Editor’s note: This is the third of three features profiling winners of the 2024 Prometheus Awards and going behind the scenes of how the winners are selected. Read Part 1 and Part 2.
At the 2024 Prometheus Awards, the Technology Association of Iowa debuted seven new award categories, a move the industry association said was in response to marked evolutions in Iowa’s tech landscape.
“Iowa’s tech sector has evolved significantly in the past few years with advancements in AI, automation, cybersecurity and data analytics driving progress in our leading industries like agriculture, healthcare, and manufacturing,” Nick Donovan, TAI’s vice president of marketing and communications, said in an email. “These changes, along with a growing focus on talent and leadership development, inspired us to add new categories to reflect and celebrate the innovation that is shaping … Iowa’s tech ecosystem.”
Donovan said each category’s finalists are evaluated with a focus on key achievements, business impact and contributions from the organization or individual. Judges determine both the finalists and winners for each category and receive specific criteria, he said.
The new Next-Gen Tech Professional of the Year category was created to recognize an individual early in their tech career, with less than 10 years of experience, making significant contributions to their field and showing potential for future leadership.
Joshua Higginbottom, lead developer at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, received the award for 2024 and was recognized alongside finalists Addelyn Brewer, Athene; Abby Draisey, Principal Financial Group; Ben Fiedler, Benchmark Inc.; Tim Paulson, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield; Joshua Phillips, Pella Corp.; and Gabriel Stackhouse, GlobalVetLink.
Zach Pratt, a shareholder at Fredrikson & Byron and judge for the Next-Gen Tech Professional category, said the judges considered the nominees’ career history, educational qualifications and any key achievements they had over the past year, either in their work or in the community.
“For Josh, I thought it was important that he took a leadership role in a number of different areas,” Pratt wrote in an email. “Not only was he put in charge of a team that had been previously struggling business-wise, but he took on a mentorship role and advocated for his team to receive benefits that they may not have otherwise had. Finally, he took a major role in community service efforts, coaching a young robotics team through the World Championships.”
Below, Higgenbottom shares more about his job and his thoughts on the future of technology in Iowa. Comments have been lightly edited for clarity.
Can you share a little about what Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence does and what your role is?
Hexagon is a world leader in metrology technology for the manufacturing industry. We produce a suite of coordinate measuring machines and laser scanners vital to most manufacturing processes. To maintain our dominance in the metrology hardware space, Hexagon recognizes the need for equally robust software solutions to present the data we collect meaningfully. I lead a team at Hexagon that brings 3D visualization and interrogation of engineering data to the web, supporting data from Hexagon’s extensive range of CAD, simulation and metrology tools. In this way, we are breaking down barriers to collaboration across a product’s entire engineering lifecycle.
What interested you in a career in technology? Why do you do this work?
I chose a career in engineering so I could harness my aptitude for tinkering to create positive change in the world. Initially, this led me to Mechanical Engineering, but an internship developing engineering software opened my eyes to the vast untapped potential in this niche field. In this space, the right idea from a small team can significantly improve efficiency, reduce waste and enhance consumer safety for manufacturers worldwide.
How do you think Iowa’s technology community can support the upcoming generation of technology professionals?
Community is the force that keeps talent rooted. Outreach to young professionals which highlights all amazing opportunities across “Iowa Tech,” rather than focusing on any single organization, will be much more effective in retaining local talent. The Technology Association of Iowa is leading the way in building such a community through its Iowa Tech Connect program and several other highly successful community initiatives.
What skills do you think will define the next generation of technology professionals and leaders?
Language fluency is rapidly losing importance as AI tools proliferate, redefining what it means to work in tech. The winners in this new world will be those who are collaborative, teachable, think critically and care deeply. The stereotype of the antisocial programmer may soon become a thing of the past.