Morningside College student Ryan Martinez was recognized as Student Entrepreneur of the Year recently at the Silicon Prairie Awards in Kansas City, Mo.

Morningside College student Ryan Martinez was recognized as Student Entrepreneur of the Year recently at the Silicon Prairie Awards in Kansas City, Mo.

He received the award from Silicon Prairie News, a company that highlights and supports entrepreneurs, creatives and investors in Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City and surrounding areas. There were 13 award winners chosen from hundreds of nominees and 56 finalists.

Martinez was recognized for his efforts to extend “Silicon Prairie” north to Sioux City. He also has worked with a team to launch Clockwork, a mobile app for the construction industry that automatically clocks employees in or out as soon as they enter or leave the work site. The team came together, developed the idea and gained corporate funding for Clockwork at a Startup Weekend in California that Martinez attended with Morningside’s Entrepreneurship Group.

Martinez is a graphic design major at Morningside. He is president of the college Entrepreneurship Group, and he serves as treasurer on Student Government. He is a 2011 graduate of West Sioux High School in Hawarden, Iowa.