Local companies Embrex, Motricity and SciQuest, as well as business leaders including Donald A. Holzworth of the Constella Group, were among the winners of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development annual awards last week.

The CED, which fosters entrepreneurs and new business in the state, held its Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards at the American Tobacco campus in Durham on Tuesday night.

The winners "exemplify the true essence of entrepreneurship, which supports the economy of our state," the CED's president, Monica Doss, said in a statement.

Here are the CED's 2007 winners:

* Entrepreneurial Excellence: Donald A. Holzworth, Constella Group

* Community Impact: Dr. Dennis Gillings and Joan Gillings, Quintiles Transnational.

* Outstanding Service to Entrepreneurs: Merrill Mason; Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan

* Deal of the Year (public company): Embrex

* Deal of the Year (private company): Motricity

* Growth Company of the Year: SciQuest

* Technology of the Year: Aldagen

* Spin-Out of the Year: Semprius

* FastTrac Tech Company of the Year: PrepChamps

* Charles Hamner Leadership Award: U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, former state Sen. Gerry Hancock and former Lt. Gov. Bob Jordan (previously awarded at CED's Biotech 2007 conference on May 14)

Awards and recognition

Louise D. Paul, senior meeting manager at Cisco Systems, has been named Cisco Systems Planner of the Year. Also, she received her Certification in Meeting Management.

Wally Adamchik, president of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting in Raleigh, has been selected as a non-resident Fellow for Marine Corps University for the 2007-2008 academic year. Fellows work with the Lejeune Leadership Institute to advance the study and practice of leadership excellence throughout the Marine Corps.

Zagat, which publishes restaurant guides, ranked Panera Bread No. 1 in the 2007 Fast-Food Chain Survey. Panera ranked at the top in four categories: overall, food, facilities and popularity. The chain was No. 2 in service.

Jennings, a Chapel Hill branding and advertising agency, won two national awards for radio spots created for UNC Health Care and Rex Healthcare in the 24th Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards sponsored by Healthcare Marketing Report magazine.

Stop Studios, a creative services firm in Durham, received the American Institute of Graphic Arts Boom Award for the design of The Sarah P. Duke Gardens annual report.

Lynda Crain, a Raleigh resident who works with Princess House, earned a five-day trip to Newport, R.I., to celebrate her promotion to senior division organizer. Princess House in-home parties offers products for cooking, entertaining and decorating.

Linda Ekeland, director of sales for the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, won the 2007/08 Legacy Award which recognizes a member who exemplifies excellence and enduring service to the Carolinas chapter.

J. Fourie & Co. an insurance company in Cary, received the 2007 Pinnacle Award for Small Business in the one- to five- employee category, presented by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.

Blue Ribbon Residential Connection received the 2007 Guildmaster Award presented by GuildQuality Inc. The award recognizes building professionals who have achieved exceptional customer service.

Computer Service Partners systems engineer Andy Stoy achieved the IBM Internet Security Systems Managed Security Specialist Certification.

Pamela Price, vice president in the Raleigh office of Carpenter, Cammack & Associates, received the N.C. Association of Staffing Professionals Vendor of the Year Award for 2007 at the NCASP Spring Conference at Sea Trail Golf Resort in Sunset Beach.

Heather Romaine and Erica Turner, agents at McCar Homes in Raleigh, were promoted to STAR status. STARs, who mentor agents in training, are chosen for their outstanding sales work.

Charles T. Ballard, president of Expense Containment Systems in Raleigh, was recognized as an APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional, through a program offered by the Association for Operations Management.

Philip J. Kirk Jr., vice president of external relations at Catawba College, was named the seventh recipient of the Jay Robinson Leadership Award by the Public School Forum of North Carolina. Finalists for this year's award were Terry Holliday, superintendent of Iredell-Statesville Schools, and Anthony Parker, superintendent of Johnston County Schools.

Jarrod Arrington, who works at the Leesville Road McDonald's in Raleigh, was named a McDonald's Employee Ambassador. He was selected from hundreds of nominees from North and South Carolina restaurants for the 2007 Employee Ambassador program. Ambassadors are chosen based on their outstanding qualities and dedication to customers and co-workers.

Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau won three Destination Marketing Achievement awards at the Eighth Annual N.C. Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus Banquet in Winston-Salem. The Bureau won a Platinum plaque for Best Trade Ad, a Gold Award for Best Destination Marketing Initiative and an Innovation Award for Community Partnerships.