A longtime Yardi executive was honored Thursday night as part of the 22nd annual South Coast Business & Technology Awards. Started in 1995 by local business and industry leaders, the awards honor individuals and companies who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to ensuring the economic vitality of the South Coast of Santa Barbara County. Gordon Morrell, Yardi’s Executive Vice President and a Yardi employee since 1990, was named Executive of the Year by the selection committee. “I’m honored to receive this award, but it really is not for me,” Morrell said. “It is for the entire global team at Yardi. The reason for our success is the exceptional collaboration of everyone at the company, rather than the efforts of one individual.” Morrell oversees Yardi’s corporate and fiscal interests, including corporate acquisitions and day-to-day operations. He joined the company when it had just one Santa Barbara office and 25 employees. Today, there are 4,800 Yardi employees at 35 offices around the world. The South Coast Business & Technology Awards are sponsored by more than 80 local companies.  The proceeds raised benefit the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, and are awarded to business and technology students at Santa Barbara City College, UC Santa Barbara, and Westmont College. Other 2016 SCB&T honorees include: Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara, Excellence in Service; Sandra Hirsh, Isolite Systems, Entrepreneur of the Year; Lynda.com a LinkedIn Company, Company of the Year; and George Powell, Pioneer Award. Read more about Morrell, who plays a major role in Yardi’s charitable giving efforts,  in an interview with UCSB’s GradPost. Watch an entertaining clip of Morrell accepting the award – with his guitar – at the link below. Footage courtesy @SB Scholarship Foundation Twitter feed. Gordon Morrell of @Yardi jams his way through his acceptance speech...