zu CEO Takes Home Outstanding Volunteer Award

zu.com communications CEO Ryan Lejbak received the SIMA Outstanding Volunteer Award at the 3rd Annual SaskInteractive Summit in Saskatoon on February 27.

“This is a special award that we created to acknowledge the important role that Ryan has fulfilled in bringing our industry onto the national scene,” says Deborah Black, President of the Saskatchewan Interactive Media Association. “Without his work our industry would not have been in as strong a position to realize some of the gains we are now making in growing the provincial interactive companies.”

Lejbak is the first recipient of this award. Involved since 1998, Lejbak was president for two years and served on the board for about six years. He has since stepped down to give new people a chance to be involved in the organization.

“It’s such an honour to be recognized by your industry peers,” Lejbak says. “I was shocked and I’m grateful to everyone who helped SaskInteractive along the way. The thing I’m most proud about is taking Saskatchewan and putting it on the national interactive media stage.”

The zu CEO says Saskatchewan companies are being recognized as leaders in their field and across Canada, which was not the case 10 years ago. Throughout his long relationship with SaskInteractive, Lejbak has been involved in a wide array of activities including: writing white papers, organizing breakfast meetings, lobbying the government and working with the universities and campus colleges to gain jobs for Saskatchewan graduates.

Lejbak says that growing the membership is an important issue for SaskInteractive as well as finding out who is doing interactive media in Saskatchewan. Another hurdle is reaching people who aren’t aware of the organization.

“The biggest thing that I’ve learned is the power of partnering and getting your name out there,” Lejbak says.

About Saskatchewan Interactive
Saskatchewan Interactive Media Association Inc. is the professional organization representing interactive media developers in Saskatchewan. As that professional voice, SaskInteractive represents members involved in the development of content-based interactive digital media, as well as consumers and stakeholders. The Association acts on behalf of its members to represent their views to Government, Industry, the News Media, and to the general public.

View the Saskatchewan Interactive website.