HENDERSON, Nev.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Last night, at a lavish Las Vegas-style Gala held at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas resort, Henderson-based Data Empowerment Group – the global high-end records management software market leader – was honored by the City of Henderson’s Economic Development Division. The event, co-sponsored by the Henderson Development Association – a division of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce – was the Nevada city’s Ninth Annual Economic Development Awards program.

In one of the highlights of the event, Henderson’s Mayor and former gubernatorial candidate James B. Gibson helped present the prestigious “Celebrating Business & Development Excellence” award in the category of “Local Business Expansions” to Tom Utiger, CEO and founder of Henderson-based Data Empowerment Group.

Data Empowerment Group has created a series of tools – targeting initially the Fortune 2000 but also easily adaptable to smaller businesses – that are essential to effective records management. With recent changes in Federal Evidentiary Rules of Discovery – and fines for non-compliance that in one case exceeded $1 billion – the importance of creating and implementing effective records management that encompasses both traditional paper records and state-of-the-art email, voice mail and text message records has never been stronger.

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished at Data Empowerment Group since we located our offices in Henderson,” Tom Utiger said in accepting the award. “As a Las Vegas Valley native, I’d literally worked all over the world – but when I decided to open my own high-tech business, I chose to return home. The City of Henderson has been our solid foundation, providing us the kind of support a start-up small business needs. Our rapid growth is a tribute not only to the market we serve, but to the home-base we chose,” Utiger explained.

“We recognized Tom Utiger and Data Empowerment Group as one of Henderson’s most outstanding local business expansions,” explained Jeff Leake, Officer of Economic Development for the City of Henderson. “In these annual awards events, local companies are recognized for expanding their operations in physical size or for the number of new jobs created, and Data Empowerment Group was presented an award for their dramatic growth – remarkable for a start-up high-tech company.

“The Economic Development Awards Program recognizes companies that recently relocated or expanded to Henderson,” Leake explained. “We honor local companies that expanded their operations and workforce, as well as developers of speculative office or industrial buildings along with downtown redevelopment projects. The program is designed to showcase businesses and people – such as Tom Utiger and Data Empowerment Group – who have had a significant positive economic impact on Henderson over the past year.”

Attending the award presentation were over 500 business, real estate and development leaders, along with City of Henderson officials and members of both the Henderson Development Association and the Henderson Chamber of Commerce.

About Data Empowerment Group – Henderson, Nevada-based Data Empowerment Group – DEG (http://www.dataempowerment.com) – is a records and data management innovator and global provider of integrated enterprise content management (ECM) solutions. DEG specializes in filling functionality gaps in existing records management systems, as well as in solving records and data management challenges through its innovative content integration software and workshops. The Company’s programs work in collaboration with existing ECM platforms, enabling a fully integrated records and data management protocol that unifies client employee processes, increasing clients’ competitive edge by reducing operating costs and liability, and improving efficiency.

For more information about Data Empowerment Group, or to interview DEG’s CEO and Founder, Tom Utiger, contact Ned Barnett – 702-696-1200 or ned@barnettmarcom.com.