Michael P. Drzal, a shareholder based in the national law firm LeClairRyan’s Blacksburg and Roanoke offices, has been named a recipient of the 2013 Ruby Award presented by the Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council (RBTC). The award was presented at the Council’s annual TechNite Awards Banquet held in May at the Hotel Roanoke.
According to the RBTC website, from time to time, there are achievements that are not easily classified into an award category. To recognize those outstanding achievements within the community, RBTC created the Ruby Award. The award honors those that serve as a model for others to emulate and, like the rare gem that shares its name, are considered to be a valuable asset to the Roanoke-Blacksburg region. Previous recipients of the award include Ed and Catherine Walker (2012) and Mary Miller (2011).
“We congratulate Mike for receiving the Ruby Award because of his leadership with the Roanoke-Blacksburg Innovation Blueprint,” said Derick Maggard, Executive Director of RBTC. “Mike’s enthusiasm for this project has been contagious and has rallied the region behind this common goal of developing our innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Mike is an exemplary leader and his work in this joint effort is taking our region to the next level.”
Drzal chairs LeClairRyan’s Venture Capital practice and works extensively with start-ups and emerging companies at the investment level – coaching clients seeking capital and funding sources. He customarily serves as outside general counsel to emerging companies, leading debt and equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures, management buyouts, and intellectual property licensing transactions. He is a member of the boards of the RBTC, VA Bio and LEAD Virginia.
“RBTC showed exceptional foresight in support of the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Innovation Blueprint, a private-sector led initiative to create a roadmap for aligning the region’s resources to foster an entrepreneurial climate and to accelerate the growth of companies and the creation of jobs,” said Drzal. “I am honored to co-chair the Blueprint Steering Committee and to have been selected to receive the Ruby Award, but the credit goes to the more than 60 volunteers who have devoted thousands of hours to designing and implementing the Blueprint’s key strategies.”
The RBTC is a non-profit, member-driven association of businesses and organizations in the greater Roanoke-Blacksburg region, working together to promote the growth and success of the region’s technology sector. Their membership includes more than 200 organizations from the smallest, emerging technology firms to some of the largest employers in the region.
