BETHESDA, MD -- The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) presented its Visionary Award to Ed Heon, chief executive officer of DATAgility, Inc., at the Aftermarket eForum in Chicago, held July 17-19. The award recognizes an individual who demonstrates vision and imagination in the application of technology for the betterment of the aftermarket industry. Selection is made annually by the members of the AAIA Technology Standards and Solutions Committee.

Heon was recognized for his role as the "father" of the Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) and for fostering a greater awareness and respect for the value of full, rich standards-based product information in business processes. Heon has also been an advocate for synchronization of product information as a platform for all business-to-business collaborations.

Prior to forming DATAgility with Denise Keating in 2005, Heon worked on the adoption of e-business data standards and practices with multiple industry groups besides the automotive aftermarket; including the Electrical Industry Data Warehouse, Electronic Commerce Council of Canada and the Department of Defense.

The Visionary Award was first presented in 2005 at the eForum to Mike Williams, vice president for advanced technologies, O'Reilly Auto Parts.

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