LifeLock was founded in 2005, and when I started in 2007 we were still relatively small. There were around 30 employees, the office was tiny, and there was a rotating office cleaning schedule that everyone participated in. LifeLock has grown since then, and is a more mature company, but what happened at the 10th Annual American Business Awards in New York City this June was still a very surreal moment.

The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program, and LifeLock was up for several awards across a wide variety of categories. The awards were held in the Broadway Ballroom at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, in the heart of Times Square. Over 500 business executives from across the country were in attendance, and companies as diverse as Apple, The Coca-Cola Company, and NASCAR were up for awards.

As the ceremony got to the Company of the Year categories, I must admit that nerves had started to set in. The host for the evening, Cheryl Casone of Fox Business Network read out the top company in each industry category. The Company of the Year in the Automotive & Transport Equipment industry was Ford Motor Company which celebrated their 109th Year in business this year, for reference LifeLock is in year seven. The Company of the Year in the Insurance industry was Metlife which was founded in 1868 and has Snoopy as a brand ambassador.

Now, our category was up and Cheryl Casone again took the mic, “The 2012 Gold Stevie Award for Company of the Year in the Diversified Services industry goes to, you know this one, LifeLock of Tempe, Arizona!” My very first thought was, “Wait, people know LifeLock?” Then it was all out jubilation.