“The evening was a beautiful celebration of what makes Moonshot and Flagstaff’s entrepreneurial ecosystem so special,” said Moonshot President and CEO Scott Hathcock.
A fusion of innovation and elegance set the stage for the 4th Annual Moonshot Shoemaker Awards, Thursday, Sept. 18, in space that transformed into a ballroom at Lowell Observatory’s new Astronomical Discovery Center and opened to the ponderosa pine forest.
Key honorees included Paul Sciame, recipient of the 2025 Mission Control Award; Katalyst Space Technologies, the 2025 Shoemaker Award winner; Mountain Mojo Group, the 2024 Shoemaker Award winner; and Dr. Megan Engbring, recipient of the 2025 Campus Community Builder Award.
“The evening was a beautiful celebration of what makes Moonshot and Flagstaff’s entrepreneurial ecosystem so special,” said Moonshot President and CEO Scott Hathcock. “From Paul Sciame’s tireless dedication to our mission as entrepreneur in residence, to Mountain Mojo Group and Katalyst Space Technologies showing what’s possible when innovation meets determination, to Dr. Megan Engbring exemplifying the collaborative spirit that makes our campus thrive – these honorees represent the best of what we do.”
Paul Sciame’s career has included key positions such as general manager at Tweddle Group Technologies, where he grew the team and delivered several award-winning automotive technology products, including Toyota Entune and Enform. His strategic vision also led to the acquisition of Tweddle by Nuance Communications. In addition, Sciame is a founding member of Canyon Angels, an angel investment group affiliated with Grand Canyon University in Phoenix,
“It’s a humbling experience,” said an emotional Sciame, upon receiving the recognition. “I’m blessed to have the luxury of time to mentor entrepreneurs. My whole mission is to pour back into people the best that I can. If we focus on being others-centric and help them grow by leading, modeling and mentoring with information and our own experience, that’s what we’re on the planet to do.”
Katalyst Space Technologies and Mountain Mojo attended the event in force, as they each accepted the Shoemaker Award. Katalyst develops in-space servicing capabilities to upgrade satellites post-launch, allowing operators to enhance them with new features and maintain competitive advantages. Mountain Mojo is a full-service marketing and creative agency that provides strategies and services to help businesses grow.
‘We’ve come a long way,” said Mountain Mojo CEO Rand Jenkins. “When Austin [Leggett] and I first started Mojo, we didn’t have any capital, struggled to make payroll and spent years trying to gain enough traction to stay in business. And now, 10 years later, our team has full health care, a 401K, 20 days of paid time off, a 36-hour work week and three moms who were able to take maternity leave last year. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better outcome than that.”
Dr. Megan Engbring, DNP, FNP-C, of Flagstaff Optimal Health and Weight Management received Moonshot’s first Community Builder Award. On the Flagstaff campus, she has offered entrepreneur and employee health initiatives such as free InBody body composition testing, goal setting and stress reduction techniques using the portable light and sound technology of a BrainTap headset.
“This honor was incredibly meaningful to me,” said Dr. Engbring. “For years, I have been focused on creating a healthy community for my patients to thrive, with the knowledge that even during this time where we connect with people all over the world through technology, the CDC reports that one in three Americans reports feeling lonely and one in four reports not having social or emotional support. Loneliness and isolation are linked to increased risk of many of the diseases that I’ve dedicated my career to prevent, treat and reverse including heart disease, diabetes and dementia.”
Dr. Engbring plans to offer the Moonshot Flagstaff campus stress tests and stress reduction techniques.
“The evening was about recognizing achievement, but more importantly, it’s about honoring the community we’re building together – one that’s launching Flagstaff’s next generation of world-changing companies,” said Hathcock.
The Shoemaker Awards also featured live music and dinner and was presented by Moonshot supporter Desert Financial Credit Union. FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Photo courtesy of Morgan Boatman: Moonshot CEO Scott Hathcock welcomes Moonshot entrepreneur in residence Paul Sciame to the stage to receive the 2025 Mission Control Award.