tech Awards that recognize leadership in the local tech scene across twelve categories such as Top Tech CEO, Best Tech Mentor, Best Tech Professional, Best Tech Teacher and others.

One of the highlights of the year was designing the Windsor-Essex booth and collateral for the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit that weaved together four regional organizations into a unique collaboration that advertised the very best of the region to thousands of visitors, innovators and investors.

“Having our efforts recognized internationally is validation not only for WEtech Alliance, but also for our region and the amazing Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent community partners that have embraced synch-storytelling and a regional mindset” says Vachon. “I’m truly humbled and honoured to accept this award.”