According to the Stevie Awards organizers, Halamba is the first person of Sri Lankan origin, who has won a Stevie Award.
Nicknamed the Stevies from the Greek word "crowned," the awards presented at a gala event on Friday, 23 October at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto, Canada. Michael Gallagher, President and Founder of the Stevie Awards presented Shan Halamba with the award. Close to 300 executives from more than 30 nations attended for the presentation of the 2015 Stevie Awards Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. It’s the world's only international, all-encompassing business awards program.
Stevie winners were selected from more than 3,700 nominations received from organizations and individuals in more than 60 nations. More than 200 executives worldwide participated in the judging process this year to determine the Stevie winners. Winners were picked against world’s largest and most prestigious companies.
Halamba’s entry received high accolades from the judges, such as “It is obvious that the USA can learn farming techniques from Sri Lanka in the face of a growing food crises. “great executive with leading vision, combining hearts and minds into the business endeavor”. “Outstanding Performance by a Young Entrepreneur” . “Shan is an industrious leader making a difference world-wide” and “An example of a great product that has been developed and driven by an individual that now spans over 30 countries.”
Ceyhinz Link International, Inc. is the distributor of RIOCOCO cultivation solutions for greenhouses, vertical and urban farms over 30 countries around the world. RIOCOCO is a 100% organic coir base growing substrate made in Sri Lanka. He was previously recognized with International Businessman of The Year award from the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce in Dallas, Texas Governor’s Award, Minority Business Leader Award by Dallas Business Journal, and the Exceptional Performance by a Young Professional award in the united States of America.
In the month of September 2015, RICOOCO was awarded by National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) of Sri Lanka with Gold award for Best Exporter and Gold Award for Best Value Added Exporter in Agriculture Sector.
