Groove Jones is proud to announce that CEO and Chief Creative Officer Dale Carman has been recognized with a 2026 Innovation Award in Marketing and Media, presented by D CEO and Dallas Innovates.
North Texas has never been more dynamic, and its leaders have never been more willing to take risks. The 2026 Innovation Awards honor 80 entrepreneurs, executives, and visionaries who demonstrate what happens when bold ideas meet strategic execution. This year’s honorees represent a cross-generational group of innovators shaping what’s next for the region’s business and creative landscape.
The honorees gathered on January 15 for a private celebration at On the Levee, hosted by D CEO and Dallas Innovates, recognizing a year defined by ambition, ingenuity, and forward momentum. The program also honored Ross Perot Jr. as the inaugural recipient of the Legacy of Innovation Award. Dale Carman was recognized for Innovation in Marketing and Media for his leadership at Groove Jones. As marketing and media evolve beyond traditional screens into fully immersive environments, Groove Jones is redefining how brands communicate, connect, and create meaning. Under Carman’s direction, the company builds immersive experiences that blend AI, spatial computing, and storytelling rather than traditional campaigns.
The Groove Jones team has delivered award-winning work on Apple Vision Pro and continues to pioneer spatial audio and immersive capture techniques, helping shape the future of experiential media. The studio works with global brands across healthcare, technology, and culture to create experiences that engage audiences in powerful and meaningful ways.
For the sixth consecutive year, D CEO Magazine has partnered with Dallas Innovates to present The Innovation Awards, honoring companies, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and technology leaders who are driving innovation across North Texas.
Groove Jones congratulates Dale Carman on this well-deserved recognition and celebrates his continued leadership and commitment to advancing the future of marketing and immersive media!
The Innovation Awards 2026 Finalists and Winners
Individual Awards
Legacy of Innovation Award
Ross Perot Jr., Hillwood and The Perot Group
CIO/CTO of the Year
Albert Karam, Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation – WINNER
Logan Fisher, JustPark
Chitra Herle, GM Financial
Michael Welch, Aligned Data Centers
Nicholas Whitney, MTX Group
Corporate Leader of the Year
Andrew Schaap, Aligned Data Centers – WINNER
Charlie Calise, Imaginuity
John Carona, Associa
Chakri Gottemukkala, o9 Solutions
Lindsey Tyra, Children’s Health
Emerging Leader of the Year
Suresh Narayanan, Jets MRO – WINNER
Devin Charhon, Blue Jeans Golf
Rayyan Islam, 8090 Ventures
Tejasvi Mano, Shield Seniors
Startup Leader of the Year
Mike Fey, Island – WINNER
Conor Butts, hōm neuro
Calvin Carter, Matic
Eric Fortenberry, JobTrend Software
Paxton Riter, iDesign
Company Awards
Startup of the Year
Texas Stock Exchange, led by James Lee – WINNER
Union, led by Will Somerindyke
Upsmith, led by Wyatt Smith
Corporate Innovator of the Year
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, led by Tim Cahill – WINNER
Applied Digital, led by Wes Cummins
Baylor Scott & White Health, led by Pete McCanna
Corgan, led by Scott Ruch
Heidelberg Materials North America, led by Chris Ward
Innovation in AI and Machine Learning
Topaz Labs, led by Eric Yang – WINNER
AT&T, led by John Stankey
Cognigy, led by Philipp Heltewig
Compass Datacenters, led by Chris Crosby
QualiZeal, led by Pardeep Govindasamy
Texas Instruments, led by Haviv Ilan
Innovation in Banking, Funding, and Fintech
Stablecore, led by Alex Trese – WINNER
HighLine, led by Geoff Brown
Pro-Forma, led by Wade Myers
Tapcheck, led by Ron Gaver
Vista Bank, led by John Steinmetz
Yendo, led by Jordan Miller
Innovation in Cybersecurity
Capital One Software, led by Ravi Raghu – WINNER
ByteTrail, led by Brenda Stoner
LevelBlue, led by Bob McCullen
SmishAlert, led by Neil Carew
Innovation in Education
University of North Texas Center for Information and Cyber Security, led by Ram Dantu – WINNER
Educate Texas, led by Kerry Briggs
The Gatehouse, led by Lisa Rose
Girl Scouts’ Dream Lab, led by Bonnie Barczykowski
The Hockaday School, led by Laura Leathers
Innovation in Food and Beverage
Shaken Beverage Co./Toucan Cocktails, led by John Dallager – WINNER
BRIX Holdings, led by Sherif Mityas
Dairy MAX, led by Jennie McDowell
Ruthie’s Fueled by Good, led by Ashlee Kleinert
Innovation in Healthcare and Biotech
Caris Life Sciences, led by David Dean Halbert – WINNER
Arete Health, led by Byron Sanders
Evry Health, led by Chris Gay
Integration Health, led by John Martin
Lantern Pharma, led by Panna Sharma
Verily, led by Stephen Gillett
Innovation in Manufacturing and Consumer Goods
MP Materials, led by James Litinsky – WINNER
Adom Industries, led by John Lauer
SecureFoundry, led by Lex Keen
Trotter, led by Victor Trotter
Innovation in Marketing and Media
Groove Jones, led by Dale Carman – WINNER
Dude Perfect, led by Andrew Yaffe
Glass-Media, led by Daniel Black
QuickAds, led by Nitin Mahajan
Innovation in Real Estate and Hospitality
AllianceTexas x SGS Studios, led by Mike Berry – WINNER
Billee.ai, led by John Hinckley
FlexEtc, led by Shawn Gault
Rogers O’Brien, led by Justin McAfee
Stonethrow, led by Nick Clark
Innovation in SaaS
ClaimDeck, led by Dwayne Hermes – WINNER
HighLevel, led by Shaun Clark
Lexipol, led by Bill Nunan
[x] cube LABS, led by Bharat Lingam
Innovation in Transportation
Torc Robotics, led by Peter Vaughan Schmidt – WINNER
Mozee, led by Shawn Taikratoke
MW Logistics, led by Mitchell Ward
Toyota Connected North America, led by James George
Link to D Magazine D CEO Announcement – https://www.dmagazine.com/business-economy/2026/01/winners-revealed-the-innovation-awards-2026/
