News — Recognition
AIS has been named the 2026 recipient of the Earl A. Pace, Jr. Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence in Technology, presented by BDPA at its National Conference in Indianapolis.
The award is named for Earl A. Pace, Jr., who co-founded BDPA in Philadelphia in 1975 and led its formation into a national organization, serving as its first national president. It recognizes entrepreneurial excellence in technology. AIS Chief Executive Officer Lamont Hatcher accepted the award on behalf of the company.
About the conference
The 2026 BDPA National Conference ran July 15 to 18 at the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis under the theme Innovation in Motion — Keeping PACE with Emerging Trends, bringing together technologists, students and employers around artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, workforce development and where the industry is heading next. Local Indiana students and professionals were able to attend at no cost, and scholarships were made available to others who needed them.
AIS was a sponsor of the conference, and Lamont Hatcher joined a panel on the challenges and opportunities of entrepreneurship.
Why this one matters to us
The conference came to our home city, and the connection to AIS is not a new one. Christopher Gunn, our Vice President of Enterprise Relationships, is a past multi-term president of the BDPA Indianapolis chapter. The work BDPA does is the same work that has shaped how AIS builds its own team.
“The talent is already here. What has been missing is the door, and the person on the other side of it willing to open it. BDPA has been doing that work in this city for years, long before it was something companies put in a press release. Sitting on that entrepreneurship panel, the honest part was talking about what it actually costs to start something. To then have the award carry Earl Pace’s name on it means a great deal, and it belongs to the whole team, not to me.”
Lamont Hatcher, Chief Executive Officer, AIS
AIS is headquartered in Indianapolis and has been recognized as a minority business enterprise by the National Minority Supplier Development Council and the City of Indianapolis.