James Lee Sorenson, Sorenson Development

Best Fund (2004)

Winner: The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis 
Received by: Marc Buoniconti, Founder, The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis

James Lee Sorenson
Vice-Chairman, Sorenson Development
CEO, Sorenson Media

James Lee Sorenson is a nationally recognized business leader and entrepreneur. His early successes include founding Seagull Laboratories and establishing DataChem Laboratories. DataChem helped pioneer today's multi-billion dollar environmental analytic chemistry industry, and is now one of the nation’s largest environmental testing laboratories.

Sorenson is a nationally recognized advocate for America's 28 million deaf and hard-of-hearing people. As CEO of Sorenson Media, he developed the videophone appliance and Sorenson Video Relay Service, which allow deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to instantly communicate by telephone with any hearing person while using American Sign Language, their native language. Sorenson Media has donated over $5 million in videophones and videophone booth equipment and recently pledged $250,000 to the 2007 Deaflympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

As CEO of Sorensen Medical, Sorenson develops innovative healthcare products, recently bringing to market an ambulatory medication "pain pump," which allows a patient to manage pain treatment at home without expert assistance. Under Sorenson's leadership, Sorenson Real Estate develops innovative, high-quality commercial, retail, and residential projects, most of which are located on Utah's populous Wasatch Front.

In 2003, the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business presented Sorenson with its Entrepreneurial Achievement Award. Digital Media magazine recognized him as one of the 100 most influential people in digital media for 2004.