SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Ernst & Young LLP is pleased to announce the semi-finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award in the Pacific Northwest. This group of outstanding entrepreneurs was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous winners of the award, leading CEOs and private capital investors and other regional business leaders. Finalists will be announced in May, with the winners revealed at a gala event on June 10, 2011 at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers.
“For the past 25 years, Ernst & Young has honored the best entrepreneurs through our Entrepreneur Of The Year program,” said Tim Tasker, Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director for the Pacific Northwest. “These entrepreneurs have a tremendous impact in the Pacific Northwest. We are extraordinarily proud to honor innovative, market-leading entrepreneurs, like these semi-finalists.”
The Pacific Northwest semi-finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2011 are:
- Pamala Temple, A Place for Mom, Seattle, WA
- Ryo Kubota, M.D., Ph.D., Acucela, Seattle, WA
- Cheryl Vedoe, Apex Learning, Seattle, WA
- Sunny Gupta, Apptio, Bellevue, WA
- Brandon Dawson, Audigy Group, Vancouver, WA
- Gene Biggi, Beaverton Foods, Hillsboro, OR
- Gary Oakland, BECU, Seattle, WA
- Stuart Ellis, Charter School Capital, Portland, OR
- Dina Alhadeff, Amy Grealish, and Lori Liddle, Chasing Fireflies, Seattle, WA
- Ben Huh, Cheezburger, Seattle, WA
- John Marick, Consumer Cellular, Portland, OR
- Marc Barros, Contour, Seattle, WA
- Satbir Khanuja, DataSphere Technologies, Bellevue, WA
- Mitchell Gold, M.D., Dendreon, Seattle, WA
- David Shaffer, DePaul Industries, Portland, OR
- Sunny Singh, Edifecs, Inc., Bellevue, WA
- David Childers, EthicsPoint, Lake Oswego, OR
- Todd Heiner, Express Locations, Wenatchee, WA
- Tim Beaver & John Graham, Global Diving & Salvage, Seattle, WA
- Dan Price, Gravity Payments, Seattle, WA
- Bryan Mistele, INRIX, Kirkland, WA
- Dudley Slater, Integra Telecom, Portland, OR
- Gregory Demopulos, M.D., Omeros Corporation, Seattle, WA
- Bohn Crain, Radiant Logistics, Bellevue, WA
- Vikas Kamran, Revel Consulting, Kirkland, WA
- Steve Sakuma, Sakuma Bros., Burlington, WA
- Nicholas Kaiser, Saturna Capital Corporation, Bellingham, WA
- Steve Marsh, Smarsh, Portland, OR
- Robert Bessler, Sound Physicians, Tacoma, WA
- Mike McSherry, Swype, Seattle, WA
- Paul Fichtner, Taphandles, Seattle, WA
- Hector Rivas, Thrift Books, Seattle, WA
- Tim Morgan, TTF Aerospace, Auburn, WA
- Jim Mothersbaugh, WaterTectonics, Everett, WA
- Alex Yoder, Webtrends, Portland, OR
- Vikram Chalana, Winshuttle, Bothell, WA
- Greg Rankich, Xtreme Consulting Group, Redmond, WA
The Entrepreneur Of The Year® program honors entrepreneurs regionally in June, leading up to the national awards in November. Additionally, venture-backed companies that win an Entrepreneur Of The Year® award regionally are also eligible for the Venture Capital Award of Excellence on a national level. The overall national US winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year title in June. Entrepreneurs are nominated and evaluated by those in each region, including local business and community leaders.
All regional honorees are invited to the national Entrepreneur Of The Year® Awards gala, hosted by Jay Leno, on November 12, 2011 in Palm Springs, California. The gala is the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. For more information on the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, please visit www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthforum.
This year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 25th anniversary. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in over 140 cities and over 50 countries throughout the world. 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.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation as a national sponsor.
In the Pacific Northwest, sponsors include Union Bank, ADP, The Big Picture, Seattle Business and Scherzer International.
Contact information
To make reservations for the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards gala on June 10, 2011 contact Rachel Anderson of Ernst & Young LLP at 206 654 7633 or rachel.anderson@ey.com by June 1, 2011. Tickets are $175 per person or $1,750 per table. For more information about the program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy.
About Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the unique way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities and over 50 countries.
About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 141,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.
For more information, please visit www.ey.com
Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.
This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a US client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited.
