Award winners will be announced at a special gala, with over 7o0 entrepreneurs and business leaders, on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The 2013 finalist are:

• Janice Bryant Howroyd, CEO, The Act 1 Group – Torrance, CA

• Dinesh Ravishanker, CEO & Co-Founder, CallFire – Santa Monica, CA

• Mel Elias, President & CEO, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf – Los Angeles, CA

• Clarence Daniels Jr., Chairman & CEO, Concession Management Services – Los Angeles, CA

•   Sam Naficy, President & CEO, DTT – Los Angeles, CA

•   Jeff Stibel, Chairman & CEO, Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. – Malibu, CA

•   Martha de la Torre and Joe Badame, Co-Founders, El Clasificado – Norwalk, CA

•   Jamey Edwards, CEO, Emergent Medical Associates – Manhattan Beach, CA

•   The An Family, Founders, House of An (Crustacean, An Qi, Tiato, Thanh Long, and An Catering) – Beverly Hills, CA

•   Ed Bagdasarian, President, Jim Freedman, Chairman, Mike Rosenberg, CEO, Intrepid Investment Bankers LLC – Los Angeles, CA

•   Bob Sinnott, CEO, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. – Los Angeles, CA

•   Moctesuma Esparza, CEO, Maya Cinemas North America, Inc – Los Angeles, CA

•   Demian Sellfors, CEO and Co-Founder, Media Temple – Culver City, CA

•   Rick Stollmeyer, CEO, MINDBODY Inc. – San Luis Obispo, CA

•   Tim Cadogan, CEO, OpenX – Pasadena, CA

•   Loren Bendele, President & Co-Founder, Savings.com – Los Angeles, CA

•   Walter Driver, CEO, Scopely – Los Angeles, CA

•   Jessica Firestone, President & CEO, Tempest Telecom Solutions LLC – Santa Barbara, CA

•   Jeff Green, CEO & Founder, The Trade Desk – Ventura, CA

Award winners will be announced at a special awards gala on Thursday, June 13, at The Hyatt Regency Aventine in La Jolla, Calif. The 2013 finalists are:

• Adconion Direct, San Diego – Kim Reed Perell, CEO

• Behind the Scenes Catering & Events, San Diego – John Crisafulli, President

• Cadence Pharmaceuticals, San Diego – Theodore Schroeder, President & CEO

• ecoATM, San Diego – Tom Tullie, CEO & Chairman of the Board

• Elite, San Diego – John Kontopuls, President & CEO

• Genomatica, San Diego – Christophe Schilling, CEO & Co-Founder

• Halozyme Therapeutics, San Diego – Gregory Frost, President & CEO

• Independa, Inc., La Jolla – Kian Saneii, CEO

• LifeProof, San Diego – Gary Rayner, CEO

• MedVantx, San Diego – Robert Feeney, CEO & Founder

• Peregrine Semiconductor Corp., San Diego – James Cable, CEO

• Santarus, Inc., San Diego – Gerald Proehl, President & CEO

• Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, San Diego – Jeff Martin, President & CEO

• SkinMedica, Carlsbad – Mary Fisher, CEO

• Sullivan Solar Power, San Diego – Daniel Sullivan, President

• The Wheat Group Inc., San Diego – Kelly Grismer, President and Chad Grismer, CEO

Ernst & Young LLP today announced the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 Award in the Pacific Northwest. The awards program recognizes high-growth entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.

The finalists are:

·         Brandon Dawson, Audigy Group, LLC, Vancouver, Washington

·         Craig Bramscher, Brammo, Inc., Ashland, Oregon

·         Jim Weber, Brooks Sports, Inc., Bothell, Washington

·         Gary Fish, Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon

·         Chris Barrow, EagleView Technologies, Bothell, Washington

·         Steve Larson, Eid Passport, Hillsboro, Oregon

·         Sam Blackman, Elemental Technologies, Portland, Oregon

·         Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia, Inc., Bellevue, Washington

·         Mark Mason, HomeStreet, Inc., Seattle, Washington

·         Greg Pierson, iovation, Portland, Oregon

·         Tom Alberg, Paul Goodrich, Gerald Grinstein, William Ruckelshaus, Madrona Venture Group, Seattle, Washington

·         Kyle Stavig, Myers Container, Portland, Oregon

·         Beau Fessenden, Natural Molecular Testing Corp., Renton, Washington

·         Greg Seibly, Sterling Bank, Spokane, Washington

·         Kurt Dammeier, Sugar Mountain, Seattle, Washington

·         Kevin Klock, TalkingRain, Preston, Washington

·         Darryl Rawlings, Trupanion, Seattle, Washington

·         Spencer Rascoff, Zillow, Inc., Seattle, Washington

The finalists were selected by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be revealed at a gala event on June 7, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, Wash.

Collectively, these finalists grew their company’s employment by 39% and their revenues by 44% between 2010 and 2012. Now in its 27th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Program has expanded globally to recognize company builders in over 140 cities and in more than 50 countries throughout the world.

Regional award winners go on to compete at the national level. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 16, 2013. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum^®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Awards are given to entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Self-nominations are encouraged, and there is no fee.

Mark Sogomian of Ernst & Young LLP said the combination of big investments made in 2010 and 2011 and a slow market for mergers and acquisitions have lead to a decline in investments last year.

The San Diego Union Tribune reported that venture capital funding also went up in San Diego, surpassing $1 billion for the first time since 2008. A Dow Jones and Ernst & Young report showed that medical device and biotech firms alone raised $669 million last year, as opposed to $ 516 million in 2011.

With a 69% increase over the state’s total venture funding in 2011, Washington companies attracted $931.5 million in 2012.

“We had a pretty solid year, given all the uncertainties and the ups and downs in the economy,” Greg Beams of Ernst & Young told the Seattle Times. Software, IT services and biotech were cited as the strong sectors in Washington, whereas pullbacks in seed and cleantech investments were noted.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Patrick Niemann, Ernst & Young Greater Los Angeles Office Managing Partner, at LA City Hall in Thomas Bradley Tower.

Today Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Deputy Mayor for Economic and Business Policy Matt Karatz joined Ernst & Young LLP Partners Patrick Niemann, April Spencer and Brian Ring to kick off the search for business innovators to compete in the 27th Annual Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award program for Greater Los Angeles. The Mayor welcomed distinguished past award recipients, sponsors, judges and other business leaders in the Bradley Tower at City Hall.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Program celebrates game-changing leaders around the world who founded, strengthened or transformed successful enterprises. The regional award recognizes entrepreneurs who stimulate the economy by creating high-growth businesses and jobs in Greater Los Angeles. In 2012, Greater Los Angeles area finalists had an average 1,985 employees, net sales of $196M, net equity of $98M and 19% growth.

“I’m proud to stand with Ernst & Young in its support of local entrepreneurs and its recognition of their important role in the Los Angeles economy,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “Ernst & Young’s program shines a deserving spotlight on our city’s job creators and revenue generators who drive the innovations that set Los Angeles apart.”

Each year, Ernst & Young showcases successful entrepreneurs from more than 140 cities in 50 countries. It receives more than 100 nominations from companies in Greater Los Angeles alone. Past Los Angeles winners include: Tim Leiweke (AEG), Earvin Magic Johnson, Jr. (Magic Johnson Enterprises), Don Chang (Forever 21), Robert Friedman (Summit Entertainment LLC), Mark Hughes (Herbalife International) and, most recently, David Overton (Cheesecake Factory).

The regional award winners in Los Angeles will be announced on June 18, 2013, followed by a national gala in Palm Springs in November. To qualify, entrepreneurs must be the founder or an executive who organizes, manages and assumes the risk of a business early in its life cycle or during its growth. The deadline for 2013 nominations is March 8.

“The search is on for new award winners to build on the momentum from our 27-year history celebrating entrepreneurship,” said April Spencer, Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director for Ernst & Young LLP in the Greater Los Angeles Area. “The 2012 award will help raise the profile and reach of business leaders whose passion and drive propel our economy forward.”

The Los Angeles native turned his passion for technology into his own startup company, TechWorld. His company specializes in repairing and customizing iPhones and plans to expand into iPads and all types of electronic devices. The main differentiator from his competitors within the market space is that he can fix an iPhone for $80 in under 45 minutes.

“Fifty one percent revenue growth among companies these nominees founded or lead really speaks to their willingness to innovate, which is driving the economy in the West. These entrepreneurs are creating new industries – from social networking to cleantech to gene sequencing – and changing the fabric of existing industries. This is further proof that entrepreneurs are critical to job recovery, especially in the West,” said Joe Muscat, partner and West Strategic Growth Markets Leader at Ernst & Young LLP.

With almost $196 million in cumulative average sales in 2011, these companies also supported state and local governments through state and other local taxes. Award winners will be announced at a gala on June 19 at the Beverly Hills Hilton. These business leaders were selected from nearly 90 nominations by a panel of independent judges.

This year’s finalists are:

• Jeffrey R. Clark, President & CEO, Anthony International
• Linda Reyes Stone, President & CEO, APR Consulting, Inc.
• David William Hagan, President & CEO, Boingo Wireless, Inc.
• James Cameron, Co-Chairman and Vince Pace, Co-Chairman, Cameron Pace Group
• David Overton, Chairman & CEO, The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated
• Jon E. Kirchner, Chairman & CEO, DTS, Inc.
• Jeff Stibel, Chairman & CEO, Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp.
• Alex Kazerani, Chairman & CEO, and James Segil, President, EdgeCast Networks
• Simon Bax, CEO, and Bill Tillson, President & COO, Encompass Digital Media, Inc.
• Aaron Broder, CEO & Co-Founder, and Brian Fitzgerald, President & Co-Founder, Evolve Media
• Emelio Castaneda, President, Field Fresh Foods, Inc.
• Sunnie S. Kim, President & CEO, Hana Financial, Inc.
• Philip Cummins and Lee Maen, Partners, Innovative Dining Group
• Bob Brisco, Director & CEO, Internet Brands
• Cesar Garcia, President, Chairman & CEO, Iris International, Inc.
• Alan Zafran, Partner, Luminous Capital
• Allen DeBevoise, Chairman & CEO, Machinima, Inc.
• Michael Sheldon, President & CEO, Network Hardware Resale, LLC
• Peter Dameris, President & CEO, On Assignment, Inc.
• Josef Gorowitz, CEO, Prodege, LLC
• Nathaniel J. Victor, CEO, Sonic Electronix, Inc.

Award winners will be announced at a gala on June 15 at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, Wash.

The finalists are:

• Chris Ulum, Agilx Corporation, Oregon
• Kamyar Moinzadeh, Airbiquity, Washington
• Sunny Gupta, Apptio, Washington
• Brandon Dawson, Audigy Group, Washington
• Amy Tyksen, BendBroadband, Oregon
• Craig Bramscher, Brammo, Oregon
• Donald Howard, MD, PhD, CellNetix Pathology, Washington
• Jay Haladay, Coaxis, Oregon
• Marc Barros, Contour, Washington
• Dave Shaffer, DePaul Industries, Oregon
• Greg Enell, Double Down Interactive, Washington
• Christina Lethean, Gesa Credit Union, Washington
• Ocean Yuan, Grape Solar, Oregon
• Josh Neblett, GreenCupboards, Washington
• Sandra Green, n-Link Corporation, Oregon
• Clay Siegall, PhD, Seattle Genetics, Washington
• Paul Fichter, Taphandles, Washington
• Darryl Rawlings, Trupanion, Washington