AIM North America – the industry association and authority on bar code, RFID, RTLS and mobile computing – has announced the recipients of the 2013 AIM North America Awards during a special ceremony at AIM’s 40th Anniversary Summit in Orlando, FL, USA last week. Each year, the AIM North America Awards honor individuals as well as organizations that not only promote the industry, but demonstrate significant contributions to enhanced and new technologies.

Dan Kimball – a Principal at SRA International, who serves as the Lead Technical Advisor, DoD Logistics Automatic Identification Technology Office, US Transportation Command – was selected as AIM North America Professional of the Year. He has been a significant contributor to AIM’s work in radio frequency identification (RFID) and barcode standards, and has served in numerous leadership roles with the association.  In addition, Kimball is a member of the US delegation to the NATO Asset Tracking Work Group and is the author of the NATO Standardization Agreements on RFID and Unique Item Identification. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the AIDC 100, which recognizes leadership and outstanding achievement in the AIDC industry. Established in 2007, the AIM North America Professional of the Year is presented annually to an individual in recognition of innovative and exceptional contributions to the development of the Automatic Identification and Mobility industry through their work as a contributor, collaborator, or mentor.

The AIM North America Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) Award, is sponsored by the AIM NA UID Supplier Alliance, and presented each year to an individual, committee, group, or organization from the government sector that has championed the successful use of AIT within the local, state, or national government. The inaugural award was given to United States Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).  Senator Whitehouse has been a fierce advocate for the use of AIT in government for many years, especially within the Department of Defense (DoD). In 2012, he hosted a roundtable discussion and technology expo on Capitol Hill which focused on how government investment in item unique identification (IUID) barcode technology saves money and helps protect the DoD supply chain.  This event proved successful in furthering government awareness of the advantages of IUID innovations.

BlueStar, Inc. was honored as the AIM North America Business of the Year. This award is presented annually to an organization in recognition of outstanding contributions and service that have furthered the growth of the AIDC industry. As a respected and responsible leader, this company’s achievements certainly deserve special recognition. BlueStar is the leading global distributor of a wide range of solutions-based technologies and works exclusively with value added resellers, providing them with complete solutions, business development and marketing support. Steve Cuntz, President of BlueStar and a member of the AIM Inc. Board of Directors, was on hand to accept the award