Ron Heinz named UVEF 2006 Utah Entrepreneur of the Year

Provo, Utah—Dec. 14, 2006—Ron Heinz, managing director of Canopy Ventures has been named as the Utah Entrepreneur of the Year by the Utah Valley Entrepreneur Forum (UVEF).

"It's an honor to be acknowledged by this group of business leaders. The Entrepreneur of the Year award is a testament to our entire team, our partners and our business associates," Heinz said. “I will take this award as a challenge to myself and our organization to continue striving for business excellence."

The Utah Entrepreneur of the Year is presented each December at the UVEF annual awards luncheon.

“Ron’s dedication to innovation and the Utah business community sets a shining example for us all," said Steve Grizzell, Chairman of UVEF. “As a serial entrepreneur, he has helped foster growth and excellence among new businesses. We are pleased to recognize his leadership to the business community with the 2006 Utah Entrepreneur of the Year award."

As Managing Director, Ron Heinz oversees corporate investments and strategic direction for Canopy Ventures. With more than two decades in the technology business, Mr. Heinz was the CEO of Helius, Inc. a Canopy portfolio company prior to assuming his current role. From 2000 to 2003, Ron was the CEO of Phobos Corporation, a Utah-based technology company that was acquired by SonicWALL of Sunnyvale, California (SNWL). Post-merger, he served as Chief Operating Officer and Sr. Vice President at SonicWALL.

Prior to Phobos, Mr. Heinz spent 12 years at Novell Inc., serving as a Corporate Officer and Sr. Vice President. Prior to Novell, Mr. Heinz was employed at Xerox. He received a Bachelor of Science in finance from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and an MBA in finance from American University. He has also participated in postgraduate work at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

About Canopy Ventures
Canopy Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm targeting information technology companies in the western United States. Its primary areas of focus include enterprise software, IP video technologies, networking and communications, security software, WI-FI broadcasting, IT hosting and software as a service. Its offices are in Lindon, Utah. More information may be found at http://www.canopy.com.